wfn.org | [ENS] Liberian president attends Epiphany Mass at St. Thomas Church

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>Episcopal News Service
>January 6, 2010

Episcopal News Service is available at  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ens.

>Today's Episcopal News Service includes:

* TOP STORY - Liberian president attends Epiphany Mass at St. Thomas  Church
* CALENDAR - Upcoming special events and services
* DAYBOOK - January 7: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - The Wisdom of the Seasons

>_____________________

>TOP STORIES

Liberian president attends Epiphany Mass at St. Thomas Church
Presiding bishop celebrates and preaches

>By Lynette Wilson

[Episcopal News Service - Monrovia, Liberia] Liberian President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf attended morning Epiphany Mass at St. Thomas Church
here Jan. 6. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori preached and
celebrated, emphasizing the light of the season.

The presiding bishop is nearing the end of a weeklong visit to Liberia
at the invitation of the Episcopal Church of Liberia. The visit marks
the first time Jefferts Schori has been the official guest of an
African church.

About 250 people attended the Mass at St. Thomas, expecting to see the
presiding bishop. The president's attendance was not announced.

The previous day, Jan. 5, at the invitation of Johnson Sirleaf, the
presiding bishop shared lunch with the president, members of her
cabinet --some of them Episcopalians -- and invited guests including
Liberia Bishop Jonathan B. B. Hart and Henrique F. Tokpa, the
president of Cuttington University, Antoinette "Toni" Daniels, the
Episcopal Church's co-director for mission, and the Rev. Emmanuel K.
Sserwadda, Episcopal Church program officer for Africa, in the Cabinet
Room of the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - the
William R. Tolbert building.

At the start of the lunch, Johnson Sirleaf expressed appreciation for
the presiding bishop's visit to Liberia and the longstanding
partnerships between her country and the Episcopal Church.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_118263_ENG_HTM.htm

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

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>CALENDAR

A round-up of upcoming special events, services, concerts and diocesan
conventions taking place throughout the Episcopal Church is available
at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/calendar.htm

>_____________________

>DAYBOOK

>On January 7, 2010...

* 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 7, 367, Athanasius writes a letter
containing a list of what he thinks should be considered the canon of
Scripture, this list would later be accepted by the church.

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>CATALYST

"The Wisdom of the Seasons" from The Alban Institute, by Charles M.
Olsen, 203 pages, paperback, c. 2009, $18

[The Alban Institute] The church year is often seen as a framework for
church programs, but well-known Alban author Charles Olsen shows
readers how it can be a prism through which congregations more deeply
understand their own stories. By weaving together our narratives and
those of Christian tradition, a congregation can clarify its identity,
grow in wisdom, and discover a new vision and ministry.

Olsen draws parallels between the church seasons and practices of
spiritual formation -- letting go, naming and celebrating God's
presence, and taking hold. He shows us how these movements are
expressed in the three major cycles of the church year -- Christmas,
Easter, and Pentecost. Focusing on communal narratives, he presents a
process for telling a story and forming a corporate memory of the
story, and then deepening and reflecting on it by exploring the season
of the church year that captures its character.

Readers will appreciate the real stories from congregational life and
ministry -- each rooted in and illuminated by a season of the church
year. Through these stories, readers learn how to claim the treasure
of the seasons for communal spiritual formation, church leadership,
and governance.

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