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In an address on 26 June, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew warned that a third world war—this one against nature—is being waged.

As part of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, two webinars will be held exploring the institute’s enduring contribution to ecumenical formation and its future role in advancing Christian unity, reconciliation, common witness, and diakonia.

[Episcopal News Service] When the Rev. Adam James Shoemaker is ordained and consecrated the ninth bishop of Long Island next month, he will become the first Episcopal bishop of Arab and North African descent in The Episcopal Church’s 237-year history. Shoemaker believes he’s an “imperfect vessel” for this distinction, but his life experiences as an Egyptian American have shaped his faith journey to focus on racial justice and reconciliation and embrace diversity in The Episcopal Church. “I think my story has humanized so many of the differences that can sometimes divide – sometimes in tragic ways – and given me a heart for all that diversity,” Shoemaker told Episcopal News Service. “It’s been a lifelong journey for me to come fully into my sense of self. It’s been a journey of prayer and introspection.” Embracing diversity is what attracted Shoemaker to the Garden City, New York-based Diocese of Long Island, which serves more than 120 congregations across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties. It’s today recognized as one of the most culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse regions in The Episcopal Church. It’s also the home diocese of Shoemaker, who was raised in Huntington. Shoemaker was notably elected bishop in April, which is National Arab American Heritage Month. Shoemaker’s mother, Jamie Stanforth, was an Egyptologist of Jewish descent. She met Shoemaker’s father, Hamada Haggagi, when they were in their early 20s in the mid-1970s at the Luxor Railway Station in Egypt. They married in Luxor and lived with Haggagi’s Muslim family in Egypt until Stanforth became pregnant with Shoemaker. They moved to Manhattan, New York City, Stanforth’s hometown, where Shoemaker was born as Adam James Haggagi. That decision, Shoemaker believes, was the “turning point” in his life. “Had I been born in Cairo and not New York City, I think it is highly likely I would have been raised in Egypt and not in the United States. I would have been raised a Muslim and not a Christian. Since God planted in my heart the instinct to pursue a religious vocation, no matter the context I grew up in, I’ve often wondered if I would perhaps be a Muslim imam today.” After his parents divorced shortly before his first birthday, Shoemaker lived with his mother and grandparents on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He was baptized at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles near General Theological Seminary. Hamada Haggagi had returned to Egypt, where he remarried twice and had six more children. A few years later, shortly before Shoemaker started kindergarten, Jamie Stanforth married Thomas Shoemaker, and they moved to Long Island. His last name was then legally changed to Shoemaker. As a light-skinned Egyptian American, Shoemaker faced internalized racism, but he didn’t really realize it until after 9/11. “I remember seeing Arab people, Muslim people having to travel around New York City with little American flags on their person so as not to be attacked by anybody who was looking for revenge against terrorists. I remember the vandalism of mosques and the so-called War on Terror,” Shoemaker, 47, said. “Growing up, many people would look at my Semitic features and would just assume I was Jewish. Because I didn’t look stereotypically Arab to many Americans, I was shielded from any anger and desire for retribution that came out of 9/11.” These observations and thinking about his family in Egypt, who have different shades of brown skin, led to several years of reflection and prayer before he graduated from General Theological Seminary. He then pursued opportunities to build ecumenical and interfaith relationships, which led him to serve congregations in North Carolina and Massachusetts. As a member of the church’s Young Adult Service Corps, he also served as a missionary at Igreja de Cristo Rei (Christ the King Anglican Church) at the Cidade de Deus (“City of God”) favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Favelas, which are low-income, densely populated urban settlements in Brazil, are home to large Afro-Brazilian populations. “I became very aware, from my own personal story, of the way in which prejudice exists around skin tones and how it can diminish everybody and impact communities,” Shoemaker said. “It’s been a lifelong journey of prayer and introspection for me to come more fully into my sense of self.” Having that awareness helped lead Shoemaker to serve as rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, one of three historically Black Episcopal churches in Charleston, Diocese of South Carolina. While at St. Stephen’s, he worked closely with the rectors of Charleston’s other historically Black Episcopal churches and South Carolina Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley to form the Three Churches United. The coalition hosts and participates in events and initiatives as part of the diocese’s commitment to racial justice and reconciliation work. As bishop of the Diocese of Long Island, Shoemaker plans to continue racial justice and reconciliation work and embrace diversity. He will be ordained and consecrated on Sept. 19 at the Tilles Center in Greenvale, succeeding the Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano, who has been bishop of the Diocese of Long Island since 2009. Since March, Shoemaker has been regularly meeting with other Episcopal leaders of Southwest Asian and North African, or SWANA, descent and the Rev. Jo Ann Lagman, missioner for The Episcopal Church’s Asiamerica Ministries. They aim to strengthen the church’s support for SWANA Episcopalians, including those of Arab descent. “I hope that my personal story, my family history, might have something constructive to offer the church and the wider world at this moment in time,” said Shoemaker, who started his bishop-elect duties last month. Even though Shoemaker didn’t grow up Muslim like his six half-siblings, his father never treated him any differently from them. When he was alive, Haggagi frequently expressed to his neighbor, a Coptic Orthodox priest, how proud he was of his American son’s accomplishments. Shoemaker, accompanied by one of his sisters, worshiped at that priest’s church last year during Holy Week. “It was very meaningful to me, looking […]

Faith, resilience and self-care come together in United Methodist pastor’s unique ministry, which includes a vegan skincare line.

[Lambeth Palace] Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally urged Anglicans in Cameroon to stand firm in their faith, saying that “God sees your struggles and is with you.” Mullally is the first archbishop of Canterbury to visit Cameroon. She preached at a Eucharist at Bishopcourt, Douala, on Aug. 2. Preaching to a congregation of parishioners, bishops and clergy from across the Anglican Diocese of Cameroon, government officials and traditional leaders, Mullally said: “It is a joy to be with you here today at the heart of my pastoral visit to the Diocese of Cameroon.” Read the full article.

[Church of England] A total of 32,600 people attended weekly services – such as Evensong, Morning and Evening Prayer or Sunday Eucharist – at Church of England cathedrals in 2025. Sunday attendance was up notably among adults, at 8% higher than in 2024. There was also a 6% overall increase in Christmas attendance and a 5% rise in Easter attendance. Additionally, 657,700 people attended 2,080 specially arranged services over the year and 295,000 at additional regular services such as services for schools. Read the full article.

[Diocese of Lexington] The Diocese of Lexington elected the Rev. David Sibley as its ninth bishop on the second ballot during a special electing convention held on Aug. 1 at Christ Church Cathedral. “I am overwhelmed by the trust that the diocese has placed in me in calling me to live and serve in the Diocese of Lexington as a co-laborer in the vineyard, as we work together for the faith of the gospel,” Sibley said. “It will take years for me to make sense of this call, but I find great comfort in the words of Saint Augustine of Hippo, who said that ‘where I’m terrified by what I am for you, I am given comfort by what I am with you. For you I am a bishop, with you, after all, I am a Christian… I take my rest in the marvelous benefit conferred on all of us in common.’” Sibley serves as rector of St. Paul’s Church, Walla Walla, Washington, in the Diocese of Spokane.  He brings a record of innovative parish leadership, churchwide service, and organizational stewardship, having served congregations in Washington and New York. He has also served in churchwide ministry as a deputy to General Convention, helped lead churchwide efforts to reform the Denominational Health Plan, and currently chairs the Joint Standing Committee on Nominations. Sibley also speaks about his “run-in with prime-time television,” as a four-time champion on the TV show Jeopardy! and a Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions semifinalist in 2024. He and his wife, Emily, have a young daughter. The election of the ninth bishop of the diocese culminates an almost two-year journey that began in October 2024 when then-Bishop Mark Van Koevering announced his intention to retire. “This is an exciting time in the Diocese of Lexington as we look forward to ministering alongside Bishop-elect Sibley for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the benefit of our communities,” said the Ven. Jeff Queen, president of the Standing Committee. “On behalf of the Standing Committee and the Diocese of Lexington, I want to thank the members of the Search Committee and Transition Committee who have worked long and hard to get us to this moment, and Christ Church Cathedral staff and Dean Carol Wade for their ministry of hospitality during this convention. I am also grateful for all the nominees and their families who have been willing to walk with us in this journey of discernment.” Sibley was elected with 24 clergy and 62 lay votes, with 23 and 54 needed respectively for election. The other nominees were: The Rev. Karen Booth, rector of Holy Trinity, Georgetown, Kentucky. The Rev. Benjamin Hart, rector of St. Luke’s, Anchorage, Kentucky. The Rev. Rob Keim, rector of St. Barnabas’ Episcopal Church, Arroyo Grande, California. Discernment continues, with the consent process commencing. This 120-day period requires approval from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and a majority of diocesan standing committees. Once approved, Sibley will be consecrated as the ninth bishop of Lexington in a special service at Christ Church Cathedral. In this transition period, Bishop Jeff Lee, retired bishop of Chicago, is serving Lexington as assisting bishop. An ordination date has not yet been finalized. To learn more about the candidates and the search process, visit www.diolex.org/transition-IX-Bishop.

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost Imagine That Day Imagine being in the crowd that day. Some would have come out of devotion to their teacher, but others would have just stumbled upon a crowd. Still others would have come out of pure curiosity, just to see what was going on. I can imagine the atmosphere that […]

(The Southern Province PEC Visiting South Florida Congregations) The watchword for the week: The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. Psalm 145:9 How wonderful are your ways, loving God. We look at the wonderful world you have created and are filled with awe. While we marvel at […]

Dear Beloved Community of the Church of the Brethren, I write today with particular concern for our Haitian church members and their families. Following the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on July 27, many now face the possibility of detention, deportation, and family separation. Among those affected are approximately 300 Haitians who are part of Church of the Brethren congregations across the United States.