Episcopal Life Online Newslink September 28, 2007
Episcopal Life Online is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.
Today's ELO Newslink includes:
* TOP STORY - House of Bishops calls for 'new vision' in Gulf Coast recovery, opposes Iraq war * TOP STORY - Common Cause bishops pledge to seek Anglican recognition * TOP STORY - ERD launches Diocesan Emergency Plan competition * DIOCESAN DIGEST - WASHINGTON, D.C.: Cathedral Day to kick off centennial celebrations September 29 * WORLD REPORT - AUSTRALIA: Primate responds positively to House of Bishops' statement * WORLD REPORT - CANADA: New primate set to meet Archbishop of Canterbury * ARTS - Pioneering stained glass windows provide solar energy
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TOP STORIES
House of Bishops calls for 'new vision' in Gulf Coast recovery, opposes Iraq war
By Mary Frances Schjonberg
[Episcopal News Service] In addition to responding to requests of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops also sent a message to the church describing the context of the bishops' five-day meeting in New Orleans, and passed resolutions affirming the Episcopal Church's opposition to the war in Iraq and calling on the U.S. Congress to enact "a new vision for Gulf Coast recovery."
In the resolution to Congress, the bishops said they met in New Orleans as part of the Episcopal Church's "unanimous commitment to healing the radical affront to God that racism constitutes."
The Iraq resolution, offered by Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies George Packard, noted that nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed since the operation began, along with many more civilians. It renewed the church's call for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops, care and support of those troops, and those people who have become refugees because of the war.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90540_ENG_HTM.htm
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Common Cause bishops pledge to seek Anglican recognition Meetings unite dissident Episcopal bishops with breakaway groups
By Mary Frances Schjonberg
[Episcopal News Service] Fifty-one bishops representing several self-identified Anglican organizations said September 28 that they will spend the next 15 months developing "an Anglican union," which they anticipate will be recognized by some Anglican Communion Primates and provinces.
The Common Cause Council of Bishops, ending a four-day meeting in Pittsburgh, said that union will be the one called for in September 2006 by a self-selecting group of Anglican Primates who lead Provinces in the global south.
Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan convened the meeting in his role as moderator of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes (NACDP), also known as the Anglican Communion Network.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90545_ENG_HTM.htm
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ERD launches Diocesan Emergency Plan competition
[ERD] A competition seeking the most effective and comprehensive Episcopal Diocesan Emergency Plan has been launched by Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) September 28, coinciding with the end of National Disaster Preparedness Month.
ERD is encouraging all dioceses to participate in this first-time contest.
Domestically, ERD works to provide relief and rebuild communities devastated by disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and September 11. The effort is spearheaded as part of ERD's Domestic Disaster Response and Preparedness Program, which aims to equip and train dioceses and parishes to organize a cooperated response, protect their facilities and deliver relief to communities after emergencies.
Criteria for the Episcopal Diocesan Emergency Plan competition include measuring the effectiveness of the guideline and actionable documentation in which the diocese will support an affected community in their response and recovery.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90539_ENG_HTM.htm
More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife
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DIOCESAN DIGEST
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Cathedral Day to kick off centennial celebrations September 29 http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_90538_ENG_HTM.htm
More Diocesan news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_ENG_HTM.htm
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WORLD REPORT
AUSTRALIA: Primate responds positively to House of Bishops' statement http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_90544_ENG_HTM.htm
CANADA: New primate set to meet Archbishop of Canterbury http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_90532_ENG_HTM.htm
More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm
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ARTS
Pioneering stained glass windows provide solar energy
By Episcopal Life staff
[Episcopal Life] Mention solar energy and people often think of individual roof-mounted panels. Mention stained glass and people think of traditional windows in churches. Not too many people would think to combine them, but artist Sarah Hall has done this and more, with the first stained glass installation in North America to utilize solar cells.
The stained glass is the central element of a wind tower that will complete a new $10 million, 28,000-square-foot theology library at Regent College on the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver, Canada. The library officially opens September 29.
Regent's aerodynamic 40-foot wind tower was designed by architect Clive Grout as a natural ventilation system for the underground library building and a functional symbol of the college's commitment to a sustainable environment. The engineering for this tower was both innovative and elegant; Hall's task was to bring further beauty and interest to the tower, while continuing the theme of alternative energy.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81827_90541_ENG_HTM.htm