wfn.org | [ELD] Presiding Bishop joins faith leaders in call for minimum wage increase / Primates to address i

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

>Episcopal Life Daily
>January 15, 2009

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

>Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:

* TOP STORY - Presiding Bishop joins faith leaders in call for minimum
wage increase
* TOP STORY - Primates to address international concerns at February
meeting in Alexandria, Egypt
* WORLD REPORT - NEW ZEALAND: Archbishops call for prayers following
flooding
* MISSION - Episcopal Relief and Development offers 2009 Lenten Devotional
* OPINION - Leave door open: Look to Luke in resolving disputes
* DAYBOOK - January 16, 2009: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - The Episcopal Handbook

>_____________________

>TOP STORIES

Presiding Bishop joins faith leaders in call for minimum wage increase

>By Joe Bjordal

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
has joined with leaders of 15 denominations and national faith
organizations as an inaugural signer of a letter urging the 111th
Congress to raise the minimum wage. The effort is part of the "$10 in
2010" campaign by Let Justice Roll, a national coalition of faith,
community, labor and business organizations, of which the Episcopal
Church is a member.

"An adequate minimum wage is a bedrock moral value for our nation,"
the faith leaders said in the letter. "Where the Congress sets the
minimum wage reflects whether our society truly believes that workers
are human beings with inherent dignity, inalienable rights and basic
needs such as food, shelter and healthcare."

"Well before the recession, growing numbers of employed men and women
sought help at food banks and homeless shelters because they could not
live on poverty wages," said the Rev. Steve Copley, chair of Let
Justice Roll. "When the federal minimum wage increased to $6.55 last
July, it still left workers with less buying power than they had in
1997."

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_104259_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

Primates to address international concerns at February meeting in
Alexandria, Egypt

>By Matthew Davies

[Episcopal News Service] The primates and moderators of the Anglican
Communion will be hosted by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the
Middle East for a February 1-5 meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, a January
15 press release from the Anglican Communion Office has confirmed.

Meeting behind closed doors at the Helnan Palestine Hotel, the
primates will discuss international concerns such as the proposed
Anglican covenant, the situation in Zimbabwe, global warming, and
Christian responses to the global financial crisis.

The primates will also hear an update from the Windsor Continuation
Group and receive a report the group is presenting to the Archbishop
of Canterbury. The group, which last met in December 2008, is charged
with addressing questions arising from the Windsor Report, such as
recommended bans on same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions
and the ordination of gay and lesbian people to the episcopate.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_104257_ENG_HTM.htm

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

>_____________________

>WORLD REPORT

NEW ZEALAND: Archbishops call for prayers following flooding

[ACNS] At this time of serious flooding at Nadi, Labasa and other
places, Archbishops David Moxon and Brown Turei have asked Anglicans
in Aotearoa and New Zealand to pray especially for the Diocese of
Polynesia in Fiji.

Full statement: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_104254_ENG_HTM.htm

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

>_____________________

>MISSION

Episcopal Relief and Development offers 2009 Lenten Devotional

[ERD] Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) announced the publication
of the 2009 Lenten Devotional, Peace & Compassion: To Heal a Hurting
World. The devotional features daily meditations adapted from the Rev.
Barbara C. Crafton's Almost-Daily Emos. These reflections lead readers
to explore their spiritual connections to people living in poverty
around the world. Focusing on Episcopal Relief and Development's
efforts to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the
devotional offers ways for parishioners to promote health, fight
disease and save lives through the MDG Inspiration Fund.

For the first time, the devotional is available in Spanish and can be
downloaded at http://www.er-d.org/LentenResources.

Last year, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
declared the first Sunday in Lent, as the first annual commemoration
of Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday. Jefferts Schori is again
encouraging Episcopalians in congregations across the country to use
the first Sunday in Lent to engage with Episcopal Relief and
Development during this traditional season of almsgiving.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81799_104256_ENG_HTM.htm

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

>_____________________

>OPINION

>Leave door open

>Look to Luke in resolving disputes

>By Timothy B. Safford

[Episcopal Life] When I read about the dioceses of San Joaquin,
Pittsburgh, Quincy and Fort Worth jockeying to transfer their diocesan
properties to the Province of the Southern Cone, my mind immediately
jumps to Luke 15:11: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger of
them said to the father, 'Father, give me the share of the property
that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them."

Through their conventions, Episcopalians in these dioceses declared
clearly and democratically that they wanted to leave and take their
share of the property with them. Following the lead of the abundantly
loving father who understands that his younger child needs to leave so
that he one day may come home again, maybe we shouldn't hinder them.

The father desires to be at one with his son but, ironically, must let
him go, for reconciliation is in the future, yet unseen. By dividing
the property, he makes it possible for his son to leave with the
delusion that his future is somehow dependent on earthly property, not
on the unconditional love and grace that is the only possession that
will matter when he returns home.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80050_104258_ENG_HTM.htm

More Opinion: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80050_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>DAYBOOK

>On January 16, 2009...

* 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 January 16, 1923, Bishop Cameron Mann presided
over the primary diocesan convention of the Diocese of Southern
Florida (later the Dioceses of Southeast Florida, Southwest Florida,
and Central Florida).

>_____________________

>CATALYST

"The Episcopal Handbook" from Church Publishing, Inc., edited by
Barbara S. Wilson, Arlene Flancher, and Susan Erdey, 256 pages,
paperback, c. 2008, $15

[Church Publishing, Inc.] The Episcopal Handbook provides historical
and theological information about the Episcopal Church alongside
fun-filled facts and practical tips for being a churchgoing follower
of Jesus Christ. Complete with illustrations, the book presents a
combination of vast truths, complex details, and bits of humor about
the Episcopal understanding of the Christian life. This unique and
handy resource is perfect for youth, adults, students, families, and
all those interested in learning about much of what encompasses life
in the church.

>Sections include:

- How to Stay Alert in Church

- How to Be a Greeter (or Usher, or Acolyte, etc.)
- How to Tell the Difference Between a "Vocation" and a "Vacation"
- How to Survive a Service in an Un-Air Conditioned Church
- A Brief History of the Anglican Communion
- How to Interpret "Controversial" Bible Passages and Remain Episcopalian

>...and lots more.

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

>_____________________

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