wfn.org | [ELD] Washington prayer vigil rallies Senate support for affordable heath care reform

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>Episcopal Life Daily
>November 19, 2009

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

>Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:

* TOP STORY - Washington prayer vigil rallies Senate support for
affordable heath care reform
* DIOCESAN DIGEST - PENNSYLVANIA: History gets some repairs at parish's  cemetery
* WORLD REPORT - CANADA: Council expresses dismay over Uganda's
proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill
* WORLD REPORT - CENTRAL AMERICA: ERD responds to widespread flooding,
mudslides in El Salvador
* WORLD REPORT - CONGO: Archbishops of Canterbury, Congo express
concern about ongoing violence
* WORLD REPORT - ITALY: Archbishop of Canterbury delivers address at a
Willebrands Symposium in Rome
* DAYBOOK - November 20: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - Come, Lord Jesus! Daily Readings for Advent, Christmas &  Epiphany
* CATALYST - General Convention DVDs now available

>_____________________

>TOP STORIES

Washington prayer vigil rallies Senate support for affordable heath care  reform

>By Lynette Wilson

[Episcopal News Service] Shortly before Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid held a press conference Nov. 19 to celebrate the long-awaited
health reform legislation unveiled Nov. 18, pastors and lay leaders
from states with senators whose votes are seen as crucial to the
outcome of reform gathered outside the Capitol Building to pray for
continued progress on legislation to extend affordable coverage to
families.

"Today we mark another key moment in this historic debate for
families," said Rev. Claudia Hollinger, a deacon at St. Jude's
Episcopal Church and clergy leader with Flint Area Congregations
Together in Flint, Michigan. "The legislation that Senator Reid
announced would extend coverage to 31 million, ban insurance companies
from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and help small
businesses deal with rising health care costs, all while reducing the
deficit by $127 billion. The bill is not perfect and we still have
work to do to make coverage affordable to all families, but it is an
important step forward."

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_117092_ENG_HTM.htm

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

>_____________________

>DIOCESAN DIGEST

PENNSYLVANIA: History gets some repairs at parish's cemetery

>By William Potts

[St. Thomas Church, Whitemarsh] The tombstones in St. Thomas' Cemetery
date back to the early 18th century and mark the graves of soldiers
who served in the Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Civil War,
Revolutionary War, World War I, World War II, as well as soldiers
serving in Vietnam.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_117071_ENG_HTM.htm

More Diocesan news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_ENG_HTM.htm

>_____________________

>WORLD REPORT

CANADA: Council expresses dismay over Uganda's proposed  Anti-Homosexuality Bill

>By ENS staff

[Episcopal News Service] The Anglican Church of Canada's Council of
General Synod has expressed its dismay and concern over the draft
proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill currently before the Ugandan
Parliament.

Homosexuality is currently illegal in Uganda and carries a penalty of
up to 14 years imprisonment. If passed, the proposed bill would extend
the punishment to life imprisonment and introduce the death penalty
for "aggravated homosexuality," which includes assault against people
under the age of 18 and those with disabilities.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_117085_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

CENTRAL AMERICA: ERD responds to widespread flooding, mudslides in El  Salvador

[ERD] El Salvador was hit Nov. 7-8 by severe weather caused by a
low-pressure system in the Atlantic Ocean related to Hurricane Ida.
Receiving nearly 12 inches of rain in six hours, the nation was
affected by widespread flooding and mudslides. The death toll
currently stands at 194, with 80 people still missing.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_117038_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

CONGO: Archbishops of Canterbury, Congo express concern about ongoing  violence

[Lambeth Palace] Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Archbishop
Henri Isingoma of the Anglican Province of Congo and Bishop Michael
Scott-Joynt of the Church of England's Diocese of Winchester voiced
their concerns Nov. 19 over the continuing conflict in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_117047_ENG_HTM.htm

>- - - - -

ITALY: Archbishop of Canterbury delivers address at a Willebrands
Symposium in Rome

[Lambeth Palace] Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams delivered an
address in Rome on Nov. 19 as the guest of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity. The address formed part of a symposium
being held at the Gregorian University to celebrate the centenary of
the birth of Cardinal Willebrands, the first president of the council.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_117049_ENG_HTM.htm

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

>_____________________

>DAYBOOK

On November 20, 2009, the church remembers Edmund, King of East Anglia,  martyr.

* 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 November 20, 1847, Henry Francis Lyte, Anglican
Divine and hymnist, died at Nice, France.

>_____________________

>CATALYST

"Come, Lord Jesus! Daily Readings for Advent, Christmas & Epiphany"
from Church Publishing, Inc., by Geoffrey Rowell & Julien
Chilcott-Monk, 151 pages, paperback, c. 2003, $13

[Church Publishing, Inc.] Come, Lord Jesus! invites readers to enter
more deeply into the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation of Christ.
For each day from the first Sunday of Advent to the Feast of the
Epiphany, readings, prayers, and suggestions for daily devotions help
readers interact imaginatively with the reactions and feelings of the
biblical figures involved with the story of Jesus' birth. Rowell and
Chilcott-Monk focus particularly on Mary, her "yes" to God at the
Annunciation, and her own journey from Bethlehem to Calvary.

The title of the book is a translation of a New Testament prayer,
Maranatha!, an expression of the longing, hope, and unity of purpose
among the first followers of Christ. At a time of year when commercial
pressures threaten to obscure the child in the manger, Come, Lord
Jesus! will focus hearts and minds afresh on the miracle of love at
work among us.

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

>- - - - -

>General Convention DVDs now available

>Sermons, daily video news wrap-ups

[Office of Communication] DVDs featuring all the sermons and daily
highlights of The Episcopal Church's General Convention 2009 are now
available through Episcopal Books and Resources.

The DVDs are ideal for adult forums, Sunday school classes,
evangelism, Advent or Lenten reflections, Bible study, discussion
groups, or as a commemorative item.

The content of the DVDs originally appeared on the Media Hub, the
innovative technology system by the Office of Communications which
delivered the full story of the two weeks of General Convention (GC09)
through videos, blogging, twitter, flickr, and live webcasting.

GC09 was held July 8-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in
California. General Convention, held every three years, is the
bicameral governing body of the church and is comprised of the House
of Bishops and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay
representatives from the 110 dioceses.

The videos of all the sermons from the daily Eucharists are contained
on three DVDs. The eight preachers ranged from Episcopal Church
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Archbishop of
Canterbury Rowan Williams to a popular TV correspondent and an
internationally-known activist. The sermons were centered on a
designated theme for the day.

The Daily Wrap DVD features the daily video news wrap-ups produced by
the Episcopal Church's Office of Communication, providing an overview
of General Convention from start to finish. The wrap-ups were written
and presented by Heidi Shott, canon for communications and social
justice for the Diocese of Maine and a member of the GC09 digital
team.

The three-DVD set of Sermons is $20.00. The Daily Wrap DVD is $17.00.
A 20% discount is available when buying both or two or more of each.
Shipping and handling charges will apply.

To order, contact Episcopal Books and Resources via email at
ebr@episcopalchurch.org, phone 800 903-5544, or
www.episcopalbookstore.org.