News Brief
Episcopal News Service. February 28, 1980 [80068]
The Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, was the celebrant and preacher for the opening Eucharist at the first annual Convention of the newly formed Western Diocese of Louisiana on Feb. 8. St. George's Church, Bossier City, was the host parish. The Rev. Foster L. Chambers, president of the Standing Committee, presided at the Convention which decided to hold a special convention for the election of the first bishop of the diocese April 18-19 at Good Shepherd Church, Lake Charles. The Convention approved a mission strategy statement and set up commissions on the ministry and on the ministry of the laity. Bishop R. Heber Gooden, retired Bishop of Panama, was the celebrant for the second day's Eucharist.
The American Festival of Evangelism, a call for Christians to consider the United States as a mission field, will be held here July 27-30, 1981. The conference, sponsored by the North American Lausanne Committee, a branch of the Committee for World Evangelization, will focus on the unchurched persons in the U.S. Twenty thousand participants from more than 150 church bodies in the U. S. -- including the Episcopal Church -- are expected to attend. Each day will begin with a plenary Bible study and close with a plenary worship service. Nearly 100 workshops and seminars will meet daily. The Rev. A. Wayne Schwab, Evangelism and Renewal Officer at the Episcopal Church Center, comments, "Interested parishes, diocesan units, organizations and individuals should find it a valuable conference."
Vincent P. Barabba, director of the Bureau of the Census, is seeking the assistance of religious leaders to inform the public about the 1980 census which begins April 1. In a letter to the Episcopal Church Center, Mr. Barabba wrote, "It is important for the entire American society that we seek, in the 1980 census, a count that is as complete and accurate as possible. " The census results provide the basis for apportioning the seats of the House of Representatives among the states and are also the foundation for the federal government's distribution of about $50 billion annually to state and local governments for over 100 social and community development programs. Religious leaders and others may obtain information from any of the Bureau's 12 Regional Offices located in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City (Kan.), Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Seattle.
Col. Charles Duke of New Braunfels and San Antonio, who was a NASA astronaut from 1966 to 1975, has been appointed special lecturer on "Christian Living" at a conference on the Word of God to be held at the Evergreen Conference, July 21-26. An Episcopal Church layman, Col. Duke walked on the moon on Apollo Flight 16. He was educated at the U.S. Naval Academy and M.I.T. and received an honorary doctorate from the University of South Carolina. Founded in 1890, the Evergreen Conference -- located 27 miles west of Denver -- is the oldest continuing Episcopal Church conference in the U.S. It is dedicated to the advancement of the Church's ministry of music through sponsorship of annual summer schools of church music.
A conference on "Innovative Forms of Preaching" will be held at the College of Preachers, Washington Cathedral, May 27-30. The conference will explore various non-traditional forms of proclaiming the word in the midst of liturgy: slides and films, drama and dance, song, story, picture and various combinations. A multi-disciplinary staff will provide resources for the workshop. The cost of the conference -- which includes room, board and tuition -- will be $135. Participants may register by sending a deposit of $25 to the College of Preachers, 3510 Woodley Road, NW, Washington, D.C. 20016.
It's rerun time on television for two popular programs. "Jesus of Nazareth," the award-winning, eight-hour Biblical epic, will be presented for the third time on the NBC Television Network, March 30 and 31 and April 1 and 6 (9 to 11 p. m. EST on all nights). The CBS Television Network is repeating "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in prime time in late April. (Please check your local listings for exact time in your area. ) This two-part, award-winning animated special is the first of seven tales in C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. The Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation owns the worldwide film rights to the Narnia books. The Foundation is offering free viewer's guides as long as the limited supply lasts. Requests may be sent to the Episcopal RadioTV Foundation, 3379 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, Ga. 30326.
The Rt. Rev. Robert B. Hall, Bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Virginia, informed the clergy and lay leaders of the diocese in early February that he is seeking medical treatment for alcoholism. In a letter to the Church leaders, he said that he had decided to seek treatment after a frank discussion of the problem with his family and representative Church officials. "They alerted me to facts about my drinking of which I was not aware," he said. "As a result of this conversation, I have decided to seek treatment for my illness. This will require my absence from the diocese for a period of six weeks." The Standing Committee of the diocese and its Executive Board have expressed their support for their bishop. Bishop Hall is the fourth Episcopal bishop in recent years to admit publicly to a drinking problem.
Delegates to the 76th annual Council of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas heard a report on results of the Venture in Mission capital funds campaign of 1979 which raised $3,139,623, exceeding a goal of $2,710,000 for such programs as evangelism, continuing education, Hispanic ministry and mission development. The diocese had designated $650,000 for the national Venture program. Included in the total was a gift of $500,000 to the University of the South made by a San Antonio family.
Patricia Page has been elected to the faculty of the Church Divinity School of the Pacific for a six-year term as Associate Professor of Christian Education and Director of Continuing Education. She is currently Adjunct Professor of Christian Education and Lay Development at the General Theological Seminary and Director of the National Institute for Lay Training. Her experience includes director of parish Christian education programs, a university chaplaincy, and advising in Christian education for 10 years in Zambia while also teaching at St. John's Provincial Theological College and at the Mindolo Ecumenical Center. She was educated at Smith College, Union Seminary/Columbia University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is a Ph.D. candidate in religious education at New York University.
A series of newspaper ads that asks people to examine who they are and what they are doing on Sunday mornings has been developed by St. Luke's Episcopal Parish here and is available for purchase and use. When the Church had professionals make an analysis of the habits of people, it was found that the primary problem with people not coming to Church on Sunday morning was that there were other things that had their attention. The Rev. George H. Martin, rector of the Church, says that the Sunday newspaper and television provide competition to the Church on Sunday mornings. Therefore, three of the six ads in the series seek to lure people away from their television sets and newspapers to join together at a local church. Another ad promises a cup of coffee, and says, "We're not really particular how we get you to join us on Sunday, because we're confident that once you join us in worship and fellowship you'll be back for more than just free coffee." The six ads in the set cost $15 and an ad kit costs $5, from St. Luke's Parish, 4557 Colfax Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55409.
Kenyon C. Burke, an Episcopal Church layman, and a former associate director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is the new associate general secretary for church and society of the National Council of Churches. The division deals with several programs in social and economic justice, international affairs, energy, domestic hunger and poverty, religious and civil liberties and ministry to the Vietnam generation.
A videotape of a conversation among seven Christian leaders who spent ten days in Iran at Christmas is available for Church use. The conversation is introduced by the Rev. Charles A. Cesaretti, one of the seven and Public Issues Officer of the Episcopal Church Center. The conversation contains extensive background explaining the mission and how it came about, vivid impressions the seven received during their visit and discussion of the ways in which Christians and Moslems can interact. The tape is available on 3/4" U-matic videocassette in color from the Radio-Television Office, the Episcopal Church Center, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10017.