AROUND THE COMMUNION ERD launches new ministry Sermons for a Good Cause, a new ministry of Episcopal Relief congregations, including Asaph, Blessed Sacrament, Creator, Crucifixion, and Development, is intended to assist priests in preparing sermons Holy Name, Love (Beloved), St. Ignatius, St. Teresa and St. Theodore. that remind the people that our church is faithful to Christ's com- Southern Ohio boasts a few of the more unique names: St. mand to serve those in need throughout the world. Nicholas of , Hilliard, is one of 20 congregations in the The Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton wrote in a letter to colleagues, Episcopal Church. And St. Mary Magdalene, Maineville: one of “As you know, ERD (formerly the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World eight in the national church. Relief) provides rapid response aid in times of natural disaster, to the Bishops form coalition for a “just society” victims of war, to refugees from famine or drought. I have only recent- THE ANGLICAN ly become aware, though, of how deeply ERD is involved in support Episcopal bishops from 30 dioceses have formed a coalition to work on behalf of public policies that benefit the nation’s poor. COMMUNION of systemic efforts at improving the lives of the poor in sister dioceses throughout the Communion. You know that our brothers and sisters The new group, Bishops Working for a Just Society (BWJS), was a community of created in late March at a meeting in Texas before the annual spring 70 million Anglicans who lead the Church in Africa and Asia, in Central and South America and rural America labor under a heavy load, and you must often have meeting of the House of Bishops. in more than Washington Bishop John Chane said the group decided to focus 160 countries been in awe-- as I have -- of their courage, creativity and faith under terrible conditions. is truly good. on issues of economic justice, including improving the quality of These are hard times in our church. The din of our arguing is seen and public schools, providing health care for uninsured Americans and increasing the availability of low income housing. Resources for heard on the airwaves most days. I want everyone to know, though, that Chane and Bishop William Persell of Chicago, who worked national and we continue to serve the poor and those in terrible need. In the end, when together in organizing the group, were named co-conveners and world news: we will be asked what we did with the precious gift of life God gave us members of an interim steering committee. Bishop Suffragan The Episcopal for a season, it is this service for which we will be most accountable. James E. Curry of Connecticut was named the group’s secretary. Church, USA What is the most important issue facing the Church today? What The Episcopal Church establishes its official position on politi- www.episcopal is our greatest challenge? I think it's the same challenge we've had cal issues through resolutions at General Convention, but bishops church.org since the beginning, the one told us about Himself: the great chasm between those who have much too much and those who have are frequently asked to speak out on issues for which no Convention precedent exists. The creation of BWJS allows them to Anglican hardly anything. We may have changed in many important ways, but be better informed and to coordinate efforts on a statewide or Communion: that challenge has stayed exactly the same.” nationwide basis, Chane said. www.anglican Priests who are interested in the program can receive via email a The group’s initial meeting was facilitated by Maureen Shea, communion.org meditation from Crafton on each week's lectionary text, as a spring- board for sermon preparation. Each meditation will discuss a pro- director of the Episcopal Church’s government relations office. Chane said part of the group’s mission will be to work with the Around the gram of ERD in some part of the world and will provide you with Washington office to help make bishops better public advocates. Communion Sources: a link to further information about that part of ERD's work. The “We hope they can be the primary feeder source to urge the bishops Anglican Communion meditations can be used as a bulletin insert, a homily or even for to be more politically active,” he said. “There is a need to help bishops News Service, Episcopal personal meditation. Contact ERD for more infomation. understand how to work better politically and how to help dioceses News Service Lots of Trinity’s and St.John’s;few Asaph’s learn to deal better with the media. We need to learn how to take com- The Rev. Chris Yaw, associate rector of St. Thomas, Battle Creek, plex information and without diluting it or dumbing it down, commu- Mich., had some spare time, apparently, and culled together (with nicate it to our people as something that has merit theologically.” help from The Red Book) an unscientific accounting of the 121 The most immediate fruits of the meeting will be an email list- most common words found in the names of Episcopal parishes. serv for members of the coalition and other interested parties. The There are approximately 7,500 Episcopal churches. group will report on its activities to the full house of Bishops at its Here are some of his findings: Christ led the pack with 527 meeting in Spokane, Washington, in late September. churches. St. John, Trinity, St. Paul and St. Andrew rounded out the Other members of the temporary steering committee are: Bishop top five. Other churches with popular names: Grace (281); All Saints Suffragan Gayle Harris of Massachusetts, Bishop Johncy Itty of (237); St. Peter (210); Good Shepherd (170); and St. Thomas (149). Oregon and Bishop Pierre Whalon, bishop in charge of the The least popular: Several churches vied for last place with only two Convocation of American Churches in Europe. SCHOLAR’S CORNER believed Jesus original Eastern Nativity, now the I have heard that Dec. 25 was set as the date for THE REV. died on the same ) for Jesus’ birth because the birth of Jesus so as to make it coincide with a WILLIAM G. day he was con- they dated Jesus’ death and conception Roman festival of the . Is that correct? GARTIG ceived: “For He to April 6, the 14th day, not of the is believed to Hebrew month of Nisan, but rather of It is true that in 274 C.E., the Roman he was conceived or that he was con- have been con- the first spring month (Artemesios) in emperor established a feast of ceived when the Archangel ceived on the the Greek calendar. And Jan. 6 is the birth of Invictus (the appeared to Mary. We don’t actually, but 25th of March, exactly nine months after April 6. Unconquered Sun) on Dec. 25. That Dec. both are ancient Christian beliefs that upon which day By the middle of the fourth century 25 was chosen for in order to resulted in Christmas being on Dec. 25. also He suffered; most of the Eastern churches had coincide with this festival of the sun has The early Christian writer Tertullian so the womb of given up the Jan. 6 Christmas in favor been the commonly accepted theory for (writing about 200 C.E.) tells us that the Virgin, in of Dec. 25, but the Church of the past 300 or so years, but I am inclined Jesus died on “the eighth day before which He was Jerusalem held to Jan. 6 until 549, and to go with some recent scholarship that the calends of April” in the Roman conceived, where the Armenian Church still observes offers a different explanation for calendar (that is, March 25). The no one of mor- Jan. 6 as Christmas Day. Christmas being set as Dec. 25. anonymous Christian work, On tals was begotten, corresponds to the If you would like to know more, see The date of Dec. 25 for Christmas is and Equinoxes (fourth-cen- new grave in which He was buried, Andrew McGowan’s article, “How tied to the date of Jesus’ death, accord- tury North Africa), tells us more: wherein was never man laid, neither 25 Became Christmas” in the ing to the liturgical scholar Thomas “Therefore our Lord was conceived on before nor since. But He was born, December, 2002, issue of Bible Review. Talley (in his Origins of the Liturgical the eighth before the calends of April according to tradition, upon December Year). He asserts that Christmas is on in the month of March [25 March], the 25th.” (On the Trinity, Book 4, ch. 5) The Rev. William G. Gartig will answer Dec. 25 because Jesus was conceived which is the day of the passion of the The preceding references were all your questions about the Bible, nine months before, on March 25, at Lord and of his conception. For on that from the Western Mediterranean. Episcopal life and other religious sub- the , the same day he day he was conceived, on the same he Eastern Christians also dated Jesus’ jects. Send questions to 2146 died. suffered.” The same work dates Jesus’ birth to nine months after his concep- Cameron Ave. Apt. 5, Cincinnati, OH You may rightly ask how we know birth to Dec. 25. tion (annunciation) and death. They, 45212-3631 or at Jesus died on the same day of the year (354-430) also however, came up with Jan. 6 (the [email protected]. 11