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

Monday, October 26, 2015

7 Churches Burned in St. Louis: 'Racism is Alive,' Pastor Says

From St. Louis-

Several St. Louis, Missouri religious leaders believe that racism is the motive for seven church burnings throughout the area since the beginning of October.

According to the Christian Post, police believe that a person or group of people have targeted the churches, which, vary in denomination. Authorities have yet to declare the burnings a hate crime.


"Holy God … if we ever needed a wake-up call to believe that racism is alive in St. Louis — if this is not it, I don't know what it could be," Rev. Mike Kinman, an Episcopal priest at St. Louis' Christ Church Cathedral, told the Post.

Since Oct. 8, seven churches have been torched, the latest of which, occurred Oct. 17 and have noticed similarities in the burnings.


More here-

http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2015/10/_7_churches_burned_in_st_louis_racism_is_alive_pastor_says.html

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Conversation on race provides community dialogue

From Missouri-

Racism, according to most dictionaries, is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.”

The Northland Justice Coalition, in partnership with Communities Creating Opportunity, held a Northland Conversation on Race, Privilege and Power at the end of July at Grace Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Susan McCann, the rector at Grace Episcopal, welcomed guests as both the church’s lead pastor and a member of the Northland Justice group. People from all across the metropolitan area — including leaders from Independence, Raytown, Lee’s Summit in Missouri, and Lenexa and Leawood in Kansas — joined in the conversation as well as Liberty leaders including Councilman Gene Gentrup, state Rep. Nick King and Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Tucker.


More here-

http://www.libertytribune.com/news/article_98d20ed6-5354-54e0-a4dd-53d1c4171b2b.html

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Have you ever thought you would like to write your own Psalm?

From Missouri-

There are a lot of people dealing with grief who may benefit from a workshop being offered Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church, said Father Jonathan Frazier.

Attendees don’t need to be members of the church, or even be religious, said Frazier.

Christ Episcopal is offering two free writing workshops Saturday presented by internationally known speaker and writer Ray McGinnis.

McGinnis, who lives in Canada, is the author of “Writing the Sacred: A Psalm-inspired Path to Appreciating and Writing Sacred Poetry.” He travels the world doing a series of “Write to the Heart” workshops and has had more than 13,000 workshop attendees since 1999.

“He visited our cathedral in Kansas City a year ago and people were raving about him and I thought, ‘Well, what if we bring him to this part of the state,’” said Frazier.


More here-

http://www.news-leader.com/story/life/faith/2015/04/24/ever-thought-like-write-psalm/26323551/

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Ferguson pastors urge peace after grand jury doesn’t indict

From The United Methodist Reporter-

As the grand jury announcement approached Monday night, worshippers at Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral downtown sat quietly. There was no broadcast of the press conference. Those listening on their smartphones were asked to use headphones.

When the Rev. Mike Kinman announced the decision, one person at the back of the cathedral shouted a mournful cry and was escorted out by friends. Others in the congregation, including social worker therapist Celeste Smith, covered their faces as if in grief. Smith, who is white, listened to the announcement with Claudine Allen, also a counselor, who is black.


More here-

http://unitedmethodistreporter.com/2014/11/25/ferguson-pastors-urge-peace-after-grand-jury-doesnt-indict/

Presiding Bishop’s statement on the way forward from Ferguson

From ENS-

 Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued the following statement on the way forward from Ferguson:

The Episcopal Church joins many others in deep lament over the tragic reality that continues to be revealed in Ferguson, Missouri. The racism in this nation is part of our foundation, and is not unique to one city or state or part of the country. All Americans live with the consequences of centuries of slavery, exploitation, and prejudice. That legacy continues to lead individuals to perceive threat from those who are seen as “other.” The color of one’s skin is often the most visible representation of what divides God’s children one from another.


More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/11/25/presiding-bishops-statement-on-the-way-forward-from-ferguson/

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Dozens arrested in Ferguson protests

From BBC- (with video)

Outside the police station, the chalk outline of a man was drawn on the ground, which organisers said was "a memorial for the body of Michael Brown".

Bishop Wayne Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri told US media his faith compelled him to be there.

"I want to show solidarity, and call attention to the structural racism of St. Louis," he added.

Ferguson Police said 42 people were arrested at the police station and another six were arrested for blocking a street elsewhere.


More here-

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29607575

Monday, August 18, 2014

"...and the child will be healed." -- A sermon for the 10th Sunday after Pentecost

Sermon from the Cathedral in St. Louis yesterday-

OK, everybody take a deep breath.

I mean it. Take a deep breath.

And let it out.

Let’s try that again.

Everybody take a deep breath.

Let it out.

God is here.

God is here.

And that means right here, right now, in the middle of everything that has happened this past week, in the middle of everything that is happening all around us as we gather, this can be the eye of the storm. For this moment, right now, we can take a deep breath, 


More here-

http://yourcathedral.blogspot.com/2014/08/and-child-will-be-healed-sermon-for.html

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Ferguson's mounting racial and economic stress set stage for turmoil

From The LA Times-

The Rev. Steven Lawler, rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ferguson, really saw the change in 2008, when visits to his food pantry soared. They haven't gone down since.

"I know there are places where an economic recovery's happening," he said. "But in the places where people are most stressed, there hasn't been a recovery."

Still, as Lawler and others note, Ferguson has some things going for it. Its pleasant, old downtown has seen a revival in recent years, with a busy Saturday farmers market and a new craft brewery. It still has middle-class neighborhoods of historic homes. The headquarters of a Fortune 500 company, Emerson Electric Co., sits on a serene campus just up the hill from the gas station that looters burned Sunday night.


more here-

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ferguson-economy-20140817-story.html#page=1

Friday, August 15, 2014

Ferguson Faith Leaders Take To The Streets, March With Protestors

From Ferguson MO-

A group of local clergy and religious faithful took to the streets of Ferguson, Missouri on Thursday evening, joining a mass of peaceful protestors to vent frustration over the fatal shooting of an unarmed teen on August 9.

Sporting clerical collars and brandishing signs inscribed with slogans such as “We are praying with our feet” and “End police brutality,” pastors and priests filed in with hundreds of other Ferguson residents to decry the killing of Michael Brown. Brown, an 18-year-old African American high school graduate from Ferguson, was killed this past weekend after a local police officer allegedly shot him several times — even though Brown was reportedly unarmed.


More here-

http://thinkprogress.org/home/2014/08/14/3471361/faith-groups-ferguson/

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Faith leaders attempt to bring Ferguson community together

From St. Louis-

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, St. Louis faith leaders are hoping to lead the charge in de-escalating racial tensions and rebuilding trust in Ferguson.

One major step toward that goal will take place Tuesday night, when the Rev. Traci D. Blackmon will host a forum at Christ the King United Church of Christ. Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson and Mayor James Knowles III are expected to both be on hand to answer questions. The forum is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. 

Blackmon, pastor at Christ the King in Florissant, is organizing the forum after submitting a petition with approximately 480 signatures to the Ferguson Police Department that called on officers to immediately engage with the community.

More here-

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/faith-leaders-attempt-to-bring-ferguson-community-together/article_4b6c01e2-6bd0-535e-8915-d80a5fd0b33a.html

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Missouri Episcopal diocese says it supports St. Louis' fight for gay marriage

From St. Louis-

Because Monday's news was all about Hobby Lobby, there's an item from the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri that may have slipped past your radar.

On that same day, the diocese released a statement noting that Bishop George Wayne Smith “supports St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and City Counselor Winston Calvert in their challenge to Missouri law prohibiting same-sex marriage.”

"Even as the Episcopal Church works to clarify our theological understanding of and pastoral practices around same-sex blessings," Smith said, "I believe that it is not the place of the State of Missouri to deny the privileges and responsibilities of marriage to anyone, basing that denial solely on the gender of the couple."


More here-

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/divine-dispatches/missouri-episcopal-diocese-says-it-supports-st-louis-fight-for/article_7aff9e16-9da9-50a0-ad65-eb471bf13653.html

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Ashes to Go!

So "we" got a lot of press on the  "Ashses To Go" thing-

Oregon-

Rhonda Harding says she has always been a believer. But Wednesday morning, she proudly wore the mark.

“I feel blessed,” Harding said of the ashes drawn in the shape of a cross on her forehead by the Rev. Brent Was during a streetside Ash Wednesday gathering of local Episcopalian clergy and lay people who offered the rite to passers-by at the Lane Transit District plaza downtown.

More here-


http://www.registerguard.com/rg/news/31248160-76/ashes-church-eugene-episcopal-wednesday.html.csp

from Massachusetts-

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140306/NEWS/403060380 

 Rhode Island-

http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20140305-episcopal-priests-take-to-the-streets-for-ash-wednesday.ece

Louisville-

http://www.wdrb.com/story/24897969/st-thomas-episcopal-provides-ash-on-the-go-at-comfy-cow-kroger

Missouri-

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20140306/NEWS01/303060065/Ashes-to-Go-Ash-Wednesday-ceremony?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

California-

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/03/05/3530238/ashes-to-go-brings-ancient-ash.html

Ohio-

http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2014/03/coming_this_ash_wednesday_to_a.html


Saturday, March 1, 2014

Fire damages parish hall at downtown Springfield church

From Missouri-

What authorities believe started as a fire in a nearby dumpster damaged an addition to one of downtown Springfield’s longest-standing landmarks Friday.

The parish hall at Christ Episcopal Church at Walnut and Kimbrough sustained some damage to its exterior walls.

The parish hall is the addition, built in 2007, and not part of the historic structure.

“Fire started in the dumpster and it spread to a storage shed and that storage shed was destroyed. Then it also destroyed some of our privacy fencing at the rear of the church,” said Pastor Ken Chumbley.


More here-

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20140301/NEWS01/303010014/downtown-Springfield-fire-damages-parish-hall-Christ-Episcopal?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Rethinking Community and the Sacraments

From St. Louis-

Have you ever read something that was so striking that you can literally remember where you were sitting and what was going on around you when you first read it, even after many years have passed? A few years ago, my spiritual director recommended a book called Reconciliation: Preparing for Confession in the Episcopal Church by Martin L. Smith. I remember taking a tea break in the cafeteria one afternoon, book in hand, thinking I could just plow through the reading and finish the assignment.

Then I got to the following passage:

“We cannot under any circumstances baptize ourselves. Someone who is baptized has to baptize me. There is always community involved. Reconciliation with God cannot leave me in my solitude, with my individuality and autonomy unaffected, as if my relationship with him were a purely private affair. God’s act of reconciliation in Christ established a reconciling community of the reconciled—the church.”

The words hit me with such force that I got a little light-headed and I felt tears slip down my cheeks. I remember feeling that I had to sit very still and close my eyes, as if the world might simply fall away around me if I weren’t very careful to hold on tight. I believe I was, to borrow a phrase from my evangelical friends, convicted.


More here-

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/civil-religion/pamela-dolan/rethinking-community-and-the-sacraments/article_dc075c8a-488f-11e3-9159-001a4bcf6878.html

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Episcopal leaders use World Series to raise money for charity

From Peoria-

Episcopal leaders in Boston and St. Louis are using the World Series match-up between their teams to raise money for charity and boost awareness about sex trafficking and prostitution. Until the start of Game One on Wednesday, Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis and St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in Boston will be collecting online donations. The money in the pot will go to a non-profit in the winning city that helps victims of sex trafficking.

If the Cardinals win, that money would go to Magdalene House, a non-profit that will open a house for abused women next year. The dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Mike Kinman, is the organization’s board president.


More here-

http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/episcopal-leaders-use-world-series-raise-money-charity


Thursday, September 5, 2013

A renegade Polish priest and an Episcopal bishop walk into a bar …

From Patheos-

OK, not really. But you know how we’re always going on about stories that make people not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church seem like they are, in fact, affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church? Well, here’s a great example of a religion journalist doing it right. Here’s the very top of St. Louis Post-Dispatch religion reporter Tim Townsend explaining part of a complicated scenario:

It has stood up to three Catholic bishops. It has weathered a decade-long legal storm. It has embraced doctrine far afield from its Roman roots.


Now St. Stanislaus Kostka Church is on the verge of aligning with a different denomination entirely, joining forces with the Episcopal church.


More here-

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/getreligion/2013/09/a-renegade-polish-priest-and-an-episcopal-bishop-walk-into-a-bar/

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Will St. Stanislaus join the Episcopal Church?

More from St. Louis- (with video)


A north St. Louis church that was in a bitter legal fight for years with the St. Louis Archdiocese may be changing its denomination entirely.

St. Stanislaus Church could become part of the Episcopal church.  The possible switch to the Episcopal church is laid out in a letter from Bishop Geroge Wayne Smith who leads the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.


Bishop Smith’s letter to the clergy and church members say Episcopal Diocese of Missouri and St. Stanislaus Kostka are in discussions that could lead to the church “coming into union” with the Episcopal church.


Smith calls the news “exciting.”   The letter says that St. Stanislaus could retain its Cherished Polish identity along with its practices and rites, or it could choose any or all of the liturgies in the Episcopal church.


St. Stan’s fight with the Archdiocese ended earlier this year when the Archidocese ended its appeal of a court decision which gave St. Stan’s control of its own church and assets.  As part of that court battle, St. Stanislaus agreed not to represent itself as affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.


More here-

http://fox2now.com/2013/09/04/will-st-stanislaus-join-the-episcopal-church/

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

St. Stanislaus in discussions to join Episcopal Diocese of Missouri

From St. Louis-

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church is in discussions to join the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, according to a letter by Bishop George Wayne Smith.

Smith sent the letter to the Episcopal Diocese’s clergy last week — and posted it online over the weekend — informing them that discussions with the former Catholic parish “could lead to the church coming into union with the Diocese, should both parties agree that this is in their best interests and in best service to Christ.”

In February, the Archdiocese of St. Louis dismissed its appeal of a 2012 St. Louis Circuit Court decision handing over control of St. Stanislaus Kostka, at 1413 North 20th Street, to its own lay board, and ending a decade-long legal battle between the church and the archdiocese.

St. Stanislaus was "suppressed" by then-St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke in 2005 as part of the battle. It has not been considered Roman Catholic by the Vatican since then.

Smith said in his letter that one connection between his diocese and St. Stanislaus is the Union of Utrecht, a group of Old Catholic churches that don’t recognize the authority of the pope. The Anglican Communion has been in full communion with the Union of Utrecht since 1931.


More here-

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/st-stanislaus-in-discussions-to-join-episcopal-diocese-of-missouri/article_58b76730-574d-50bd-ae7b-967930dd8f13.html

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Serving others brings St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church together

From Kansas City-

While most sit and eat, George Dunmore stands off to the side of the Center for Grace’s cafeteria hall.

From where he’s standing, he can see all 18 tables and keep a watchful eye for any empty plates. As soon as he spots one, he swoops down to the table, offering to fix another plate or refill an empty glass.

As he watches, he explains that serving others is at the core of what brings him and other parishioners of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church together.

“It just got contagious,” Dunmore said.

After it was nearly shut down in the early 2000s, this Olathe church with fewer than 75 active families has rallied around a central mission of serving its community to regain its stability and thrive as a mission-centric Episcopal parish.

Read more here:

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/06/4393720/small-church-with-a-big-heart.html#storylink=cpy