These invitations, sent to Episcopalians who are members of Congress, are part of the on-going outreach of the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations, based in Washington, D. C., and led by Maureen Shea, the Episcopal Church's director of government relations.

"It is important that we see civic participation as part of fulfilling our baptismal covenant to 'strive for justice and peace among all people,'" Shea said. "This year, we are working with other faith communities in a non-partisan, grassroots project called Faithful Democracy
(http://www.faithfuldemocracy.org/) which will help register voters, educate eligible voters, and help ensure that those who have the right to vote do so and that their votes are counted."

Shea's office also coordinates the work of the Episcopal Public Policy Network, described on-line at www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn (phone: 202.547.7300).

A letter sent to GOP members of Congress who are Episcopalians have invited them to Sunday services at New York's Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Wall Street's Trinity Church -- which dates from 1697 -- and its St. Paul's Chapel, well known for its ministries during and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and as the church in which George Washington prayed after being inaugurated as the nation's first president.

Lanterns lit in Old North Church

Meanwhile, Episcopalians who are delegates to the Democratic National Convention opening today in Boston were welcomed yesterday to the city's Old North Church.

"We offered this special Sunday worship in celebration and prayer for the delegates, activists and elected leaders who present themselves for public service at this Convention and in their day-to-day vocation," said the Rev. Stephen T. Ayres, vicar of Old North Church, who was also scheduled to give the invocation as the Convention officially opens today.

Bishop Suffragan Gayle E. Harris of Massachusetts celebrated the Eucharist at the 11 a.m. service, which was sponsored by the Diocese of Massachusetts; the Episcopal City Mission of Boston; Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C.; and Old North Church.

U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-New York), one of 45 Episcopalians who are members of the House of Representatives, read the lessons and declared: "This is a greater honor than addressing the Convention. My mother would be so proud."  Massachusetts State Rep. Byron Rushing read a special election year litany that is available at www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn.

The enduring fame of Old North Church as a symbol of freedom derives from a fleeting moment on April 18, 1775: on that night at the behest of Paul Revere, the church sexton climbed the steeple and briefly hung two lanterns, touching off the War for Independence. Eighty-five years later, on the eve of the Civil War, poet and abolitionist Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized that event in the poem, "Paul Revere's Ride." Old North Church is Boston's most visited historic landmark. Built in 1723, "Old North" is Boston's oldest church building and still an active Episcopal Church.
       
Recalling that famous night, government relations director Shea, together with Rachel Anderson of Episcopal City Mission in Boston, lit the lanterns for the church steeple at the conclusion of the pre-convention service. The two steeple lanterns will stay lit throughout the convention, which runs through Thursday, July 29.

General Theological Seminary sets fall lectures on Christianity, politics

[ENS, New York, July 26, 2004] -- "What Does Christianity Have to Do with Politics ... and What Does Politics Have to Do with Christianity?" General Theological Seminary in New York City will bring these questions into focus for an evening lecture series set to begin September 30 and continue on four Thursdays before Election Day.

Each two-hour lecture is set for 7-9 p.m. and planned to bring together clergy, laity, and professors for weekly presentations and conversation. A fee of $135 per participant includes a closing-night wine-and-cheese reception at the home of the seminary's dean and president. Information: www.gts.edu; 888.487.5649, ext. 461. The program is part of the seminary's "Go Deeper" program. The seminary is located at 175 Ninth Avenue in the Chelsea section of New York City. Descriptions of the lectures are as follows.

Thursday, September 30: The Biblical Prophets as Political Commentators
      The Rev. Robert Owens, Professor of Old Testament. Lecture overview: "Much of the material preserved in Scripture connected with individuals such as Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah has to do with political criticism of the government and dominant institutions of their day. This session explores the values and convictions which brought them into harsh and sometimes dangerous conflict with the 'establishment.'"

Thursday, October 7: Religion & the Meaning of America: 1630 to the Present
      R. Bruce Mullin, SPRL Professor of Church History. Lecture overview: "How do religious concepts and understandings contribute to an understanding of what it means to be an American? How have these understandings changed over time? How does this long history effect present day discussions of religion and the social order? These and other questions will be addressed in this lecture."

Thursday, October 14: Can the Church Be Too Political? Reflections on Levels of Personal, Clerical, Parochial and Denominational Political Involvement
     The Rev. William Doubleday, Professor of Pastoral Theology. Lecture overview: "Both history and contemporary events suggest a variety of approaches to the question of how religious individuals and institutions can or should engage in politics at the local, state, and national level.

Thursday, October 28: Rhetoric, Religion & the Presidency: Symbolic Dimensions of Campaign 2004
     The Reverend Mitties McDonald DeChamplain, Trinity Church Professor of Preaching. Lecture overview: "Presidential campaigns are inescapably religious, and this presentation will explore the ways in which candidates use various media to establish their fitness to be high priest and prophet of the civil-religious tradition in America."