Episcopal Life Online Newslink November 17, 2007
Episcopal Life Online is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.
Today's ELO Newslink includes:
* TOP STORY - North Korea receives humanitarian aid from Episcopal Church, Anglican Communion * TOP STORY - South Korea President Roh Moo-hyun commends Anglican peace conference * TOP STORY - Fort Worth convention approves first reading of constitutional changes * WORLD REPORT - CANADA: Retired bishop leaves church for Southern Cone province * WORLD REPORT - ENGLAND: Archbishop Desmond Tutu named Church Army president
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TOP STORIES
North Korea receives humanitarian aid from Episcopal Church, Anglican Communion First Anglican Eucharist celebrated since World War II
By Neva Rae Fox
[Episcopal News Service, Seoul] Humanitarian aid, in the form of building materials and medical supplies, was presented to North Korea during a November 14 visit to Geumgangsan by members attending the international Anglican conference, Towards Peace in Korea (TOPIK).
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was among the presenters of cement, covers for greenhouses and glucose, valued at $20,000. Organizers said the materials and medical supplies are meant for the North Korean village On-Jeong, destroyed by last year's floods.
The aid comes primarily from Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) for the Anglican Communion parties along with Australia, the Korean Christian Movement, and Hyundai, a major corporation and developer in the region.
Held prior to the TOPIK Forum in Seoul, the peace trip to Geumgangsan in North Korea took place in the shadow of the majestic Diamond Mountain (Geumgang). The TOPIK conference is a result of a 2005 Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) resolution calling for peace, reconciliation and reunification of this Asian peninsula.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_91942_ENG_HTM.htm
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South Korea President Roh Moo-hyun commends Anglican peace conference
By Matthew Davies
[Episcopal News Service] South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun has sent a message of gratitude to the delegates attending the November 16-20 worldwide Anglican peace conference, Towards Peace in Korea (TOPIK), in Seoul, commending them "for your prayers and efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula."
"The time is now ripe for peace on the peninsula," said Roh, who has served as South Korea's president since February 2003. "Building on reconciliation and cooperation, the South and North are marching forward together, taking one step at a time toward common prosperity."
In his message to the 150 delegates attending TOPIK, Roh acknowledged that "the North Korean nuclear issue has posed a great stumbling block to the progress of South-North Korean relations."
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_91943_ENG_HTM.htm
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Fort Worth convention approves first reading of constitutional changes
By Matthew Davies and Jan Nunley
[Episcopal News Service] The 25th annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth November 17 gave the first of two approvals needed to amend its constitution and remove accession to the Constitution and Canons of General Convention, as well as several canonical amendments that eliminate mention of the Episcopal Church.
Speaking in a news conference following the convention's conclusion, Fort Worth Bishop Jack Iker said the decisions "marked a firm resolve about moving forward together, recognizing that there are parts that are not fully behind the path we've chosen, but the debate is always characterized by respect and honesty."
"It's important to note that the decisions made today are preliminary decisions that need to be ratified by another convention," he added.
Meeting at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas, the convention also thanked the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone for its invitation offering the diocese membership "on an emergency and pastoral basis." Iker and the diocesan Standing Committee are to prepare a report on "the constitutional and canonical implications and means of accepting that invitation." Attending the convention was Bishop Frank Lyons of Bolivia in the Southern Cone.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_91941_ENG_HTM.htm
More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife
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WORLD REPORT
CANADA: Retired bishop leaves church for Southern Cone province http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_91939_ENG_HTM.htm
ENGLAND: Archbishop Desmond Tutu named Church Army president http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_91938_ENG_HTM.htm
More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm