February 2017
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Episcopal JOURNALMONTHLY EDITION | $3.75 PER COPY VOL 7 NO 1 | JANUARY 2017 Stewardship focus shifts to year- Standing 3Rock ‘water protectors’ see victory round giving, NEWS community building By Pat McCaughan Episcopal News Service his year, parishioners at St. Bartholomew’s church in Poway, Calif., posted notes to a “giving Lutherans8 and wall” in the sanctuary, sharing the Episcopalians reasons they give to the church. mark partnership T “Because I so easily ‘fall in love’ with money,” wrote one respondent. “Giving, even FEATURE FEATURE though it scares me, forces me to notice when materialism is driving me more than trust in God.” Photo/Wikimedia Commons/Historisches Museum, Bamberg O come, let us adore him The invitation to link church members’ money lives to their faith lives transforms the Jan. 6 marks Epiphany, the commemoration of the visit by the Magi, or Three Wise Men, to the totality of their lives, according to the Rev. infant Jesus. The tradition of Christmas gift-giving stems from their three gifts: gold, a tribute befitting a king; frankincense, which is poured on a sacrifice and symbolizes Jesus’ sacrifice for the Chris Harris, St. Bart’s curate. sins of mankind, and myrrh, an embalming resin that foretells the Savior’s death. In Jan de Bray’s The giving wall, like the money autobiog- “Adoration of the Magi” (1674), light focuses on Mary and the child, but a chilling hint of Calvary raphies and simple-living classes he offers, are can be seen as Roman military spears are depicted in the upper left corner. spiritual exercises and are part of the church’s year-round formation efforts — not to be con- Photos12 reveal fused with seasonal pledge drives. craftwork in The focus and emphasis of traditional stew- worship space Evangelism matters to the world, ARTS ardship campaigns are changing, according to Richard Felton, executive director of The say 400+ Episcopalians, Anglicans Episcopal Network for Stewardship, or TENS, which partners with and offers resources to By Mary Frances Schjonberg dioceses throughout the Episcopal Church. PAID Episcopal News Service Gone are traditional seasonal money pitch- PRSRT STD PRSRT US POSTAGE Bellmawr NJ PERMIT #1239 es. Big red thermometers with dollar-and-cent he slogan on the swag bag read: signs inching upward have been replaced by “Episcopal Evangelist. It’s not an budgets detailing ways staff and office hours oxymoron.” translate to mission and ministry. While some people might think The once church-wide dinner galas marking Tthat an Episcopal evangelist is a rare breed, stewardship campaigns have been replaced more than 400 evangelism veterans and by smaller potluck meals, and more intimate fledgling practitioners spent Nov. 18-19 being opportunities for conversation and deeper inspired, finding camaraderie and learning Photo/Mary Frances Schjonberg/ENS relationships in members’ homes, according to new ways to live up to that slogan during the In an exercise on the closing day of the Evangelism Felton. Evangelism Matters conference at Church of Matters conference participants engage in Gone also are pleas for assistance with cam- the Transfiguration in the diocese of Dallas. “cardboard testimonials,” writing on one side pus repairs from finance-minded parishioners. The Rev. Emily Schnabl, rector of St. of their paper about something with which they Instead, parishioners hear personal stories of Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Midwest have struggled and, on the other side, what God transformation, of deepening faith and minis- City, Okla. said she was already convinced has done for them about that struggle. try that, said Harris, when “authentic and vul- of the need for evangelism and came to the that I’ve literally got in my bag to take back.” nerable, end up building community in a way conference looking for practical ways to bring The Episcopal Church is waking up to the that giving flows from that.” that idea alive in her parish. She told Episcopal need for evangelism, said Ron Braman, an The new stewardship focus includes stories News Service that she left feeling supported enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone like the one Joyce Vidal recently told Sunday in some of what St. Christopher’s is already tribe in Wyoming and music minister at the morning worshippers at St. Barnabas on the doing and with some “really achievable things continued on page 6 continued on page 7 2 EPISCOPAL JOURNAL January 2017 ANGLICAN DIGEST Anglican Digest is a column of news and features • The diocese of Angola is calling from churches in the Anglican Communion. The its program “Greening my habitat.” At following are credited from Anglican Communion their upcoming youth conferences, dioc- Welby meets Pakistan terror victims News Service. esan members will celebrate Green June, rchbishop of Canterbury Welby also met with children, calling on every young person to plant Justin Welby visited Pakistan young people, theological students Africans focus on a tree at a local church every year. The in mid-November to meet and government officials, including young women’s network plans to take up climate change victims of anti-Christian ter- the prime minister’s foreign affairs the Little Seeds of God project and plant Aror attacks, including Christians at St. adviser, Sartaj Aziz, “to discuss freedom Young people from three Portuguese fruit trees at schools and churches. Thomas Church in Islam- speaking dioceses of Mozambique and • The diocese of Niassa in Mozambique abad and Christ Church, Angola met Nov. 25-30 in Maciene, will be training young people to do clean Youhanabad. They were Mozambique to discuss action on cli- up work in the main city of Cuamba. survivors of the 2013 Pe- mate change. Although the two coun- They will leverage the presence of shawar church and the tries are Portuguese-speaking, they are clergy at the upcoming consecration 2015 Youhanabad bomb- separated by more than 2,000 km; as a of the bishop to run a workshop on ings — both Christians result up to now contacts between them environmental ministry and call upon and Muslims. The visit have been few. families to plant a tree at every baptism. was hosted by the modera- Green Anglicans, the Anglican The workshop concluded with the tor of the Church of Paki- Church of Southern Africa’s environ- planting and blessing of trees. stan, Bishop Samuel Aza- mental network, led a workshop riah, who praised Welby. on environmental issues. While “He was determined to Photo/courtesy of Lambeth Palace Mozambique has suffered from visit Pakistan,” Bishop Az- Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby meets young devastating floods, Angola has un- ariah said. “He was advised people at Christ Church, Youhanabad during a two- dergone crippling drought. not to attend the church in day visit to Pakistan. The workshop included a pre- Islamabad, but he said that he would of religion and protection of religious sentation on the effects of climate go there and as an Archbishop visiting minorities in the country, as well as change, consideration of the the- a province how could he not go to the to hear of the suffering of so many of ology of caring for creation and a church and not meet his people. the people of Pakistan in the struggle workshop on the actions that young “So we want to thank him from against terrorism,” Lambeth Palace said Green Anglicans can take. the depth of our heart. We are grate- in a statement. Among the actions that were de- Photo/Lurdes Macie ful to the Communion for thinking The Church of Pakistan later re- cided: Some of the participants at the youth conference of us and praying for us, for a church flected on the visit. Coordinating Offi- • The diocese of Lebombos in for Portuguese speaking dioceses in Africa which is struggling, for a church which cer Mano Rumalshah said that the visit southern Mozambique will start a is marginalized, for a church which “fulfilled its main purpose of feeling tree planting campaign and develop a comes under suffering, but a church the pain of the wounded and sharing nursery. A diocesan Sunday school proj- Leaders speak out against which lives with hope — with hope in the hope of healing and reconciliation ect called Little Seeds of God teaches gender-based violence God’s great grace.” offered by our Lord Jesus Christ.” n children to save and plant seeds when- ever they eat fruit. They will also have Christian leaders in Fiji have united quarterly clean-up days, environmental to declare that gender-based violence The ministry of- prior to Nov. 25, training and recycling programs. They is a sin, in an advertisement shown on ficer for the diocese which is the U.N.- will also plant parish vegetable gardens. movie screens and national television. of Polynesia, the backed interna- The 60-second ad has been shown Rev. Sereima Lo- tional Day for the during Fiji television’s main evening maloma, said that it Elimination of Episcopal news for the past three weeks and before was a “sadly relevant Violence against OURNAL films in 16 cinemas. The video was the message” in a coun- Women and the J idea of Anglican Archbishop Winston try where 64 per start of the 16 Editor: Solange De Santis Halapua, who received backing from cent of women aged Days of Activism Art Director: Linda Brooks other Fijian Christian leaders, the between 15 and 49 against gender- Copy Editor: Sharon Sheridan Hausman Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New have been the vic- Photo/courtesy ACNS based violence. Senior Correspondent: Jerrold Hames Zealand and Polynesia said. tim of “intimate Coptic Orthodox Church leader Father In 2013, the Business Manager: Michael Brooks Coptic, Baptist, Roman Catholic, partner violence.” Anthony Lemuela in a television and cinema Polynesia diocesan Advertising: Shanley + Associates, LLC Methodist, evangelical, Salvation Army The advertisingad in which Fijian church leaders declare synod declared that “gender-based violence is a sin.” Board of Directors: and independent churches have all campaign is part “zero tolerance” Mary W.