Laundry Love to open Westmoreland location in Irwin

From Pittsburgh-

Cleaning clothes can be a lonely chore at a coin laundry service.

It can also be an expense area families have a tough time fitting into their budget.

A Harrison City woman wants to lighten the load while sharing some love along the way.

“People that have clean clothes, they just feel better about themselves,” Karen Wolfe said.

Westmoreland County’s first Laundry Love location will open April 2 in Irwin at R.C.S. Laundromat on Main Street. Wolfe and other volunteers through The Church of the Advent in Jeannette will provide quarters, laundry soap and dryer sheets to anyone in need.

There are no requirements for those who receive the help, just that they show up. Laundry Love is a national initiative that connects neighborhood groups and coin laundry services with people who have little or no income. It’s pretty casual — there are no papers to fill out and volunteers get the first names and phone numbers of those participating as a way to communicate if needs change.

More here-

https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/laundry-love-to-open-westmoreland-location-in-irwin/

Giving and gaining through charity

From Colorado-

On Tuesday, I woke and checked my iPhone and read my daily Bible verse: “Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” (John 6:35)

With the Bread of Life, we are nourished spiritually. Then we are called to share this sustaining love with others, sometimes by sharing actual bread.

With a smile, I remembered that evening would begin my second season on Maggie’s team. I jumped out of bed and headed to the kitchen to make a large pan of spicy cornbread to go with the double batch of beef chili I’d finished the day before. We will cook and serve the community dinner at St. John’s Episcopal Church each fourth Tuesday for the next six months.

More here-

http://www.summitdaily.com/opinion/columns/giving-and-gaining-through-charity/

Pints with a priest spur biblical talks

From Texas-

That Roman Catholic clergyman-turned-reformer Martin Luther distilled his religious conviction as he steeped in his favorite beverage: “Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven. Thus, let us drink beer!”

Graydon and K.D. Hill are purveyors of brew and biblical discussions. The couple is also the proprietors of Barrow Brewing, host site for the Priest’s Pint, a monthly confab with clergy and anyone who thirsts for discussions about faith.

There’s beer, too.

More here-

http://www.tdtnews.com/life/article_70ba4aba-819d-11e6-99fc-ab130a763af6.html

Episcopal Priest Takes Laundry Love to Amagansett

From Long Island-

The Rev. Gerardo Roma Garcia, sent to East Hampton by the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island to oversee the church’s new East End Latino ministry, has a number of outreach efforts planned, but one called Laundry Love is already up and running.

The program is part of a national movement in which laundries and community volunteers work together to help low-income families and individuals save money for other needs by paying to wash and dry their clothes. Locally, Mr. Roma Garcia has partnered with the East Hampton Laundry in Amagansett. On the first Wednesday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m., the laundry provides the soap and fabric softener, while Mr. Roma Garcia and his helpers provide the money for the machines.

It is one small way to ease the burdens on low-income families, and it is open to all people, not only those who speak Spanish, he said.

More here-

http://easthamptonstar.com/News/Episcopal-Priest-Takes-Laundry-Love-Amagansett

Pastor Forges a New Path in Brooklyn

From The Wall Street Journal-

The Rev. Emily Scott was a high-school student in the mid-1990s when she decided to make her faith her career.

A gay couple exchanged vows in her family’s Seattle church, even though same-sex unions hadn’t yet been officially sanctioned by the Episcopal Church.

“That was a key moment for me in understanding what church was about,” Ms. Scott said. “We would always privilege love and relationship and what’s right over rules and regulations.”

In her own way, Ms. Scott, 35 years old, is making a radical push at St. Lydia’s, her storefront church in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn. Her “dinner church” service weaves song, scripture and prayer with a simple homemade supper, drawing a diverse set of worshipers—young and old, gay and straight, Quaker and Evangelical.

The service, held in a loft-like space without a cross or altar, could be mistaken for a hip social club, but the worship is deeply rooted in Christian traditions of humble table fellowship.

More here-

http://www.wsj.com/articles/pastor-forges-a-new-path-in-brooklyn-1450436400

St. Alban’s officially opens outreach center

From Texas-

 Ella Evans, 6, had been using the new Reed Outreach Center at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and School even before it officially opened on Friday.

Friday morning, about 450 people attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the center, located at 1417 E. Austin St.

The center is equipped with a rock wall, a stage and an audio-video system for recording school plays. The church will use it for church events including picnics and youth group activities as well as hosting and mission trips.

The opening coincided with the school’s celebration of Grandparents Day.

More here-

http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/local_news/article_83f474aa-71fc-11e4-9aeb-f3cc87fe3b62.html

Should Churches Try To Target Men More?

From Patheos-

The Jesuit Post’s Jeff Sullivan, SJ has written a nice post on the changing cultural understanding of manhood in post-Sexual Revolution America.

In doing so, he connects this with the noted fact of higher attendance of women at church and higher general religiosity, and cites authors as saying that there is a “problem”: “American churches have adopted primarily feminine language and ways of interacting and exploring spirituality.” This is a theme that we sometimes hear from Traditionalists: the pre-Vatican II Church was more masculine (all that lace and brocade, probably) and the post-Vatican II more feminine. That “masculine” is better than “feminine” is so taken for granted that it is never explicitly mentioned.

Read more:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/inebriateme/2014/08/should-churches-try-to-target-men-more/#ixzz3BsQEBlmi

Trinity Wall Street Adds Northern Haiti As New Mission & Service Location

From Haiti-

Located in a pocket of wealth in New York City, Trinity Church is known for its affluent parishioners and its rich portfolio of real estate and stock investments. However, one aspect of the church that is at times overshadowed by its well-endowed members is their tradition of philanthropy and charity – one that will soon benefit a community in Haiti.

The Episcopalian church added the northern region of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti as a fifth Mission & Service location, Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper announced on July 30. Following the recommendation of a team who visited Cap-Haïtien earlier this year, the parish’s Faith in Action Committee and Grants Board selected Cap-Haïtien for a mission partnership.

More here-

http://haitiantimes.com/?p=7369

Bethesda Episcopal Church to sell properties for new parish hall

From Saratoga Springs-

After years of deliberations and a survey among church members, Bethesda Episcopal Church is undergoing a transformation.

The church is selling off three properties to pay for a new parish hall next to its sanctuary, which church officials say will be used to benefit the church and also the wider community.

The church’s parish hall, to the west of the Universal Preservation Hall on Washington Street, sold in the spring for $1.15 million, and the sale of the church rectory, also on Washington Street, is pending at $1.05 million. Both buildings were bought by the owners of the Adelphi Hotel on Broadway.

More here-

http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20140716/bethesda-episcopal-church-to-sell-properties-for-new-parish-hall

Episcopal food programs fear being overwhelmed if feds cut food assistance

From Kansas-

If food stamps and other government assistance to people in need are cut, local volunteer efforts to provide commodities to those families will be “overwhelmed,” according to the Rev. Lavonne Seifert, newly appointed pastor of Clay Center’s St. Paul Episcopal Church which has organized and conducted food distribution programs over the past five years.

Recipients of food from the Mobile Food Pantry program in Clay Center are sending a stack of 87 paper plates to U. S. Senators Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts, each inscribed with a message from recipients about why food programs pending with the Farm Bill and federal budget should be fully funded not cut.

The “pantry patrons” wrote their messages after the December distribution explaining why food programs in the pending farm bill and federal budget should be fully funded, not cut, Seifert told those gathered at the regular Wednesday Chamber forum.

More here-

http://www.ccenterdispatch.com/news/article_1c2bcec4-642c-11e3-abdf-001a4bcf6878.html

Pope ramps up charity office to be near poor, sick

From Sant Fe-

When he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was known to sneak out at night and break bread with the homeless, sit with them literally on the street and eat with them, as part of his aim to share the plight of the poor and let them know someone cared.

That’s not so easy to do now that he’s pope. But Francis is still providing one-on-one doses of emergency assistance to the poor, sick and aged through a trusted archbishop. Konrad Krajewski is the Vatican Almoner, a centuries-old job of handing out alms — and Francis has ramped up the job to make it a hands-on extension of his own personal charity.

More here-

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/pope-ramps-up-charity-office-to-be-near-poor-sick/article_8969225c-105a-5760-9bd0-62616ef257ed.html

Produce giveaway spreading its roots

From Western North Carolina-

A local non-profit that provides healthy food options for families in need is looking to expand its operation.

The Produce Giveaway began as an off-shoot of the Welcome Table in July of 2012. Starting in September, the Welcome Table will end its Wednesday lunch and fellowship and put all of its efforts into food distribution.

“We’re excited about the opportunity we have to reach more individuals and more communities and help them access healthy food and nutritional resources,” Ali Casparian, one of the founders of the produce distribution program, said.

The program, which is open to community members in need, is every Tuesday at St. James Episcopal Church. At 11:30 a.m., Casparian, a certified holistic health coach, gives a half hour talk on healthy eating and then does a cooking demonstration.

More here-

http://www.blackmountainnews.com/article/20130829/BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS/308280010/Produce-giveaway-spreading-its-roots

Born to be ‘bikers’: Motorcycle ministries reach out to under-served

From ENS-

The Rev. Canon William “Jay” Geisler has baptized during a biker rally over a motorcycle sidecar, performed weddings with the bridal couple in black leather and sparked rousing cheers when he told mourners “there’s only two types of bikers — those who have gone down and those who will go down.”

“Someone got up [at a funeral] and asked ‘where’s Billy?’ and I started talking about God’s love for all of us. I said he’s with God of course,” Geisler recalled during a recent interview. “Everybody erupted with cheers of happiness, because they’ve been told they’re bad people.”

An avid biker, Geisler, 57, rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, realized the need for a motorcycle ministry after a biker said to him, “you don’t know what it’s like to look like Frankenstein and have the heart of Shirley Temple.”

He and other biker priests say their love of motorcycles has opened up new avenues to proclaim the Gospel to an overlooked and underserved community.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/08/28/born-to-be-bikers-motorcycle-ministries-reach-out-to-under-served/

Produce giveaway spreading its roots

From Western North Carolina-

The Produce Giveaway began as an off-shoot of the Welcome Table in July of 2012. Starting in September, the Welcome Table will end its Wednesday lunch and fellowship and put all of its efforts into food distribution.

“We’re excited about the opportunity we have to reach more individuals and more communities and help them access healthy food and nutritional resources,” Ali Casparian, one of the founders of the produce distribution program, said.

The program, which is open to community members in need, is every Tuesday at St. James Episcopal Church. At 11:30 a.m., Casparian, a certified holistic health coach, gives a half hour talkon healthy eating and then does a cooking demonstration.

More here-

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130828/BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS/308280010

Our shortcuts help keep Haiti poor

From Richmond-

Two centuries of supposed independence, long periods of guidance from more sophisticated allies, billions of dollars in foreign aid and the world’s second-oldest democracy comes down to this: a cute kid smiling and asking that her photograph be taken as a pretext for demanding payment.

Haiti, a nation that in forcefully declaring itself free in 1804 put its slave masters to rest long before the United States ever did, has been reduced to a place where children play the role of convincing victim in tourist snapshots.

And why not? The little girl who materialized in front of my camera, smiling brightly on the trash-strewn Atlantic shore of Cap-Haïtien, might be onto the best-paying job she’ll ever get. The dollar I handed over for her hundredth of a second of cuteness is about half of what most Haitians earn in a day.

Her country is a confusing, complicated place, and it doesn’t get any easier with familiarity or much better for the presence of an endless parade of do-gooders, myself included.
I’ve been there six times since the summer of 2010, three on work projects to the town of Gonaives. On those trips, I’ve played a small role in helping a team from Richmond’s St. James’s Episcopal Church build a school.

More here-

http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/their-opinion/columnists-blogs/guest-columnists/our-shortcuts-help-keep-haiti-poor/article_404bc862-9bf7-505f-b68f-c8d531b76995.html

Church gets new life as shelter

From West Virginia-

Its walls were constructed more than 100 years ago. With creaky floors and dusty wood benches, Saint John's Episcopal Church in Rippon holds on to its sanctification, but no longer does a congregation fill its benches on Sunday mornings.

The church is tucked quaintly away among farm fields, and although isn't home to any members, the church will soon provide a shelter from the chill of winter to Jefferson County's homeless population.

The area in the lower level that once served as a social hall will be transformed into a space usable by the Jefferson County Homeless Coalition, said Bob DuBose, who is working as a project coordinator for the coalition.

DuBose, the current president of Jefferson County Community Ministries, said his wife, Georgia, was once a priest at Saint John's when it was still holding services. Through working with the dioceses of West Virginia, the space was able to be provided for the next two to three years.

"The coalition's aim is to get a permanent shelter like many have," DuBose said.

The shelter runs from November through March, and the location has been shuffled around several times over the last couple years.

More here-

http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/596464/Church-gets-new-life-as-shelter.html?nav=5006

Anglican church enthusiastic about homeless housing project on its Terwillegar land

From Canada-

Rev. Nick Trussell was humbled last year when members of his Terwillegar Towne church turned down a developer’s offer to buy the whole property in favour of leasing some unused land for a housing development catering to the formerly homeless.

“I walked into the meeting, selfishly hoping we would sell,” Trussell said Sunday, explaining he had great visions for expansion of the church at a new location.

“When they all spoke in favour of leasing I was humbled and then I realized; we are the only place where this could happen.”

This led to Holy Trinity Riverbend Anglican Church’s decision to lease part of its land near 156th Street and 14th Avenue to Jasper Place Health and Wellness Centre, which hopes to build a supportive housing development.

If it goes ahead, the controversial project would be the first housing facility of its nature in the southwest Edmonton community.

More here-

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Anglican+church+enthusiastic+about+homeless+housing+project+Terwillegar+land/8627788/story.html

Newark center that helps others needs help to stay open

From Newark-

Donyea Hoffman doesn’t have the heart to tell the people there’s trouble at the Newark grassroots center she started.

There’s a class of women learning how to budget and to build their credit and self-esteem. In the next room, a young lady teaches herself to type. Someone else searches for a job on the computer.

A few days later, residents are picking through used clothes and shoes, some for themselves, some for family members. Upstairs, mothers collect diapers and baby formula. Kids watch movies after summer camp and on any given night, block associations hold meetings. It’s an all-purpose help center that believes in being one stop to a better community.

"This place can’t shut down," Hoffman said. "It’s just not an option.’’

More here-

http://blog.nj.com/njv_barry_carter/2013/07/newark_center_that_helps_other.html

Christian aid can be root of great harm

From London-

One hears a lot — and rightly — about evangelical churches doing works of mercy and healing in Third World countries.

Some of these enterprises, which raise huge sums of money through emotionally charged TV ads exploiting the misery and despair of pitiful children in some of the world’s darkest corners, do have boots on the ground. They really care.

They don’t all make “coming to Jesus” the first condition of delivering genuine assistance and relief — though some still do.

However, the kind of values and underlying philosophy being exported in the name of Christianity is not all sweetness and light. In many cases, for example, the understanding of the Bible being imparted to these largely illiterate masses is the crudest form of fundamentalism rampant today.

The missionaries often are conveying an outdated, regressive view of everything from creation, to the role of women, to sexual morality. What may in some ways seemlike true Christian love in action can be simultaneously a not-so-subtle propaganda campaign to regain overseas much of the ground lost to the devil of “liberalism” or secularism in the United States, Canada or other First World countries.

Nowhere is this phenomenon more virulent or fraught with risks than where homosexuality has become an issue. There has been a vigorous and potentially deadly shift in the cultures of many countries where gay people and gay rights are concerned. At a time when most western countries are moving toward full acceptance of sexual differences — France recently became the 14th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage — in places such as Uganda and Ethiopia a disaster is pending.

More here-

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/05/31/harpur-christian-aid-can-be-root-of-great-harm

San Francisco mattress maker McRoskey supplies beds for homeless, low-income residents

From San Francisco-

British royalty, Fortune 500 CEOs and professional athletes catch their zzz’s in luxury beds manufactured by San Francisco’s McRoskey Mattress Co. — and now so do residents of a South of Market low-income housing complex.

In its 113-year history, McRoskey has reportedly sold beds to Prince Charles, the late Steve Jobs and several members of the 49ers, but the company’s best work might be the donations it has provided to the Canon Barcus Community House, a long-term housing center for homeless and low-income families that’s run by Episcopal Community Services.

“It’s a tremendous gesture,” said the complex’s director of development, Bruce Beery. “These are super-high-quality items. It’s jaw-dropping.”

McRoskey has supplied the building with more than 300 beds since its 2002 opening, and continues to do so on an as-needed basis. Initially, Episcopal Community Services had asked members of the St. Francis Episcopal Church to donate comforters, quilts and pillows, but McRoskey President Robin McRoskey Azevedo, a member of the parish, thought she could do more.

“I thought, ‘Gee, it would be great if my company could do the mattresses for them too,’” McRoskey Azevedo said.

Read more at

 http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2013/04/san-francisco-mattress-maker-mcroskey-supplies-premium-beds-homeless-low-income-reside#ixzz2Rqf0MuhS