Public Affairs

The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church will meet Monday to Wednesday, April 20 – 22, in Portland, Maine (Diocese of Maine). The meeting will be held at The Wyndham Hotel Portland Airport (South Portland, ME) http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/PWMHT/main.wnt This will be the last meeting of Executive Council prior to the General Convention 2009 in July in…

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced two staff departures of people well-known throughout the church and beyond. The Rev. Canon Brian J. Grieves, longtime peace and justice officer and current director of the Advocacy Center for the Episcopal Church, and Maureen Shea, director of the Office of Government Relations, will leave their posts…

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, offered the following sermon on Easter Day, April 12, at St. James, Florence, Italy. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! This is the great feast of the Christian year, for “on this day the Lord has acted” (Ps 118:24), “This…

The Rev. Suzanne Watson, currently director of the Evangelism and Congregational Life Center of The Episcopal Church, has been named to a new post as leader of the Church’s strategic planning and strategic collaboration efforts, effective May 4, according to an April 2 announcement by Linda Watt, Chief Operations Officer for the Church Center. “Suzanne…

The Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries (EAM) is offering a newly published, free resource, "Evangelism and Mission in the Age of Globalization," designed for clergy, lay leaders, parish and diocesan staff, and those involved in global interrelationships. "The church as a living organism must continue to interact with the changing world to ensure her relevance and faithfully…

On March 27 the Tri-Faith Initiative is planning a “Dinner in Abraham’s Tent: Conversations on Peace” bringing together representatives of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in Omaha, Nebraska. The dinner features national leaders of the three faith groups, Rabbi Peter Knobel, immediate past president of the Central Conference of American Rabbits, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori…

The Rev. Luis Fernando Ruiz was elected March 17 as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ecuador Central. Ruiz, 52, rector of the Catedral de San Pablo, Bogotá, in the Diocese of Colombia, was elected on the first ballot out of a field of three nominees. Ruiz received 102 of the 117 ballots cast among…

A groundbreaking report released on March 12 calls on The Episcopal Church to address the issues and concerns of the poor in the United States, focusing initially on the needs of Native American communities through its proposed “Model for Domestic Poverty Alleviation.” The report, titled Faith in the Balance: A Call to Action, is based…

Different languages, different faces, different areas of the country, all Episcopalians. In less than two weeks, IamEpiscopalian.org is nearing 100,000 hits! Developed by the Episcopal Church”s Office of Communication, IamEpiscopalian.org features Episcopalians relating their personal connections to the Church through video vignettes. The high traffic caused some initial buffering issues, which have been remedied. “With…

Here”s your chance to share your faith story and tell everyone why you are an Episcopalian. The Episcopal Church Office of Communication invites Episcopalians to upload their videos on the new website IamEpiscopalian.org. Since its launch on Ash Wednesday, IamEpiscopalian.org has experienced nearly 50,000 hits. “Because of the steady and heavy traffic we have moved…

Applications for credentials for media representatives requesting to cover the General Convention 2009 of The Episcopal Church are now available here: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/public-affairs/media-application-form/. General Convention 2009 will be held July 8 – 17 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California. Media policies and procedures for General Convention 2009 are here: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newsline_105517_ENG_HTM.htm New this year is the…

Humanitarian aid, in the form of building materials and medical supplies, was presented to North Korea during a November 14 visit to Geumgangsan by members attending the international Anglican conference, Towards Peace in Korea (TOPIK). Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was among the presenters of cement, covers for greenhouses and glucose, valued at $20,000. Organizers…