News Brief
Episcopal News Service. August 20, 1981 [81226]
The annual meeting of the international Anglican/Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission considered the church, the triune God, and tradition during its week of sessions at an Orthodox conference center near here July 20-27. On the subject of whether Christians should confess that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father" or "from the Father and the Son" (the so-called filioque clause used by Anglicans and most western Christians in the Nicene Creed, a fourth century statement of Christian belief), the commission's communique says "Anglicans expressed their appreciation for the Orthodox exposition. . .and the new perspective this gave on the doctrinal reasons why the filioque has no place in the creed." The 38-member group meets again in Canterbury July 12-19, 1982, to continue discussions on the three topics and to hear papers on apostolicity of the church, holiness, and worship.
A workshop on forming ministry support groups for laity, sponsored by the National Institute for Lay Training and an ecumenical planning team, will be held at the Episcopal Church's General Theological Seminary here on Nov. 21. The workshop is designed to help laity who are seeking support in their ministries through groups that meet for prayer, sharing and planning. Persons interested in attending the workshop are asked to apply as a group of two or more to N.I.L.T., 175 Ninth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10011, telephone 212/929-5751. The cost is $50 per group. Some scholarship assistance is available.
A service commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the consecration of John Boyd Bentley as a bishop will be celebrated at St. John's Church here at 11 a.m. on Sept. 29. A luncheon honoring Bishop and Mrs. Bentley will be served after the service. Bentley, 85, served his episcopate in Alaska (1931-1947) as suffragan, bishop-in-charge, and diocesan. He was also vice president of the National (now Executive) Council and director of the overseas department from 1948 to 1964. The bishop's friends are invited to send letters to be bound, gifts for a purse and luncheon reservations to Bishop William J. Gordon, Jr., 14 Burrell Court, Midland, Mich. 48640 by Sept. 1, if possible.
The Rt. Rev. Ishmael Samuel Mills Lemaire, Bishop of Accra, has been elected Archbishop of West Africa. Lemaire, who succeeds the Most Rev. Moses Scott upon his retirement, has been Bishop of Accra since 1968. Before that he was assistant bishop of the diocese for five years and also served as a canon of Accra and archdeacon of Sekondi,
The University of the South has named Eric V. Benjamin, a 1973 graduate of the Episcopal school, to become its first director of minority student affairs. Benjamin, until recently an attorney with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, will help the university recruit black students and will assist minority students in adjusting to college life.
The Seabury Press, an official publishing house of the Episcopal Church, announces the May and June publication of three books which deal with some of the most controversial ecological issues facing the world today. Dale Aukerman's Darkening Valley: A Biblical Perspective on Nuclear War ($8.95) refers to the Bible as a source of moral and spiritual insight which can be used to come to grips with the constant threat of nuclear confrontation. Let the Earth Bless the Lord: A Christian Perspective on Land Use ($5.95), edited by Charles A. Cesaretti and Stephen Commins, is a discussion guide and resource book on the ethics of land use in a Christian context. A book by J. Christopher Grannis, Arthur J. Laffin, and Elin Schade -- The Risk of the Cross: Christian Discipleship in the Nuclear Age ($5.95) -- takes the thematic content of the Gospel of St. Mark as a basis for an examination of the nuclear arms race.
Church leaders, researchers and consultants are invited to participate in a conference here on "Understanding the Local Church: The Values and Varieties of Congregational Analysis" next March 8-10. The first large meeting of its kind, the conference is supported by the Lilly Endowment and is designed to enable church leaders, social scientists, church consultants and theologians to assess "the state of the art" in congregational analysis and its implications for professional leadership. Sponsors are the Alban Institute, Auburn Theological Seminary, Candler School of Theology, Hartford Seminary and McCormick Theological Seminary. For further information, write Prof. James Hopewell, Rollins Center for Church Ministries, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322.
The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief has authorized an emergency grant of $5,000 to Church World Service in response to severe flooding in north India in early August. More than 300 persons have died and as many as 3 million are homeless as a result of the continuing flooding in the area, the worst in 250 years. The World Service office is working with various agencies to provide blankets, immunization supplies, medical care, utensils, clothing and food. Church World Service has issued an appeal to member-churches of the National Council of Churches for $100,000 to provide assistance to the victims of the flooding.