Diocesan Digest
Episcopal News Service. October 28, 2005 [102805-1-A]
CALIFORNIA: Inmate priest granted second parole recommendation
CALIFORNIA: Torture, blessings and gay rights highlight convention's resolutions
CONNECTICUT: Convention asks bishop to reconsider ban on clergy officiating at civil unions
EAST CAROLINA: Greenville parish plans festive Sunday
FLORIDA: Dissenting parishes reach agreement with diocese
MAINE: Convention promotes equal rights of all
MASSACHUSETTS: Millennium Development Goals lecture series continues at EDS
OLYMPIA: Bishop will announce retirement
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: Wilma minimally damages diocese
TEXAS: TV journalist to speak at forum
WESTERN MICHIGAN: Cathedral gets another chance
CALIFORNIA: Inmate priest granted second parole recommendation
[SOURCE: ENS] For the second time in nearly a year the California State Board of Prison Terms has said that the Rev. James Tramel ought to be paroled from his sentence for murder.
The board's decision undergoes a four-month process and then California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has 30 days to accept or reject the recommendation.
Tramel, 37, was convicted of murder in 1986 and given a 15-year-to-life sentence. He was present when David Kurtzman stabbed Michael Stephenson to death in a Santa Barbara, California, park. Tramel was 17 at the time and was attending Northwestern Preparatory School in Santa Barbara. He had an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Kurtzman was denied parole for a fifth time last December.
The board recommended parole for Tramel in late October 2004, and he was due to be released in March 2005 in time to serve as deacon at the Easter Vigil service at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California. Instead, Schwarzenegger reversed the board's decision on Good Friday, two days before the deadline.
Tramel's proposed parole plan includes spending an additional year studying at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He has numerous job offers from churches and organizations in the Diocese of California, including that of assisting priest at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Tramel is engaged to be married to the Rev. Stephanie Green, a priest of the diocese.
Tramel wrote an account of the murder for the October 25 parole hearing. He wrote that he is ashamed that he didn't help Stephenson or try to get help for him. He admits not contacting the police.
"Having reflected on this crime for more than half my life, I am intimately aware of my guilt," Tramel wrote. "Every day I suffer remorse for my crime. To my perpetual regret, nothing will reverse that horrible day in 1985."
Stephenson's family has opposed Tramel's parole. According to the Santa Barbara News-Press, Edward Stephenson told the board, "My son will not get a second chance all because this prisoner wanted to see his pre-planned murder carried out to the fullest."
CALIFORNIA: Torture, blessings and gay rights highlight convention's resolutions
[SOURCE: Diocese of California] Meeting in its 156th annual convention on October 22, the Diocese of California agreed to ask the next General Convention to pass a resolution condemning torture.
The proposed resolution condemns both torture and the practice of extraordinary rendition (transferring of criminal suspects to countries that routinely use torture during interrogations). It calls on the U.S. government to renounce the practices, and compensate torture victims and their families.
Delegates also went on record supporting laws that ban discrimination based on gender identity, identity expression and sexual orientation.
The convention passed all three resolutions proposed by the Bishop's Task Force on Marriage Blessing. They include one to develop a rite or rites for same-gender blessings by the 2007 diocesan convention. The resolution notes that it is based, in part, on Bishop William Swing's practice of permitting the blessing of same-gender unions.
Another resolution calls for resources to be brought to the 2007 diocesan convention for helping couples and their faith communities nurture their relationships in ways that will "manifest and strengthen Christian discipleship by encouraging a better understanding of the Christian vocation to lifelong union as grounded in the Baptismal Covenant."
The convention also included 0.7% for the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals in the diocese's 2007 $3.9 million budget.
CONNECTICUT: Convention asks bishop to reconsider ban on clergy officiating at civil unions
[SOURCE: Diocese of Connecticut] Delegates to Connecticut's 221st annual convention urged Bishop Andrew D. Smith to allow resident and licensed priests to preside at civil unions between people of the same gender.
Smith in late September reiterated what he called the diocese's "long-standing" ban on same-gender blessings to include civil unions. Smith wrote to the diocese in anticipation of the October 1 enactment of a state law recognizing relationships between two men or two women. The law allows any person who is licensed to perform a marriage also to officiate at a civil union.
In his letter Smith said that the Episcopal Church as a whole has not agreed on same-gender relationship. "We ourselves are not of one mind as a diocese, and we haven't engaged the issues in a way that brings light rather than division," Smith wrote.
The convention voted by orders, and both the clergy and lay order approved the resolution. The resolution is not binding on the bishop.
In a related resolution, the convention asked its liturgy and music committee to give next year's convention information about materials that have been used to bless same-gender unions elsewhere.
The convention did not approve a resolution that both asked for protection from discrimination in parishes for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, as well as guaranteeing full access to "all sacraments and privileges afforded to members of the diocese" for those individuals. The vote was 198 opposed, 172 in favor.
The convention defeated, 140-123, a recommendation that the Episcopal Church put into escrow any money in the 2007-2009 triennium "budgeted for payment of any assessments for the support of the Anglican Consultative Council" until it is restored to its seat on the council. The resolution was entitled "No Taxation Without Representation."
Delegates also affirmed what it called the core values of the Episcopal Church, as expressed through:
* A community and culture which provides a loving and safe place for people of good will from a wide spectrum of political, social and theological beliefs to express their views, tell their stories, be respected and heard;
* A Christian community for which worship is central, and Holy Communion the act which connects us and unifies us into the Body of Christ in our community, our region, the nation, and the world;
* A dynamic Christian community that carries on the missionary work of the church in our communities, the region, the nation, and the world
The resolution called on the diocese "to engage in a period of intentional study and corporate consideration of the differing points of view which threaten to divide us, specifically issues regarding scriptural and ecclesial authority, that we may prayerfully and in good order discern God's will for our common life."
EAST CAROLINA: Greenville parish plans festive Sunday
[SOURCE: Diocese of East Carolina, St. Paul's Episcopal Church] St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, North Carolina will dedicate a new organ, welcome its new rector, and present East Carolina Bishop Clifton Daniels with seven people for confirmation and reception on October 30.
The Rev. Bob Hudak, formerly at Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Fayetteville, Georgia, will be present for his first Sunday services at St. Paul's new rector.
The parish's organ, known as the Perkins and Wells Memorial Organ, was made by C. B. Fisk, Inc. of Gloucester, Massachusetts. It is the largest organ in the diocese and one of the largest in the state with 3,119 pipes in 55 ranks. The new organ was made possible through a collaboration of the parish, East Carolina University and the community of Greenville. In addition to worship services, it will be used for recitals and teaching.
Music during the 10:30 a.m. service will include works by J.S. Bach, Cesar Franck, Charles-Marie Widor, William Mathias and Ralph Vaughn Williams, as well as a new hymn written specially for the occasion.
Four people will be confirmed and three received into the Episcopal Church. The parish's Artists' Guild is preparing a boat that will float over the altar, loaded with the congregation's prayers and symbolizing its voyage in faith.
The organ dedication will be followed on November 4 by a dedicatory concert by Dr. Janette Fishell, Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University.
FLORIDA: Dissenting parishes reach agreement with diocese
[SOURCE: ENS] The Anglican Alliance of North Florida (AANF) announced October 27 that six congregations have reached an agreement with Bishop John Howard to seek to work out the terms of their separation from the diocese.
The AANF said in a news release that those talks are taking place in an "amicable and Christian" way. Howard agreed, telling ENS that there has been "an honest and Christian effort on all sides to help everyone in the church to find ways to move forward."
The AANF release says the agreement includes a commitment on its members' part not to leave without consultation, and on Howard's part not to take adverse actions against priests who announce their intentions to leave. Both sides will also seek to find resolutions without resorting to litigation, and have agreed to have terms in place for each congregation by January 6 at the latest, the release says.
Howard said it became "increasingly clear" to him that the clergy and congregations wanted to separate from the Episcopal Church more than they wanted alternative or designated Episcopal oversight. He said he offered to keep talking to the dissenters to help them "find the best ways they can serve their neighbors."
He said he also told them that he would "bless and pray" for anyone who felt that they could not in good conscience continue in the Episcopal Church.
"I will not follow them and I made that clear," he said. "I am committed to the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion."
The AANF's news release also said that the Rev. David Sandifer, vicar at Calvary Church in Jacksonville, and the mission board of Calvary have reached an agreement with Howard and will hold their first service at their new location at the University Center of the University of North Florida on November 6. The congregation plans to come under the oversight of another bishop.
"We are thankful to Bishop Howard for his graciousness in this transition," Sandifer said. "This is the conclusion of a long effort to separate from the unbiblical stance of the Episcopal Church, while remaining in unity with fellow orthodox Anglicans, both locally and abroad."
The alliance was formed in September and includes congregations in the Episcopal Church, congregations which have left the Episcopal Church and come under the oversight of overseas bishops, and congregations formed under the Anglican Mission in America. There are twelve member congregations and 35 member priests in the AANF. The congregations are: All Souls Church–Anglican, Calvary Anglican Church, Christ the King Anglican Fellowship (AMiA), and Church of the Redeemer in Jacksonville; Church of the Advent, St Luke's Community of Life and St Peter's Anglican Church in Tallahassee; Grace Church and Emmaus Road Church (AMiA), in Orange Park; St. Michael's Church in Gainesville; St. Teresa Parish in Wakulla County; and the Anglican Fellowship of High Springs.
MAINE:Convention promotes equal rights of all
[SOURCE: Diocese of Maine]
"Delegates to Maine's 186th convention rejected a resolution that urged Mainers to vote no on a proposition on the November 8 ballot that would repeal a state law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Instead, they amended Resolution 7 to call on the congregations, committees, and agencies of the diocese to promote the equal rights of all Mainers as a commitment to God's justice to call on all people of faith to work to eradicate discrimination.
Another resolution accepted the report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion (known as the Windsor Report) and directed congregations to undertake, if they have not done so already, serious and prayerful study of the nature of the Anglican Communion and the diocese's participation in it. Congregations are asked to give the diocese feedback from their sessions via its web site so that General Convention deputies may be informed.
The convention declared that members of the diocese "are willing to accept our fair share" of the costs of preserving the environment, and called on all members of the Church and society to preserve the environment in their daily lives. The resolution also urged "all public and private officials to take the steps necessary to preserve our environment for future generations, assuring that the necessary costs are shared fairly among all."
Meeting in Bangor October 21 and 22, delegates also set up rules for the election of a bishop coadjutor to replace the Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen who has announced that she will retire in 2008. The election will take place during next year's annual convention.
MASSACHUSETTS: Millennium Development Goals lecture series continues at EDS
[SOURCE: EDS] One of the nation's leading sociologists, Charles Willie, spoke October 27 at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge about on how to achieve universal primary education.
It was the fourth of ten scheduled lectures in the Faith and the Millennium Development Goals lecture series. Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) and the Boston Theological Institute (BTI), with support from the Bread for the World Institute, host the series.
The Millennium Development Goals were first formulated at the United Nations Millennium Summit in October 2000 and commit the international community to an expanded vision of international development that promotes global, social, and economic justice. All member states of the United Nations have committed, by the year 2015, to: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.
Willie, who is Professor Emeritus at Harvard University's School of Education, is an applied sociologist concerned with solving social problems. He is an expert on school desegregation.
Associate Professor of Policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, John Hammock, will speak on the mental health goal on November 3. On November 10, Douglas Huber will speak on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
OLYMPIA: Bishop will announce retirement
[SOURCE: Diocese of Olympia] The Rt. Rev. Vincent W. Warner will call for the election of his successor during the Diocese of Olympia's annual convention November 11-12 at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle.
"The time has come in my life and in the life of the Episcopal Church in Western Washington for me to give the shepherding of this diocese to another," Warner wrote on the diocese's website (http://www.ecww.org/inthenews/fromthebishop.cfm).
Warner was elected in 1989. The diocese has 36,000 Episcopalians in 103 congregations in western Washington, stretching from south Canada to Oregon and west from the foothills of the Cascades mountain range to the Pacific Ocean.
The election is expected to happen in early 2007.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: Wilma minimally damages diocese
[SOURCE: Diocese of Southwest Florida] Episcopal churches in Southwest Florida appeared to have escaped serious damage from Hurricane Wilma.
Bishop John Lipscomb toured Naples and Marco Island on October 25.
"We have been blessed to have sustained minimal damage," the bishop said.
Communication is still difficult in the affected areas and cell phone service is spotty at best. Power and water are still out in many areas.
Downed trees and minor roof damage appear to be the norm for most churches. At St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Marco Island, less that 10 miles from where the category 3 hurricane made landfall, aluminum covering the shingled roof of a classroom building had been peeled away by high winds, but the roof itself appeared to hold.
"Not even a broken window," remarked parish administrative assistant Nanette Moll. "We're very, very lucky."
The most significant damage appears to be the roof of the mission congregation of Church of the Resurrection in Naples. The flat roof of the strip mall where the church is located was heavily damaged, allowing water into several light fixtures and ceiling tiles. It is unclear if the facility will ever be usable again for worship.
At Trinity-by-the-Cove in Naples, the most visible reminder of the storm was a weathervane atop the steeple, bent about 45 degrees from sustained hurricane force winds. "That [the weathervane]'s on a one-and-a-quarter-inch stainless steel rod, so there was a lot of wind," said one worker picking up debris in the parking lot.
The diocese has already received an $8,000 grant from Episcopal Relief and Development to be used for a lunch program to feed service-industry workers on Marco Island. The program will be administered by St. Mark's.
With Southwest Florida coming through better that most had hoped, Lipscomb said relief efforts should be focused on Southeast Florida, where much more damage has been reported and more people are without power and water. "We are deeply concerned about our brothers and sisters in Southeast Florida and will join in any relief efforts there," he said.
TEXAS: TV journalist to speak at forum
[SOURCE: Christ Church Cathedral website] Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff will bring her 30 years of reporting experience to a presentation at 7:00 p.m. November 3 in the Great Hall of Christ Church Cathedral in Houston. Woodruff has covered politics and breaking news for over three decades at NBC, PBS and CNN. She will discuss the current state of affairs in our nation's capital, and how the media both reports and influences the news.
WESTERN MICHIGAN: Cathedral gets another chance
[SOURCE: Diocese of Western Michigan, Kalamazoo Gazette] The 131st convention of the Diocese of Western Michigan gave its cathedral in Portage time to find ways to stay alive.
The delegates directed the Parish Church of Christ the King, possibly in cooperation with other groups, to assume full responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the cathedral in January 2006. The parish must also present a viable plan for the future by June 30. If that plan is not deemed viable, the diocese will prepare to sell the property.
Money woes have hit the diocese in recent years for a number of reasons, including diminished giving on the part of church members, a bad economy and skyrocketing health-care premiums, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette.
A committee established by last year's convention to consider the cathedral's fate was on the verge of recommending a sale when supporters of the cathedral came up with $150,000 to pay operating expenses for the facility at least through the middle of 2006.
Convention delegates also passed an amended resolution sponsored by the Western Michigan Chapter of the American Anglican Council accepting the Windsor Report as a guide for the diocesan bishop and deputies as they seek to uphold the Episcopal Church as a constituent member of the Anglican Communion. The delegates deleted the phrase "as a guide and standard" from the proposed resolution.