Opening Address – Sesquicentennial
Greetings from the whole of the Episcopal Church, and congratulations on your sesquicentennial – the whole of this church rejoices with you in marking this notable anniversary! Your bishop has asked me to reflect on where we’re going as a church and what your particular vocation might be here in Hawai’i. In order […]
Do You See What I See? Proper 27 (B) – 2012
In two weeks, on the day after Thanksgiving, department stores and radio stations throughout our nation will begin their round-the-clock auditory avalanche of Christmas carols. You may find the constant repetition of “Silent Night” a soothing reminder of “the reason for the season”; or it may annoy you to the point of giving you a […]
Bible Study: Proper 22 (B) – 2012
Job 1:1; 2:1-10 It has been said that the Book of Job is where the Bible runs off a cliff! The text probes the mystery of suffering, but ultimately yields no satisfactory answer. The great contribution of Job lies in its realistic assessment of the explanations that traditional theology often provides for suffering. Those traditions […]
Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori announces appointments
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has announced appointments to the House of Bishops Committees for the 2013-2015 triennium as well as the bishop appointments to the General Convention Joint Committees and Standing Commissions. Appointed by the Presiding Bishop are: Court of Review for Trial of a Bishop: Bishops Scott Barker of Nebraska, Frank […]
Olympia Clergy Conference
The theme of this clergy conference was "Future Church." The lections appointed for this day were Tuesday in the Second Week of Easter. One of the things that the Global South seems most annoyed about is our economic system. They’re not alone, even if Occupy has been fairly quiet recently. It’s pretty clear that the […]
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Transitions for Episcopal Church, DFMS staff
The Episcopal Church and the churchwide Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) staff are undergoing transitions to re-orient not only the work of the churchwide staff but also where that work will be conducted. The transitions are primarily, but not completely, a result of actions approved at General Convention 2012 in July. Many are budget-based […]
Today We Celebrate…, Day of Pentecost (B) – 2009
“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in […]
How Much Should I Give…, Proper 22 (B) – 2009
“How much should I give to the Church?” This is the dilemma faced by most Episcopalians each year around this time as they consider their pledge and annual giving to the work of the church. As a Sunday bulletin insert from the Ecumenical Stewardship Center explains the issue, “People are often asked to give the […]
Before It Was a Noun…, Thanksgiving Day (B) – 2009
Before it was a noun, “thanksgiving” was a verb. The difference matters. A desert father once said: “If you have a chest full of oranges, and leave it for a long time,the fruit will rot inside of it.It is the same with the thoughts in our heart.If we do not carry them out by physical […]
Alabama Plan, The
A diocesan stewardship education project, it was born through a conversation between the Rev. William A. Yon, program director for Alabama and the Rt. Rev. Furman C. Stough, then Bishop of Alabama, in the spring of 1969. Their task was to come up with a grass roots plan for increasing pledges in a continuing growth […]
Ecumenical Movement
Inspired in part by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral (1880), the ecumenical movement was born at the International Missionary Conference of Edinburgh (1910) as a search for the reunion of Christians. Two organizations were formed: Life and Work, and Faith and Order, which joined together in 1948 as the World Council of Churches (WCC). The Anglican Communion […]
Lawrence, William
(May 30, 1850- Nov. 6, 1941). Bishop, educator, fund-raiser, and primary founder of the Church Pension Fund. He articulated a theology of Christian stewardship known as the “Gospel of Wealth.” In an article entitled “The Relation of Wealth to Morals” (1901), he argued that God gives wealth only to those who are moral. The wealthy […]
SWEEP, SWEEPS
A process of congregational self-evaluation for mission and ministry. The name is an acronym for five aspects of church mission as expressed in “The Next Step in Mission”: service, worship, evangelism, education, and pastoral care. The Next Step was adopted by General Convention in 1982 at the suggestion of Presiding Bishop John M. Allin. It […]
Every Member Canvass
A parochial stewardship campaign that invites every member of the parish to make a pledge for the upcoming year. The campaign may urge the parishioners to offer their time, talent, and treasure. Members of the parish pledge to give a certain amount of money to the church. The campaign may encourage parishioners to tithe as […]
Pledge
A commitment to give one's time, talents, and money as an expression of faith and a personal response to God's generosity. Parish members are encouraged to make an annual stewardship pledge. This pledge represents their specific Christian commitment to “work, pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom of God” (BCP, p. 856). Parish […]
Rogation Days
Traditionally, these are the three days before Ascension Day on which the litany is sung (or recited) in procession as an act of intercession. They originated in Vienne, France, in the fifth century when Bishop Mamertus introduced days of fasting and prayer to ward off a threatened disaster. In England they were associated with the […]