Bible Study: Epiphany 2 (B) – 2012
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) As we enter a new year, change is happening. Change always precipitates or occurs concurrently with a transition in our lives. The reading from 1 Samuel is all about transitions. This story of Samuel and Eli was probably collected, edited, and placed into the book we call 1 Samuel during the […]
New features, new opportunities abound in experiential Episcopal Church website www.EpiscopalChurch.org
The Episcopal Church website – www.episcopalchurch.org – has undergone a complete transformation and redesign into a welcoming, eye-appealing, easy-to-navigate, experiential site. Launched on December 28, the new website features a motif of stained glass windows, each of which holds a small piece of our contemporary church. Taking direction from newcomer research, the design is steeped, […]
Presiding Bishop opens Executive Council; video available at www.episcopalchurch.org
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori opened the Executive Council meeting in Salt Lake City today with an address that called for a mission focused budget using the Five Marks of Mission. A video of the Presiding Bishop’s remarks are available on the home page of the website: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/ The following is the Presiding […]
Tell The President – Peace In The Holy Land Must Be A Priority Now!
"On the holy mountain stands the city he has founded; Then Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Of Zion it shall be said, 'Everyone was born in her,' And the Most High himself shall sustain her." — Psalm 87 (page 711, Book of Common Prayer) The Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict […]
Brief Dictionary of Terms
ANGLICAN COMMUNION: Churches around the world that are in communion with each other and with the See of Canterbury, (i.e., Church of England) and that hold the same faith, order, and worship. According to the Anglican Consultative Council, the Anglican Communion is composed of 38 autonomous churches together with a small group of extra-provincial dioceses […]
Episcopal Church Core Beliefs and Doctrines
Baptismal Covenant “Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 292). A mini catechism used at baptisms and on Easter and other special occasions, the Baptismal Covenant opens with a question-and-answer version of the statement of faith that is the Apostles’ Creed and adds […]
A Pastoral Letter on Israeli Palestinian Peace
Episcopal Church House of Bishops issues A Pastoral Teaching
Those Characters in the Parable…, Proper 22 (A) – 2011
Those characters in the parable we just heard – there’s something about them that’s hard to accept. The landowner responds to the abuse and murder of his slaves by sending still others who are treated by the rebellious tenants in the same way. He responds to this further outrage by sending his son. But the […]
Episcopal Church House of Bishops issues A Pastoral Teaching
The Episcopal Church House of Bishops, meeting in Province IX, in Quito, Ecuador, issued the following Pastoral Teaching: A Pastoral Teaching from the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church Quito, EcuadorSeptember 2011 We, your bishops, believe these words of Jeremiah describe these times and call us to repentance as we face the unfolding environmental […]
The Great Vigil of Easter
At The Liturgy of the Word At least two of the following Lessons are read, of which one is always the Lesson from Exodus. After each Lesson, the Psalm or Canticle listed, or some other suitable psalm, canticle, or hymn may be sung. A period of silence may be kept; and a suitable Collect, such […]
The Holy Name of our Lord
The Collect: Rite I:Eternal Father, who didst give to thine incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we beseech thee, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, even our Lord Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the […]
The Great Vigil of Easter
Liturgy of the Word At least two of the following Lessons are read, of which one is always the Lesson from Exodus. After each Lesson, the Psalm or Canticle listed, or some other suitable psalm, canticle, or hymn may be sung. A period of silence may be kept; and a suitable Collect, such as those […]
Independence Day
The Collect: Rite I:Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant, we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain these liberties in righteousness and peace; […]
Executive Council D020 Task Force releases SCCC report
God. Is Too Big For…, Trinity Sunday (A) – 2011
God. Is too big for your brain. You cannot capture nor contain God. In the movie “Three Weddings and Funeral,” the hapless priest repeatedly butchers the name of the Trinity: “In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spicket,” he says at one wedding, and at another, “Father, Son, and Holy Goat.” Which reminds […]
Claim Your Identity, Holy Name Day – 2011
Names can tell us a lot about people’s characters and the roles they play in a story. One of the pleasures of reading literature is discovering the meaning of characters’ names. Authors will often give their characters names that tell us something important about who they are and about what they will do in the […]
Celebration of our Episcopal Heritage and Mission in Worcester County
Can you imagine the chutzpah of somebody coming in here right after the Civil War and saying, âitâs time to ordain women, and oh, by the way, we really should revise the prayer bookâ? It was hard enough work in the 1970s, let alone the 1870s! William Reed Huntington instigated both. He got the General […]