Episcopal Life Online Newslink November 5, 2007
Episcopal Life Online is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.
Today's ELO Newslink includes:
* TOP STORY - Throughout the Caribbean, Hurricane Noel victims receive prayers and support * TOP STORY - Make the most of 'incredible moment,' House of Deputies president tells South Carolinians * TOP STORY - November 11 bulletin insert: Honoring Veterans * DIOCESAN DIGEST - PENNSYLVANIA: Little mention of bishop's inhibition at diocesan convention * WORLD REPORT - CANADA: Bishops continue moratorium on same-gender blessings * FEATURE - Small church, strong mission: Outreach plus evangelism equals vitality in southeast Kansas
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TOP STORIES
Throughout the Caribbean, Hurricane Noel victims receive prayers and support
By Nan Cobbey and Matthew Davies
Hurricane Noel, the deadliest storm of the 2007 hurricane season, has prompted prayers and support for the people of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, and Cuba.
Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is in communication with the dioceses of Haiti and the Dominican Republic and is preparing to provide emergency support such as food, first aid supplies, and temporary shelter.
After leaving the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Noel gained strength and reached hurricane status October 29 before emerging over the eastern tip of Cuba and southeastern Bahamas.
Noel is responsible for at least 140 deaths throughout the Caribbean. Heavy rainfall causing flooding and mudslides led to the displacement of more than 80,000 people and isolated small towns and villages in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, ERD reports. Three days of intense rainfall in the Dominican Republic destroyed homes and caused an estimated $30 million in damage to plantain, rice, and cacao plantations.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_91613_ENG_HTM.htm
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Make the most of 'incredible moment,' House of Deputies president tells South Carolinians Bonnie Anderson, others urge Episcopalians to be informed and committed to mission
By Mary Frances Schjonberg
[Episcopal News Service] House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson urged a group of Episcopalians in the Diocese of South Carolina November 3 to take advantage of an "incredible moment" in the life of that diocese to begin talking to people "whom you may not have talked to recently" so that together they might develop new models for mission.
The moment to which Anderson was referring was created when the Very Rev. Mark Lawrence, the diocese's bishop-elect, recently received the canonically required consent to his ordination and consecration from a majority of the standing committees of the Episcopal Church dioceses and from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction.
"You have some opportunities for newness," Anderson said told nearly 150 who attended the "Connecting with the Episcopal Church in 2007" event sponsored by the Episcopal Forum of South Carolina for which she was the keynote speaker. The meeting took place in Charleston at the Inn at Middleton Place.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_91596_ENG_HTM.htm
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November 11 bulletin insert: Honoring Veterans
[Episcopal Life This Week] In honor of Veterans Day, which is observed in the United States on November 11, this week's Episcopal Life bulletin insert is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/78650_8852_ENG_HTM.htm
More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife
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DIOCESAN DIGEST
PENNSYLVANIA: Little mention of bishop's inhibition at diocesan convention http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_91607_ENG_HTM.htm
More Diocesan news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_ENG_HTM.htm
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WORLD REPORT
CANADA: Bishops continue moratorium on same-gender blessings http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_91612_ENG_HTM.htm
More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm
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FEATURES
Small church, strong mission
Outreach plus evangelism equals vitality in southeast Kansas
By Frank Connizzo
[Episcopal Life] While I served as the planned-giving and development officer for the Diocese of Kansas, I had the opportunity to visit a small congregation located in southeast Kansas near the Oklahoma border. When leaving this community, you could drive a great distance before seeing another town of any size.
Each time I met with the rector or other members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Coffeyville, it was obvious in an instant that the congregation had vital mission and ministry. The congregation calls itself: "A Welcoming Community of Christian Love Proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ."
Coffeyville has a population of about 11,500. The primary industries are farming and small businesses, including an oil refinery. It is also home to Coffeyville Community College. One of the town's "claims to fame" is that the infamous Dalton Gang was killed by local citizens while attempting to rob two local banks.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81834_91609_ENG_HTM.htm
More Features: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/78936_ENG_HTM.htm