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On October 7, we pray that we may practice God’s peace by acting for just peace in Palestine and Israel.

[Episcopal News Service] For many years, the duplex space in the Project Canterbury building at Christ Church Episcopal in downtown Chattanooga, Diocese of East Tennessee, was vacant and unlivable. After meeting with members of the secular nonprofit Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, last year, Christ Church Episcopal’s congregation decided to transform the empty space into free apartments for teenagers who age out of the foster care system and need a place to stay while they adjust to adulthood. For the Rev. Will Levanway, priest-in-charge of Christ Church Episcopal, the monthslong project felt like the “building up of a kingdom of God.” “Here’s a way of really concretely caring for people, making sure they have a place to sleep, food to eat and support,” Levanway told Episcopal News Service. “If we’re going to uplift people in the image of God, it has to include their physical, material life.” Renovations started in January and finished in September. The duplex was split into four fully furnished apartments, each with their own appliances. They share a laundry facility. The tenants aren’t required to pay for rent or utilities. The space now looks “shockingly different” from before, according to Kevin Hyde, CEO of Partnership for Families, Children and Adults. The only salvaged elements were the original brickwork and tiles, which were repaired and restored. “People pay big money to have that type of [exposed brick] aesthetic in their homes these days,” Hyde told ENS. “We wanted to make the apartments livable, clean and modern feeling.” Christ Church Episcopal’s 60+ member congregation also was involved in the development project. Parishioners collected and furnished the apartments with household supplies, like towels, bedsheets, laundry detergent and brooms. “These are everyday important things that we take for granted in our homes. They may not sound like much, but these gestures are very helpful in helping these teens achieve safety and stability, and feel hope for their futures,” Hyde said. “Often when teens age out of foster care and come to [Partnership for Families, Children and Adults], they come to us with not even a suitcase – literally just a garbage bag with all their worldly possession in it and the clothes on their backs.” Children and youth can enter foster care for different reasons, including abuse, neglect or abandonment by their parents or legal guardians. The experience is traumatizing because children and youth are being removed from their homes, and siblings are oftentimes separated from each other, according to the National Institute of Health. Teenagers age out of foster care when they legally reach adulthood at 18, though some states extend support up to age 21. In Tennessee, foster care services and support can be extended until age 23 through the state’s Extension of Foster Care Program. Every year nationwide, more than 15,000 young adults, including more than 850 in Tennessee, age out of the foster care system, according to data compiled in 2024 by the federally mandated Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. Without support, they risk facing homelessness, substance abuse, incarceration and unplanned pregnancy, according to the 2025 Impact Case with data compiled by the Innovation Labs at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. To help reduce these systemic risks, Partnership for Families, Children and Adults’ Bright Futures program additionally operates a rape crisis center, a domestic violence shelter, life skills and career training and other services run by hired social workers. Locally, young adults who enroll in these programs and services and have stable housing, according to Hyde, experience lower risk rates of substance abuse, incarceration and unplanned pregnancy. “We’re working alongside people who I don’t really know what their religious views are, but I know that they want people housed and fed and cared for, and that’s what really matters,” Levanway said. So far, one person has moved into Christ Church Episcopal’s apartment since the Sept. 29 ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony, and additional tenants are expected in the coming weeks. Hyde thanked Christ Church Episcopal’s congregation.  “The congregation’s generosity of providing the actual space and more is just an incredible gift and support to us [at Partnership for Families, Children and Adults] in the work that we do,” Hyde said. “More importantly, it’s really going to make a difference for the immediate needs of our clients – kids who didn’t have the advantages many of us had growing up but deserve to have hope for their futures.” –Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at [email protected].

[Episcopal Diocese of Cuba] The bishop and clergy of the Diocese of Cuba sent the following letter to the church on Oct. 4.  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” — Luke 4:18-19 Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ: We address you people of God and people of Cuba with heavy hearts, yet placing our hope in the One who brings justice to the oppressed. As the Body of Christ in this land, we cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering we all endure at this moment in our history. OUR REALITY We are living through painful times: mass migration is tearing families apart and emptying communities; the high cost of basic goods makes daily life impossible; and the growing inequality among Cubans contradicts the dignity God has bestowed upon each of His children. We feel deep distress over the shortages afflicting our people: hunger, a lack of medicines, unbearable blackouts, water shortages, and the near-total deterioration of healthcare and education systems – despite the heroic efforts of doctors and teachers striving to fulfill their vocations amidst such circumstances. These are not abstract realities; they manifest as a lack of bread on the table, the sick left without treatment, new generations without education, and mothers without hope. OUR SOLIDARITY We stand with the Christian denominations and institutions – as well as the thousands of Cubans – that have expressed their support for Anna Bensi and her mother, whether before or after the trial. These include the Baptist Convention of Western Cuba, the Evangelical Pentecostal Church in Cuba (Assemblies of God), the Evangelical League of Cuba, the Methodist Church of Cuba, the Alliance of Unregistered Cuban Churches, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches in Cuba (“Berean Mission”), Open Bible Churches, the Cuban Conference of Religious (CONCUR), and the “Servants of Saint Joseph” religious congregation, among others. OUR VOICE We also express our frustration and pain regarding the use of violence, intimidation, and harassment by police forces against those who choose to raise their voices and demand their rights—especially given that this right to freedom of expression is enshrined in the Constitution of our Republic. We are pained by the suffering these actions are causing thousands of families, particularly young people. To silence the voices of the youth is to silence the present and future of the nation. In the face of this, we say: Enough! We firmly believe that no Cuban should raise a hand against another Cuban, whether for political reasons or any other. We stand with the vulnerable and the dispossessed, and with all those who are suffering direct consequences for the integrity of freely expressing their discontent. OUR CALL We appeal to God’s mercy, asking that our authorities and government bodies heed the cry of the people – a people they are called to serve and protect, rather than continually asking for further sacrifices. Our reflection serves as a call to attention for the authorities; it is intended not to provoke confrontation, but to foster dialogue. OUR COMMITMENT The clergy of the Episcopal Church in Cuba are – and will always be – here to accompany and serve our people with the faithfulness demanded by the Lord’s Cross. We affirm the justice and truth embodied in the message of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and we ardently desire that they embrace Cuba and all of us who live here. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN. + Ángel Roberto The Rt. Rev. Ángel Roberto Rivera Rodríguez IX Bishop of Cuba Rev. Can. Aurelio Bernabé de la Paz Cot Rev. P. Rody Pérez Risco Rev. Can. Gilberto Tadeo Caballero Elizalde Rev. P. Santiago Rodríguez Rodríguez Rev. Can. Halbert Pons Santana Rev. P. Haydee Lugo Marrero Rev. Can. Juan Carlos Diez Moreira Rev. P. Roberto Faya Amaro Ven. P. Alfredo Nuño Sierra Rev. P. Gil Fat Yero Ven. P. Yordanis Acosta Porta Rev. P. Yannel Valdivia Melo Rev. P. Dra. Marianela de la Paz Cot Rev. P. Dra. Carmen Nualla Parets Rev. P. Armando Alfonso Delgado Orozco Rev. P. Yulien Yoslán Esparsa Matos Rev. P. Lis Margarita Hernández Martínez Rev. P. Leynis Morales Delgado Rev. P. Frank Miguel Fernández Triana Rev. P. Carlos Alberto Tamayo López

When Shawn England walked out of prison Dec. 10, 2024, after 35 years of incarceration, he wasn’t leaving alone. He walked out with a church community, a theological education, and a clear sense of God’s direction for his life—much of which was shaped by relationships and ministry he experienced while still inside, including through the CRC. “When I was in prison, the CRC visited me—both through the Calvin Prison Initiative and through my church,” England said. “Nobody else did that.” Now England has made it his mission to do the same for others. The Church Showed Up England was first incarcerated at age 18 on a murder charge, and he received a mandatory life sentence. He wasn’t raised as a...

On Saturday, Sept. 12, a group of almost 30 participants gathered on Stó:lō territory in Langley and Fort Langley, B.C., for a day of On-the-Land Learning. Hosted by Adrian Jacobs, the Christian Reformed Church’s senior leader for justice and reconciliation, alongside local Stó:lō speakers, the event invited participants into a day of place-based education, listening to stories of the land directly from local Indigenous knowledge holders and exploring historical care for the Fraser River ecosystem. The day began at Swallowfield Farm with a teaching circle before sharing a traditional lunch and then visiting the banks of the Fraser River for storytelling focused on relational repair, environmental stewardship, and local history. An Embodied Experience of Land and Stewardship For participants, stepping...

[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Northwest Texas’ Standing Committee has announced a slate of four nominees for election to succeed retiring Bishop Scott Mayer. The diocese named the following candidates on Oct. 6: The Rev. Amy Peden Haynie, St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, Midland, Texas. The Rev. Elizabeth Anne “Betsy” Randall, Diocese of Oklahoma. The Rev. Christopher Blake Thomas, St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, Dallas, Texas. The Rev. Andrew R. Wright, Diocese of Newark, New Jersey. Additional information on the nominees is posted here. Mayer announced his intention to retire in October 2025. He plans to step down in June 2027, when his successor will be consecrated as the sixth bishop of the Lubbock-based diocese. The diocese has opened a 10-day period for submission of additional nominees by petition. After that, meet-and-greet events with the candidates will be held in November. The bishop election is scheduled for January 2027.

Panel discussions combined with a dialogue of gratitude framed a celebration of 80 years of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. Faculty, current students, alumni, friends, and World Council of Churches (WCC) leaders gathered to appreciate the current milestone, reminisce about the past, and reflect on how Bossey can potentially approach its future.

United Methodist bishop funds annual conference checkups for more than 600 people in a region faced with extreme poverty and limited healthcare.

Each regional United Methodist conference should contribute according to its capacity. Equal constitutional authority doesn’t require equal financial obligation, writes an assistant chancellor.

Francis Fourie is a library assistant at the New York University Abu Dhabi. She shares what Thursdays in Black means to her, particularly after the passing of her sister, Rev. Prof. Dr Mary-Anne Plaatjies-van Huffel.