Showing posts with label diocese of Pennsylvania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diocese of Pennsylvania. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Philadelphia’s Christ Church preserves historic steeple

From Philadelphia-

A centuries-old artifact of architectural, church and American history is being restored.

Philadelphia’s Christ Church steeple design dates back to 1754 when Scottish immigrant and architect Robert Smith completed the project.

“It was the Comcast Tower of its time,” said Christ Church rector, Rev. Tim Safford. “It put Philadelphia on the map. It proved to the European world that Philadelphia was a first-class city.”
It was America’s tallest structure until 1810, with a weather vane reaching 196 feet.

Church officials knew in the early 2000s that the tower and steeple would need work. It’s leaning almost two feet. That’s bothered Rev. Stafford every time he crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge. The restoration will stabilize the structure from further deterioration, though it won’t straighten it. Pulling it on one side of the structure would threaten the structural integrity of the entire building. 

Scaffolding was erected around the tower and steeple in August, and restoration — including repointing, shingling, and reinforcement with steel beams to prevent further leaning. This is all being done with help from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

More here-

https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphias-christ-church-preserves-historic-steeple/

Friday, June 21, 2019

Philadelphia Episcopalians explore what happens when church is separated from Sunday

From RNS-

St. Stephen’s, an Episcopal church in Center City Philadelphia, isn’t open on Easter. There are no sermons on Sundays. It doesn’t have any members. And yet this castlelike Gothic Revival building on 10th Street is still a functioning, active church — just not in the ways you might expect.

Rather than opening on Sundays, the church operates on a four-day schedule, with midday services Monday through Thursday. And rather than focusing on growing the congregation, St. Stephen’s is fully invested in being present for the community, practicing a true open-door policy that makes it a place of support for anyone in need.

The church — an architectural landmark designed by William Strickland in 1823 — has long flourished in the active downtown neighborhood near Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. But the church hit a slump in the 1980s — not long after the Rev. Alfred W. Price, a particularly charismatic pastor, ended his nearly 30-year career in the pulpit. By 2016, fewer than a dozen worshippers might be found in the pews on a Sunday morning, and the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania made the difficult decision to shutter St Stephen’s.

More here-

https://religionnews.com/2019/06/20/philadelphia-episcopalians-explore-what-happens-when-church-is-separated-from-sunday/?fbclid=IwAR1N7RS6Ne5cHihLCwf7eDXY-IVPxRExfrzDLa0NjXMVFAGHkRgKrMW1vvo

Monday, May 27, 2019

Closed Episcopal Church in Center City reopened to find a new mission — and graves beneath the floorboards

From Philadelphia-

For years, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Center City had been inching toward oblivion. The families that sustained it for nearly two centuries were vanishing, until Sunday services became lonesome gatherings of fewer than 10 worshipers.

So, in 2016, leaders of the denomination’s Pennsylvania Diocese decided to close the church at 10th and Ludlow Streets, between Market and Chestnut, even though they would be leaving some longtime parishioners behind — buried beneath the floorboards.

The nine graves, some dating to the early 1800s, are still in the sanctuary, but invisible no more as part of a resurrected St. Stephen’s, retooled for a new definition of “church.”

The change agent was Bishop Daniel Gutierrez, who arrived here from the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande. “When we abandon one of these places," he said, "we abandon the possibilities of spreading what we believe in so deeply.”

More here-

https://www.philly.com/news/episcopal-diocese-pennsylvania-stephens-church-furness-burial-cloister-exposed-vaults-memorial-20190526.html

Sunday, May 26, 2019

After more than 200 years in Philly, Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania headquarters moves to Norristown

From Philadelphia-

Ever since 1784, the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania has been headquartered in Philadelphia, most recently leading its 134 churches from offices adjacent to the denomination’s cathedral in University City.

This fall, however, the diocese, which represents 40,000 parishioners in the five-county Philadelphia area, will move its administrative base to the suburbs — to a Norristown church that was closed nearly four years ago.

The new headquarters will be St. John’s Episcopal Church, a Gothic-style cathedral steps away from the Montgomery County courthouse. The diocese also will set up a satellite office in Philadelphia at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, another congregation that had earlier closed its doors but is now reopened as a community resource center.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Philadelphia's historic Christ Church tests its fire sprinkler system ahead of renovations

From Philadelphia-

Should a fire ever spark on the roof of the historic Christ Church in Philadelphia's Old City, it is prepared to mimic the Old Testament's account of Noah's Ark, when "all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened."

The building is equipped with an "open headed deluge" sprinkler system, which when triggered creates an artificial rainstorm on the outside of the building.

The wooden steeple, built in 1754, has about 30 sprinkler heads installed on its surface. In the event of a fire, a dedicated water pump in the basement ramps up, sending potentially thousands of gallons of water up 200 feet, shooting out each nozzle at about 100 psi.

"Deluge" is no understatement. Water rains down hard and fast.  Similar sprinkler systems are often used on industrial buildings.

"You see it a lot in chemical [buildings], like Ashland Chemical on Columbus Avenue," said Mike McGovern, of Oliver Fire Protection, which installed this system. "Things where they want full protection right away."

More here-

https://www.witf.org/news/2019/04/philadelphias-historic-christ-church-tests-its-fire-sprinkler-system-ahead-of-renovations.php

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Leaning tower of Philly? Founding fathers’ church gets grant

From Philadelphia-

Back in the mid-1700s, Benjamin Franklin spearheaded a lottery at Christ Church to help fund the construction of a steeple and supporting tower.

As legend has it, he was motivated as much by his love of the church as he was by his love of science.

“He had this notion that he wanted to try his lightning experiments in it,” said Barbara Hogue, executive director of the Christ Church preservation fund. However, construction took too long for his curiosity, and he started experimenting with his kite and key instead.

Now, the steeple at the landmark historic church is leaning and its supporting tower needs some serious structural stabilization.

Thanks to a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities announced Thursday, the church can shore up the tower and steeple that for 56 years made it the tallest structure in North America. The grant is one of 233 projects the endowment will fund across the country.

Founded in 1695, Christ Church was the first parish of the Church of England in Pennsylvania and the birthplace of the U.S. Episcopal Church.

More here-

https://www.thegardnernews.com/entertainmentlife/20190330/leaning-tower-of-philly-founding-fathers-church-gets-grant

Friday, December 21, 2018

St. Paul’s braces for change as popular reverend prepares to retire

From Philadelphia-

The Rev. E. Cliff Cutler, the 11th rector of the 150-year-old Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, is the first to admit that change is certain to bring about anxiety among his 400 parishioners.

Last month, in a two-page letter to the community, Cutler wrote that after much prayer and discernment, he will retire at the end of April 2019. By then he will be 70 years old.

Cutler noted that one young mother opened the letter and just cried.

“Her emotions were very touching,” he said. “So yes, there is sadness, but I want the church members to know how resilient we are, and they can be confident in their ability to go forward and find a new leader. There are exciting opportunities ahead and it’s time to let someone else take the next step. I’ll miss the people here; they are gifted in so many ways. There is a lot of warmth, talent and love here and everything will work out.”

There were several factors that convinced Cutler that it was time for a change.

Last winter, he suffered double pneumonia and other respiratory issues that sent him in and out of the hospital.

More here-

https://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/2018/12/20/st-pauls-braces-for-change-as-popular-reverend-prepares-to-retire/

Monday, October 8, 2018

Haunted by clergy abuse, Pa. family leaves Catholic Church after years-long struggle

From NPR-

Among the more than 200 people who responded to NPR’s request for information, many mentioned leaving Catholicism for Episcopalian or Unitarian congregations. There is a history of exchange between the Episcopalian and Catholic faiths, although the Episcopalian Church does not track how many new members came from Catholic parishes, according to Bishop Daniel Gutiérrez, of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.

Some listeners, like Diane McGinty from Delaware County, say they still draw comfort from practicing Catholicism, but try to do so on their own terms.

I do like the mass, I just don’t like the institution,” she said. “I’m tired of men in Church, running the show, telling me what to do.”

Others, like Rick Topper from Glenside, reject the idea that the church belongs to abusers and leaders who tried to keep it quiet.

More here-

https://whyy.org/articles/haunted-by-clergy-abuse-pa-family-leaves-catholic-church-after-years-long-struggle/

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Early Americans’ struggles immortalized at the Washington Memorial Chapel

From Reading-

Symbolism reigns supreme at one of the grandest and most evocative edifices in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Its location on the most prominent hill of Valley Forge National Historical Park commands attention. But, within its walls are relics and reminders of American history.

That becomes evident just inside the entrance.

The "Justice Bell," a one-ton replica of the Liberty Bell, was commissioned in 1915 by Katharine Wentworth Ruschenberger and became an icon for the suffrage movement. Mrs. Ruschenberger willed what was once called the "Women's Liberty Bell" to the chapel, and it remains as a reminder of the women's struggles to win the right to vote.

The Washington Memorial Chapel is actually not on Valley Forge National Park grounds; it is a parish of the Episcopal Church and was founded in 1903.

More here-

http://www.readingeagle.com/weekend/article/early-americans-struggles-immortalized-at-the-washington-memorial-chapel

Saturday, March 24, 2018

No palms on Palm Sunday: Philly church using local grasses for lighter footprint

From Philadelphia-

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia’ Society Hill is one of the oldest churches in the city. At more than 250 years old it is an historic landmark, one not afraid to change.

This weekend its congregants, along with Christians around the world, will observe Palm Sunday and mark the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to an adoring crowd waving palm fronds in his honor. It is the official start of Holy Week.


Instead of waving palms, St. Peter’s will wave ornamental grasses, in accordance with the church’s environmental theology.


“We had been using eco-friendly palm, which are sustainably harvested,” said Rev. Claire Nevin-Field, the church rector. “But even given that, most of those are imported from Central America or driven in trucks from Florida. That still is a pretty big carbon footprint. There has got to be stuff growing around here that we could use.”


More here-

https://whyy.org/articles/no-palms-on-palm-sunday-philly-church-using-local-grasses-for-lighter-footprint/

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Church of the Advocate reverend leads community in healing

From Philadelphia-

In October 2017, the Rev. Renee McKenzie got a call from the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia asking if she would provide sanctuary for an undocumented immigrant family whose deportation was ordered. Instinctually, she agreed.

“I have to be honest, I hadn’t really thought it through carefully before I said yes,” she said. “My instinct was to say yes because there’s no way I could not support this family. There’s no way we could not provide sanctuary if we had the ability to do so, and we did. So I said yes.”

McKenzie has been a clergy member at the Church of the Advocate on Diamond Street near 18th for six years and has consistently fought for social justice issues. She believes she has a responsibility to be an advocate for change — even when faced with significant risks.

Carmela Apolonio Hernandez, who is taking sanctuary in the Church of the Advocate with her four children, was ordered to leave the country by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency by Dec. 15, 2017. Hernandez said she fled an unsafe environment in Mexico in 2015 after her brother and two nephews were killed by organized drug traffickers.

More here-

https://temple-news.com/church-advocate-reverend-leads-community-healing/

Thursday, January 18, 2018

You Are Worthy

From Pennsylvania-

Jesus Christ proclaimed a New Kingdom that is not of this world. As people of the New Kingdom, we identify, first, with Jesus Christ. We must always set aside nationalism, party identity, race or place of origin. Our identity is Jesus Christ. We are all beloved children of God. Every person on this earth is created in God’s image. That is a profound and moving realization and identity.

As followers of Jesus Christ who live this identity in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania I humbly offer the following:


We welcome, accept and embrace all our brothers and sisters; we are a diocese where everyone “belongs.” In Genesis, God created humanity in his image, male and female God created them (1:27). God formed us out of the dust of the earth and breathed the breath of life into us (2:6). God created every inch of this sacred earth and every person with liberating and loving hands. No person nor any place on earth is profane.


No person is unworthy.

More here-

http://www.diopa.org/you-are-worthy/

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Historic Philadelphia church takes new approach to serving the oppressed: healing trauma

From ENS-

As the lunch crowd dwindled, three men stood in a huddle and pulled out white boxing gloves. The Rev. Renee McKenzie-Hayward emerged from her office and greeted them.

Soon, the priest was gloved, taking practice jabs and right hooks — and laughing.

“Fighting for the life of this community, we want to maintain the African-American rich cultural history. The Advocate is central for that. It’s a hub for that,” McKenzie told Episcopal News Service the day before, as she sat in her office painted in African violet. “People can come here to organize, and I say you come here to get stronger and then go out to work.”

You have to be tough, yet warm and welcoming, to do McKenzie’s job at George W. South Memorial Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In that northern area, the church sits in the Cecil B. Moore neighborhood, named after the civil rights activist and local NAACP president. The neighborhood is predominately African-American and Puerto Rican residents who grew up here, but the ever-increasing influx of college students from nearby Temple University is changing the landscape. A Temple graduate herself who values what the burgeoning college population can offer the community, McKenzie has watched the gentrification change the fabric of the neighborhood. She’s also the university’s Episcopalian chaplain.


More here-

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/article/historic-philadelphia-church-takes-new-approach-serving-oppressed-healing-trauma

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Sticking to Scripture is one way pastors avoid alienating congregations

From Lancaster PA-

Back in March, I interviewed local clergy about the impact our polarized political culture was having on the way they approached preaching to congregations that most likely reflected those divides.

Three months later, the picture has, to all appearances, only grown bleaker.

But as I checked back with a few pastors and reached out to several new ones, I found they hadn’t changed course. While the culture wars outside the sanctuary doors continue to rage, they strive to remain focused on the Scriptures that, they say, continue to be both challenging and relevant.

Reached the day before her installation as rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, the Rev. Jennifer Mattson said she is still charting the same course as in the early spring, “given that this is a new call for me, and I’m still getting to know my congregation. I’m still trying to faithfully interpret the Gospel.”


More here-

http://lancasteronline.com/features/faith_values/sticking-to-scripture-is-one-way-pastors-avoid-alienating-congregations/article_d1b92e92-52b4-11e7-a711-e702788b2d31.html

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Local clergy joins peaceful ‘water protectors’ at site of Standing Rock pipeline protests

From Philadelphia-

You’ve likely read quite a bit about protests of the plans to build Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. Violent clashes between protestors, police and other security personal have been a regular occurrence since early fall. Chestnut Hill minister Cliff Cutler of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church recently returned from a peace mission at the site of the protests. The following is his account of the time he spent there.

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe asked for clergy to come to their support and calm the tensions. They are protecting the water of the Missouri River (and their water supply) from the Dakota Access Pipeline that will move 470,000 barrels of oil a day under the river.

The Rev. John Floberg, Canon Missioner for the Episcopal Church on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, put out the call on Oct. 22, hoping for 100 clergy to respond. The night of Nov. 2, as we gathered for the first time in the Cannon Ball, N.D., gymnasium we numbered more than 500, from 25 faith traditions, 45 states and four countries.


More here-

http://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/2016/11/30/local-clergy-joins-peaceful-water-protectors-at-site-of-standing-rock-pipeline-protests/

Friday, July 22, 2016

Former government worker now Episcopal bishop in Pennsylvania

From New Mexico-

People who knew Daniel Gutierrez during his years of government service in Bernalillo County say they expected the Albuquerque native to run for elected office one day.

Nobody, including Gutierrez himself, expected that he would be elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.


“It’s funny, because the bishop is elected by the clergy and the laity of the Episcopal Church,” Gutierrez said in a phone interview from Philadelphia, where he was consecrated Saturday as bishop.

More here-

http://www.abqjournal.com/812636/former-government-worker-now-episcopal-bishop-in-pennsylvania.html

Saturday, July 16, 2016

New bishop of Pa. Episcopal Diocese is the Rev. Canon Daniel Gutierrez

From Philadelphia-

One sits in the high desert surrounded by mountains and the other is a sprawling blue-collar city, but the Rev. Canon Daniel Gutierrez says the similarities between his native Albuquerque, N.M., and Philadelphia are greater than the differences.

Gutierrez, 51, said the problems his parishioners faced in the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, based in Albuquerque, are universal - problems he will also face after he is ordained Saturday as bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania at New Covenant Church in Germantown. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m.

"I've fallen in love with Philadelphia and the Diocese of Pennsylvania in a relatively short time. When a child is crying and suffering in pain, it's up to the church to reach out and touch them," Gutierrez said Friday afternoon at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral in University City. "There is so much hope and potential here."


More here-

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20160716_New_bishop_of_Pa__Episcopal_Diocese_is_the_Rev__Canon_Daniel_Gutierrez.html

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Daniel Gutierrez elected to be next bishop of Diocese of Pennsylvania

From PA-

The Rev. Canon Daniel G. P. Gutierrez, canon to the ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande, was elected March 12 to be the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.

Gutierrez was elected on the fourth ballot, receiving 100 votes in the lay order and 133 in the clergy order. On that ballot, 84 lay votes and 130 clergy votes were need for an election. The electing convention met at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral.

Gutierrez is the first U.S.-born Latino to be elected as a bishop diocesan in the Episcopal Church.
Pending the canonically required confirmation by a majority of the church’s House of Bishops and by a majority of the Diocesan Standing Committees in the church, Gutierrez will be ordained and consecrated July 16 at New Covenant Church in the Germantown area of Philadelphia.


More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2016/03/14/daniel-gutierrez-elected-to-be-next-bishop-of-diocese-of-pennsylvania/

Thursday, March 3, 2016

HOTEL EMPLOYEE TURNS TRASH INTO CHARITY WITH FURNITURE DONATIONS

From Philadelphia-

When the Wyndham Hotel in Mt. Laurel was replacing some furniture recently, the plan was to rent dumpsters and cart it all away.

But Sales and Marketing Director Vicky McCristal had an idea. Instead of spending $3000 renting trash bins, why not donate these sleeper couches and chairs to charity?

"Not only are they nice for sitting on and large enough for four people, but they serve as beds," said McCristal. "And we know people in Camden that don't have beds."

With permission from the Wyndham's owners, McCristal has been scouting out shelters, senior facilities and churches in the Camden area.

Almost 50 pieces have been donated so far, driven in a truck by Vicky's husband Kyle.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Market Street in Camden accepted a room full of chairs, and couches and are now trying to match them with new owners.


More here-

http://6abc.com/news/hotel-employee-turns-trash-into-charity-with-furniture-donations-/1228416/

Friday, January 29, 2016

Pennsylvania Announces Slate

From The Living Church-

The Diocese of Pennsylvania has announced a five-member slate in the election of its 16th bishop:

The Rev. W. Frank Allen, rector, St. David’s Church, Wayne, Pennsylvania


The Rev. Canon Daniel G.P. Gutierrez, canon to the ordinary, chief operating officer, and chief of staff, Diocese of the Rio Grande, Albuquerque


The Rev. Canon John T.W. Harmon, rector, Trinity Church, Washington, D.C.


The Rev. Martha N. Macgill, rector, Emmanuel Parish, Cumberland, Maryland


The Rt. Rev. Dean E. Wolfe, Bishop of Kansas and vice president of the House of Bishops


Provisional bishops have led the diocese since the retirement of the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr., in December 2012.

The Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel III has served as provisional bishop since 2013. The Rt. Rev. Rodney R. Michel became assisting bishop in 2008.

The diocese will accept nominees by petition until Feb. 3. A special convention will meet March 12 to elect the bishop.


http://www.livingchurch.org/pennsylvania-announces-slate