News Brief
Episcopal News Service. August 21, 1986 [86184]
Two of the oldest theological institutions in the Anglican Communion have recently inaugurated a mutual visitation program, so that faculty and students of Codrington College, Barbados (1745) and the General Theological Seminary (1817) may get to know each other, their different churches, institutions and cultures. The first group from Codrington visited General in April, and a group from General will visit Codrington in January during Christmas break.
The 39th General Synod of the Nippon Sel Ko Kai (Anglican-Episcopal Church in Japan) has elected the Rt. Rev. Christopher Ichiro Kikawada to be its 13th Primate. Kikawada is the Bishop of the Diocese of Osaka and will carry out the duties of Primate in addition to his diocesan responsibilities. A service of installation as Primate was held at St. Michael's Cathedral Church in Kobe at the conclusion of the General Synod. The former Primate, the Rt. Rev. John Masanao Watanabe, handed over the Primate's Staff as a symbol of the transfer of authority. Watanabe will continue as the Bishop of the Diocese of Hokkaido. The new Primate was born in Sendai, Japan, in 1925, and is a graduate of Tokyo University and the Central Theological College, Tokyo. He was ordained priest in 1961 in the Diocese of Osaka and served his entire ministry in that diocese before being consecrated Bishop of Osaka in 1975. He was married in 1960 to Estelle Yoko, and they have two daughters and one son. At the same Synod, the Rev. Timothy Hiromichi Kohno was re-elected as General Secretary of the Provincial Office of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai here.
An oral memoir of the Rt. Rev. John Elbridge Hines, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1965-74, has been donated to the University of the South Library by the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Church Foundation; Hines is a graduate of the University of the South. Another set was sent to the Church Archives in Austin, Texas. A third set is retained by Columbia University, through whose Oral History Department the interviews with Hines were contracted under a Foundation grant. These presentations are part of an overall commitment made by the Foundation's Board of Directors two years ago to provide oral histories of the church's Presiding Bishops. Last year, the oral history of Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill, founder of the Foundation, was completed, based on posthumous interviews with his family and friends. The history of Bishop Arthur Lichtenberger is in progress, and the Foundation expects soon to begin interviews with Bishop John Maury Allin. The directors believe these histories will provide a valuable resource to church historians.
William U. Whipple, vice-president for development at the University of the South, has announced his retirement after twelve years of heading Sewanee's development program, which includes church relations, alumni relations, public relations and fund-raising. During his tenure, the University launched a $50 million capital funds campaign, called the Century II Fund, which exceeded its goal. Partly as a result of the campaign, University endowment increased from $25 million to $75 million between 1980 and 1985. Under plans still being discussed, Whipple will continue to represent the University on a part-time basis. Prior to moving to Sewanee in 1974, Whipple spent more than 20 years serving as stewardship consultant to Episcopal parishes, dioceses and church-related institutions.
The Evangelical and Catholic Mission, headquartered here, is sponsoring a congress on "The Given Gospel," to be held at St. Thomas' Church, Medina, Wash., Oct. 24-25. Speakers and topics include the Rt. Rev. C. FitzSimons Allison, bishop of South Carolina, on The Uniqueness of the Gospel; the Rev. Roger T. Beckwith, warden of Latimer House, Oxford, on The Power of the Gospel; the Rev. Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, professor emeritus of Trinity School for Ministry, on The Logic of the Gospel; and the Rev. Dr. Sudduth Rae Cummings, rector, St. Mark's, San Antonio, on The Imperative of the Gospel. Information on schedule, housing, costs, etc. for the congress, which will be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the National Council of the Evangelical and Catholic Mission Oct. 23-24, may be obtained by writing: ECM Congress, P. 0. Box 124, Medina, WA 98039. The Evangelical and Catholic Mission defines itself as "a nationwide fellowship of clergy and laity within the Episcopal Church affirming the Faith which is grounded in the authority of Holy Scripture and adhering to the faith and practice of the ancient, undivided Apostolic Church." The Rt. Rev. William L. Stevens, bishop of Fond du Lac, is its president.
The Synod of the Diocese of Mt. Kenya East, headquartered here, has resolved that suitably qualified women may be made deacons, subject to the approval of the Provincial Synod. The decision was made during the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Synod at St. Andrew's Church, here. It was the fourth time the Synod had debated the motion, and, although the majority of the clergy voted against the motion, the laity overwhelmingly supported it. The diocese has 11 theologically-trained women, and five are already deaconesses. If the diocese does ordain women to the diaconate, it will be the second diocese in the Province of Kenya to do so. The Diocese of Maseno South has ordained two women to date.