News Brief
Episcopal News Service. December 13, 1979 [79387]
Thanks to the kindness of members of Christ Episcopal Church here, some 60 snowbound travelers had turkey and all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day. Marion Gunderson, administrative supply technician for the local National Guard Armory, began to worry the day before the holiday about what to feed the scores of travelers being housed at the armory until road crews could reopen highways clogged by a major snowstorm. At one point up to 145 persons were being sheltered in the armory. An armory chained truck picked up the food at the church, prepared under the guidance of Mr. and Mrs. James Kocourek, and brought it back to the hungry crowd. A Mrs. Young of Fairbury, Neb., one of the stranded travelers, said, "It's been real great. A real fun experience. It really gets you a little closer to the Lord."
An accounting manual for use in all dioceses and parishes of the Episcopal Church will be distributed in late January, 1980, according to Matthew Costigan, Treasurer of the Executive Council. The manuals will be sent, free of charge, to diocesan offices for their local distribution. Regional workshops for diocesan treasurers and administrators will be scheduled between next May and August and conducted by Mr. Costigan and his staff. He said he hopes workshops for parish treasurers may be planned for 1980 and 1981 in anticipation of the full implementation of these accounting and reporting requirements by January 1, 1985.
The Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Paul in downtown Los Angeles has been sold to Mitsui Fudosan, an American subsidiary of a Japanese real estate development corporation, for an undisclosed price. Bishop Robert C. Rusack at the Diocese of Los Angeles convention last May had enumerated the realistic facts about the cathedral: $2 million to bring the buildings into line with anticipated earthquake codes and additional funds needed to rebuild the organ, install a new heating system, and replace inadequate wiring and plumbing. The cathedral had been severely damaged in the 1971 earthquake. After securing the removal of the historical monument designation for the building, the convention overwhelmingly endorsed the Cathedral Corporation's proposal to entertain bids for sale or lease of the property. The present building was constructed in 1926 and was a pro-cathedral until 1958 when the property was given to the diocese for its cathedral. The present congregation numbers about 100, which cannot financially support the property.
The Very Rev. Frederick H. Borsch, Dean and President of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific here, was elected chairman of the Council of Deans during its Nov. 26-30 meeting in Atlanta. Dean Borsch, who will serve for the next three years in the post, replaces the Very Rev. O. C. Edwards of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill. The Council of Deans is composed of the deans of the 10 accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church. The Council meets at least once a year to plan cooperative approaches to the common problems and opportunities facing seminaries.
Two new public service announcements will soon be seen on television stations around the country, brought to viewers by the United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church. The two 30-second spots -- "The Chair" and "Rabbit" -- provide young viewers with direct examples of ways that they can resolve conflict situations without using violence. "The Chair" looks at alternatives to violence when two children want to sit in the same chair, while "Rabbit" looks at what children can do to resolve conflict when two of them want to feed one rabbit at the same time. The spots were effectiveness-tested with elementary-aged children at the Annenburg School of Communications. The testing included attention-holding power, comprehension and behavioral influence. The spots spots have been sent to television stations for placement. (Note: If the spots are not seen in your area by Jan. 15, call your local stations to request that they be aired.)
Sixty-five educators from 16 dioceses of Province IV of the Episcopal Church heard the Very Rev. Frederick H. Borsch, Dean of Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, Calif., urge them to be reflective about how we understand the Bible and how we teach it. "It takes a living voice to make the scriptures a living tradition," he said. "As good as books on the Bible are, it is important that you and I are living tellers of the story." Dean Borsch also emphasized the critical role of the priest as "teacher of the teachers" in the process of the congregation's educational ministry. Planning team members were Arthur Holder, Western North Carolina; June Chandler, Central Gulf Coast; Eileen Motter, Atlanta; and Regional Religious Education Coordinators Kenneth Asel, Western Louisiana; and Robert Cook, Southeast Florida.