wfn.org | [ELD] New York's St. John the Divine cathedral shines at rededication / Presiding Bishop issues lett

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

>Episcopal Life Daily
>December 1, 2008

Episcopal Life Online is available at  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.

>Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:

* TOP STORY - New York's St. John the Divine cathedral shines at
rededication
* TOP STORY - Presiding Bishop issues letter for World AIDS Day 2008
* WORLD REPORT - AFRICA: Religious leaders say they must do more to  tackle

AIDS

* WORLD REPORT - CANADA: Primate joins City for Life in call for  abolition
of death penalty
* WORLD REPORT - CANADA: Conservative Anglicans determined to stay  within
church
* WORLD REPORT - CANADA: Anglicans uplift and upload with 'Amazing  Grace'
* WORLD REPORT - CONGO: Fire destroys pastoral center in Bukavu diocese
* WORLD REPORT - INDIA: Christians welcome Orissa decision but warn on
elections
* WORLD REPORT - INDIA: Archbishop of Canterbury expresses shock and  outrage
at atrocities in Mumbai
* WORLD REPORT - INDIA: Christian leaders condemn Mumbai attacks
* WORLD REPORT - IRELAND: Anglican archbishops call Mumbai attacks  'morally
indefensible'
* MISSION - World AIDS Day video: Archbishop of Canterbury
* PEOPLE - The Ven. Richard Cluett named to new position to assist
reorganizing dioceses
* PEOPLE - New dean plans to turn St. Peter's Cathedral into resource  for
Diocese of Southwest Florida
* ARTS - This Advent season, online calendars offer meditations and more
* DAYBOOK - December 2, 2008: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - Church Wellness: A Best Practices Guide to Nurturing  Healthy
Congregations

>_____________________

>TOP STORIES

New York's St. John the Divine cathedral shines at rededication

>By Solange De Santis

[Episcopal News Service, New York] The world's largest Gothic cathedral  --
St. John the Divine (http://www.stjohndivine.org/index.html) -- staged a
coming-out celebration November 30 after a $41 million restoration  revealed
a gigantic space full of light and color.

The mother church of the Diocese of New York had been partially closed  and
its 8,500-pipe organ silenced after a fire on Dec. 18, 2001 destroyed  the
gift shop in the north transept and spread smoke damage throughout the
cathedral's interior.

The two-and-a-half-hour service of Holy Eucharist included greetings  from
both of New York's U.S. senators, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton,  who
the next day was nominated to be Secretary of State by President-elect
Barack Obama.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_103239_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

Presiding Bishop issues letter for World AIDS Day 2008

[Episcopal News Service] In a letter for World AIDS Day 2008, Presiding
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori encourages Episcopalians "to remember,
pray, and work together to alleviate the suffering inflicted" by the
HIV/AIDS pandemic and "to advocate for strong U.S. responses ... by  signing
up for the Episcopal Public Policy Network at  www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn."

The full text of the Presiding Bishop's letter is available at:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_103134_ENG_HTM.htm

More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife

>_____________________

>WORLD REPORT

AFRICA: Religious leaders say they must do more to tackle AIDS

>By Stephen Brown and Fredrick Nzwili

[Ecumenical News International, Geneva/Nairobi] Some Christian and  Muslim
leaders in Africa have admitted that their actions to combat HIV and  AIDS
have not in all cases been sufficient to match the scale of the  challenge.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103203_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

CANADA: Primate joins City for Life in call for abolition of death  penalty

>By Leigh Anne Williams

[Anglican Journal] More than 100 people, including Archbishop Fred  Hiltz,
primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, braved a cold, rainy night in
Toronto to make the city a "City for Life," one of eight in Canada and  more
than 900 worldwide.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103211_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

CANADA: Conservative Anglicans determined to stay within church

>By Keith Knight

[Anglican Journal] About 50 conservative Anglican leaders, including  eight
young theological students, gathered in Toronto for a one-day  consultation
on November 25 and emerged with a determination to remain within the
Anglican Church of Canada. They came from 16 dioceses across the  country.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103151_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

CANADA: Anglicans uplift and upload with 'Amazing Grace'

>By Leanne Larmondin

[Ecumenical News International, Toronto] Thousands of voices, including
choirs, congregations, chaplains and soldiers, are to be blended  together in
one giant, online hymn sing to help support the Anglican Church's  ministry
in Canada's remote north.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103152_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

CONGO: Fire destroys pastoral center in Bukavu diocese

[Episcopal News Service] A fire that swept through Pastoral Centre
Archbishop Ndahura in the Diocese of Bukavu has caused extensive damage  to
the building and destroyed much of its contents, said Bishop Bahati
Bali-Busane Sylvestre in a November 29 email.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103213_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

INDIA: Christians welcome Orissa decision but warn on elections

>By Anto Akkara

[Ecumenical News International, Bangalore, India] Christians in India's
troubled Orissa state have welcomed an announcement of compensation for
places of worship damaged in recent communal violence but have  criticized
the state government's refusal to postpone a municipal election  scheduled
for the beginning of December.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103205_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

INDIA: Archbishop of Canterbury expresses shock and outrage at  atrocities in
Mumbai

[Lambeth Palace] Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has written to  the
High Commissioner of India, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, expressing his shock  and
outrage at the appalling atrocities in Mumbai and offering on behalf of  the
whole Anglican Communion prayers for those who have lost loved ones, for  the
injured and for all those caring for them or dealing with the ongoing  siege.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103100_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

INDIA: Christian leaders condemn Mumbai attacks

>By Anto Akkara

[Ecumenical News International, Bangalore, India] The National Council  of
Churches in India plus global church leaders have condemned the  coordinated
attacks in Mumbai, which have left more than 170 people dead.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103101_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

IRELAND: Anglican archbishops call Mumbai attacks 'morally indefensible'

[Church of Ireland] The Most Rev. Alan Harper, archbishop of Armagh and
primate of All Ireland, and the Most Rev. John Neill, archbishop of  Dublin
and bishop of Glendalough, have a statement following the coordinated
terrorist attacks in Mumbai that left at least 172 people dead.

Full statement: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_103155_ENG_HTM.htm

More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>MISSION

World AIDS Day video: Archbishop of Canterbury

[Lambeth Palace] Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has recorded a
video message to mark the 20th annual World AIDS day on December 1,  2008.

The video, available at http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2049, sees  the
archbishop talk about the church's worldwide involvement in care and
education surrounding HIV and AIDS, and calls for faith leaders to
'encourage and support' what is being done by listening to those who  work on
the front lines.

"Our hope and our prayer today is that the excellent work that's done,  not
just in developing countries but here at home too, by the churches will
continue and deepen and be strengthened by our prayer and our  commitment,"
he said. "Recognizing that people living with HIV is us not them,  whether
it's leaders and congregations, congregations and 'outsiders' -- it's  us.
It's all of our business...Church leaders and church congregations  taking
responsibility for educating the wider public."

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81799_103132_ENG_HTM.htm

More Mission: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81799_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>PEOPLE

The Ven. Richard Cluett named to new position to assist reorganizing
dioceses

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has
named the Venerable Richard I. Cluett as pastoral assistant to  reorganizing
dioceses, serving under the supervision of Bishop Clay Matthews in the
Office of Pastoral Development.

Cluett, who hails from the Diocese of Bethlehem, will provide pastoral
guidance and assistance to dioceses of the Episcopal Church that are in  the
process of reorganizing and reconstituting.

"I am honored to be named by the Presiding Bishop to this new ministry,"
Cluett said on his December 1 appointment. "I look forward to working  with
the clergy and laity of our dioceses through their transitions."

Full story here: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_103243_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

New dean plans to turn St. Peter's Cathedral into resource for Diocese  of
Southwest Florida

>By Lisa B. Hamilton

[Episcopal News Service]  Throughout his ministry, the Rev. Stephen  Morris
has "prayed for a generous amount of imagination and a practical plan."
Morris, 43, said in an interview that he will continue that prayer when  he
moves from east to west across Florida from St. James Episcopal Church  in
Ormond Beach, (http://stjamesormondbeach.com/index.cfm) where he is  rector,
to St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral in St. Petersburg
(http://www.spcathedral.net/), where he will become the dean January 1.

Morris hopes his prayer will be answered in ways that make "the  cathedral
the flagship, resource congregation for the entire diocese." He  envisions
St. Peter's as a place where parishes throughout the diocese of  Southwest
Florida (http://www.episcopalswfl.org/) find resources for innovations  in
Christian education, liturgical and outreach.

Morris is "excited" by the recent renovations to the cathedral, noting  that
it is poised to host diocesan events and provide outreach. New office  space
will be leased, which will help finance outreach ministry, including a
columbarium to serve the people of St. Petersburg.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_103238_ENG_HTM.htm

More People: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>ARTS

This Advent season, online calendars offer meditations and more

[Episcopal News Service] While many Advent revelers continue to open a
window each day on their traditional cardboard calendar and be treated  to an
image of the Nativity, a poem, a toy, or better still -- chocolate,  others
are turning to online alternatives that offer more spiritual and  educational
dimensions to counting the days until Christmas.

This year, the Episcopal Diocese of Washington's fifth annual online  Advent
calendar (http://www.edow.org/spirituality/advent/2008.html) is  supporting
the work of the Bokamoso Youth Program in Winterveld, South Africa,  which
helps young people thrive amidst the poverty, crime and despair of the  AIDS
epidemic.

A new window will be available each day during the month of December
featuring daily meditations from Episcopal Café
(http://www.episcopalcafe.com), videotaped interviews with the young  people
of Bokamoso, and opportunities to support the program and the Diocese of
Washington's other ministries in Southern Africa. The calendar is  available
here (http://www.edow.org/spirituality/advent/2008.html).

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81827_103241_ENG_HTM.htm

More Arts: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81827_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>DAYBOOK

>On December 2, 2008...

* 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 December 2, 1697, St. Paul's Cathedral in London,
designed by Christopher Wren, was dedicated.

>_____________________

>CATALYST

"Church Wellness: A Best Practices Guide to Nurturing Healthy  Congregations"
from Church Publishing, Inc., by Tom Ehrich, 132 pages, paperback, c.  2008,
$20

[Church Publishing] All churches, no matter the denomination, are faced  with
similar challenges: membership development, leadership development,
communications strategy, spiritual development, young adult ministry,
listening to parishioner needs, and measuring progress. The author  provides
a guide for clergy and lay leaders in a way that is clear and usable.

To order: Episcopal Books and Resources, online at
http://www.episcopalbookstore.org, or call 800-903-5544 -- or visit your
local Episcopal bookseller, http://www.episcopalbooksellers.org

More Catalyst: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/83842_ENG_HTM.htm