People
Episcopal News Service. June 21, 1995 [95-1159F]
The Rev. Michael W. Creighton, 54, rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Seattle, Washington, was elected bishop coadjutor in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania at the conclusion of the 125th annual diocesan convention on June 10. He founded Episcopal Charities Appeal and served on the Refugee Resettlement Committee, diocesan council, and as chair of the commission on ministry. He helped to found Seattle Habitat for Humanity, the Community Youth Counseling Service, and has served as a board member of Earth Ministry and the Heifer Project International. He received his B.A. from Trinity College, was an officer in the U.S. Navy and a mission worker in the Dominican Republic, before receiving his B.D. and M.Div. from the Episcopal Theological School.
Archdeacon Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal of Nazareth was recently elected bishop coadjutor in the Diocese of Jerusalem. Riah is a Palestinian who has lived in Israel since 1948. He served as the chairman of the Church Council in Israel, prior to its union with the Diocese of Jerusalem, and has represented the interests of Christian Arabs both regionally and internationally. Pending ratification of his election, he will be installed as the diocesan bishop following the retirement of Bishop Samir Kafity in 1998.
Vincent J. Czepukaitis, a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Newtown, Pennsylvania, was recently elected chairman of the board of Faith Alive, a 15,000-member parish renewal ministry in the Episcopal Church. He was elected to the national board two years ago and elected secretary in January of this year. He has coordinated numerous Faith Alive weekends with his wife, Barbara.
The Rev. Bruce Ruddock was recently appointed director of the Anglican Center in Rome. He is currently the vicar of St. Michael and All Angels in London. "I have always believed Anglican/Roman Catholic relations to be of vital importance and that the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission made the most significant ecumenical progress of the century. I am optimistic for the future, and would like to be able to help pave the way for further ecumenical initiatives," he said. The Anglican Center in Rome was established in 1966 as a response to the Second Vatican Council with the purpose of developing the expanding relationship between churches of the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.