News Briefs
Episcopal News Service. November 13, 2002 [2002-261-1]
Casual dress plan for Anglican vicars thrown out
(Reuters) The Church of England's governing body on November 13 threw out proposals to change its strict dress code for clergy that raised the possibility of clergy carrying out certain church duties in jeans and T-shirts. Modernizers felt ordained Anglican ministers would benefit by appearing less formal, without having to wear items like the surplice. But bishops and clergy on the church's General Synod gave a resounding thumbs down to proposals to amend church law to allow them to dress more casually.
"It was thought to be a minority issue. Not many were in favor of it to start with," a Church of England spokesman told Reuters. The spokesman said that had the proposal been approved the "wonderful picture of vicars in jeans and T-shirts" would probably have been unlikely for 99 percent of the time. But he added, "There might well be special services for a particular group where the dress might have been more casual."
The change to a vicar's outfit was the latest attempt by more liberal members to update what they see as the church's staid image, provoking a strong reaction from traditionalists. "There are fairly strong views on both sides. There are those who feel that wearing a special uniform, robes and so on, acts as a barrier between those exercising ministry and those to whom they wish to administer," the spokesman said. "The contrary view is that it's handy to have a uniform because it's actually quite useful to know who's doing what."
Mayor says no to homeless camp at Episcopal church
(ENS) A California mayor has withdrawn support for a temporary homeless shelter at an Episcopal church and the City Council unanimously voted to ask the city of El Cajon, near San Diego, to pursue an injunction against the camp.
The camp began with three people in sleeping bags, but a growing number of homeless, including families with up to six children, have slept at the church. One homeless person said that the camp has grown to 33 tents. Others estimated that more than 100 people can be found at the camp.
City Attorney Morgan Foley said he would seek a preliminary court injunction for health, safety, noise and other municipal code violations at the St. Alban's Episcopal Church homeless camp. Three weeks ago, the City Council directed Foley to wait one week before taking action. On the day of the deadline, Mayor Mark Lewis said he supported plans for the church-run shelter.
On November 12, Lewis opened discussion at a City Council meeting amid indications that he didn't have enough votes on the council to approve using 4,500 square feet of surplus portable classrooms for a 100-bed shelter at the church.
Lewis, calling the camp "visual pollution" and a "business killer in any area," said he changed his mind because the shelter would help no more than 100 people and the city's approval process would take too long. Lewis said he would rather use motel vouchers immediately to house the city's homeless population.
The Rev. John Conrad, rector of St. Alban's, said any voucher money would dry up quickly while housing 100 people per night. He said he could have the church-run shelter open in two weeks, and that if the council wouldn't approve a shelter at the church, it should provide other property in a more suitable area. Conrad said he would consult his own attorney before taking his next step at St. Alban's. He called the two-hour public hearing "a discussion that needed to be held," but added, "We are where we started."
Religious groups ask consumers and automakers 'What would Jesus drive?'
(Washington Post) The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), a "biblically orthodox" nonprofit, is launching ads urging consumers and automakers to start thinking of gas mileage as an ethical statement, noting that auto emissions are significantly contributing to climate change. The "What would Jesus drive?" ad campaign will target four states with a heavy evangelical presence: Iowa, Indiana, Missouri and North Carolina.
"Most people don't think the kind of car they drive has anything to do with their faith," said the Rev. Jim Ball, who directs the organization. "We want to show them it does."
EEN, formed in 1994, successfully demonstrated its clout back in 1996 with a $1 million crusade to save the Endangered Species Act from an attempted rollback by Republican House members. The network took out TV, radio and print ads, mailed "Let the Earth Be Glad" kits to 33,000 evangelical churches, and led other religious and secular groups in the effort to rescue the law.
Ball anticipates spending up to $65,000 on the upcoming blitz, supported by the Energy Foundation, based in San Francisco. He is also planning events on college campuses and a "Creation Sunday" celebration in the spring with the same theme.
"Jesus wants his followers to drive the least-polluting, most efficient vehicle that truly meets their needs--though first he might look at other ways to get around." Ball said. "He'd definitely be in favor of us taking public transportation."
The national campaign may be going against the consumer tide because gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans outsold cars for the first time in the United States last year. But the endeavor is part of a broader effort by some religious leaders in recent years to make ethical stands on environmental issues. Now the climate campaign is turning its attention to transportation. On November 17, congregations in 15 states plan to coordinate events including press conferences with elected officials, sermons on fuel efficiency and displays of hybrid electric autos in their parking lots.
Later this month, the campaign will send mailings to 100,000 Jewish and Christian congregations and synagogues, discussing the relationship of fuel economy to religious teachings about stewardship and justice. Additionally, some 50,000 e-mails will be sent to individual churchgoers, giving them an opportunity to send a message to automobile manufacturers.
The pressure on automakers is intended to culminate on November 20, when mainline Christian and Jewish groups and the evangelical environmentalists hold their joint press conference in Detroit. National Council of Churches General Secretary Bob Edgar has asked chief executives of the "Big Three" automakers for a meeting that day to begin "a new conversation about cars and their impact on global sustainability, security, health, and justice."
Moravian-Episcopal dialogue discusses ministry at Wisconsin meeting
(ENS) In its fifth meeting in the triennium, the Moravian-Episcopal dialogue continued its discussion on how the three-fold ministry of bishops, presbyters and deacons functions in each church. The Moravian Church, part of the worldwide community known as the Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren), traces an episcopal succession to 1467 and has maintained the three-fold ministry. Moravians history goes back to the pre-Reformation faith of Jan Hus and their first missionaries to America came to Georgia in 1735.
The dialogue received reports from the semi-autonomous Northern and Southern Provincial Synods of the Moravian Church in America which met last summer and approved a resolution on Interim Eucharistic Sharing with the Episcopal Church. In response, the Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations of the Episcopal Church approved a similar resolution and will take it to the General Convention next summer.
The dialogue participants also focused on areas of cooperation and joint witness where the two churches are already engaged. Next February a major meeting in North Carolina will bring together Episcopalians, Lutherans and Moravians to look at ways to facilitate joint mission and witness in the future and take stock of what is already happening. Future meetings will look at how the two churches develop and implement their global mission strategies. Bishop Gary Gloster of North Carolina, Episcopal co-chair of the dialogue, is coordinating areas of joint social witness.
The major focus for the dialogue in coming months, leading up to the General Convention, will be to disseminate information about the Moravian Church to Episcopalians. A comprehensive resource packet, for example, is being assembled for bishops and deputies.
"The dialogue is heading towards a second phase," said Dr. Thomas Ferguson, associate deputy for the Episcopal Church's office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. "We have done a lot of the introductory theological work in the last three years and now look forward to a period of Interim Eucharistic Sharing as we begin to live into a new relationship. It's an exciting time, especially for these two churches that express themselves largely in terms of how we worship. We have so much to learn from one another."
Lutherans seeking advice on authorizing lay ministry
(ELCA) The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has asked its ministry and worship staff for a process to study and discuss issues related to authorized lay ministry and ordained ministry.
The discussion was prompted by resolutions from the church's Southwestern Synod and Allegheny Synod, asking the church for guidance on "lay presidency," allowing laity to preside at Holy Communion, especially in light of growing needs for alternative leadership in worship. The church's constitution allows laity to perform official church functions as long as a bishop authorizes them but practices vary among the 65 synods. There are 575 synodically authorized lay ministers in addition to the church's 17,425 active and retired pastors, according to ELCA Secretary Lowell Almen.
Bishop Donald McCoid of Pittsburgh, who chairs the Conference of Bishops, said that the bishops "needed to find a time to look at what our practices are, what our questions are and how we can address this issue that's really important to the ministry of the whole church. "The matter before us is not only who presides at the table, but who stands in the pulpit and who stands at the font," added the Rev. Craig Settlage, associate executive director of the church's Division for Ministry.
The issue is important for churches with small membership and few finances for ordained clergy. The number of congregations in the ELCA with fewer than 50 at worship each week rose from 1,935 in 1988 to 2,339 in 2001, Settlage said. Similar numbers were reported for congregations without a called pastor. In 1988, when the ELCA was formed, there were 1,153 congregations without a pastor, compared with 2,456 in 2001.
Bishop Philip Hougen of the Southeastern Iowa Synod said that a churchwide policy on lay presidency has ecumenical implications. "The Episcopal Church is looking for us to be an ally in limiting lay presidency," he said. "It is problematic for the Episcopal Church." Bishop Steven Ullestad of the Northeastern Iowa Synod said, "This is not a congregational issue, it's a church issue. The office of ministry is given to the church, not to an individual." He said that the church needs flexible guidelines for authorized lay ministers that uphold the policies of the church.
Pioneering ecumenical declaration serving as benchmark for other churches
(ENI) After 10 years, a landmark declaration adopted by British and Irish Anglicans and Nordic and Baltic Lutheran churches is continuing to influence ecumenical development in other parts of the world, according to one of its authors, Dean John Arnold of Durham Cathedral in England.
Arnold said that the Porvoo Statement, named for the city in Finland where it was adopted in 1992 and inaugurated in 1996, has stimulated similar agreements in North America and also a unity covenant currently being considered in England by the Anglicans and the Methodists. The Porvoo statement provides for full intercommunion among the churches, including the acceptance of one another's bishops, priest and deacons without reordination. The signatories also pledged to "regard baptized members of all our churches as members of our own."
"Methodists in England observed Porvoo and were encouraged to try again to resume links with the Church of England," Arnold said. "Porvoo has influenced similar agreements in the United States and Canada, and at the international level helped to promote links between the Lutheran World Federation and the Anglican Communion." He predicted that the next breakthrough in relations between Anglicans and Lutherans would be in Africa.