Episcopal News Service

[World Council of Churches] In their annual Pentecost message, the World Council of Churches presidents, each representing eight regions and church groups around the worldwide, reflect on the meaning of unity in diversity. “In this year, in which all churches have shared a common Easter and therefore have the joy of celebrating a common Pentecost, we, the presidents of the World Council of Churches, greet you in the spirit of Christian love and fellowship,” the message reads at its opening. “Our unity in Christ is driven, empowered and blessed by the Holy Spirit, and the experience of the living Spirit of God empowers us to go on seeking the unity that is God’s gift.” It ends by saying, “Wherever you are, and whatever the most pressing concerns of your churches, may the Holy Spirit bless you with comfort and challenge, with a voice to speak the good news and with the hope of unity.” Read the entire message here.

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe spoke about church leadership in a time of change during a June 3 virtual meeting of the Gathering of Leaders, a group of Episcopal clergy and lay leaders who share experiences and resources through networking events year-round. “I wish there was a little more sight involved in the processes [of change], but Jesus set it up a bit differently, and our faith requires us to step out and, I think, normalize the risk of failure,” said Rowe, a former Gathering of Leaders board member. “I think changing our behavior around the ways in which we experiment and change and treat each other in those processes will make all the difference.” Since the beginning of this year, Rowe has been working on realigning The Episcopal Church. The long-term goal is to help maintain its relevance in a rapidly evolving secular world while continuing its mission for evangelism and compassionately responding to contemporary global challenges, such as the rise in global authoritarianism.  “If we take seriously the work that we’re called to do as the risen body of Christ in the world, we have to be grounded in the practices that will help us do that,” Rowe said. “We talk about collaboration a lot as a church, but what gets rewarded typically is individual achievement, so we often have competing commitments … we’ve got to be able to hold the missional wager as the highest and most important – the idea of making more disciples, of helping people to grow in the depth of their spirituality as the number one goal.” Rowe said the Episcopal Church Center staff is working with the Gathering of Leaders on a pilot program that will help develop and support leaders in all church settings. Founded in 2006 by former Texas Bishop Claude Payne, the Gathering of Leaders is a Christ-oriented source of empowerment and support for church leaders, particularly during times of change, according to the Rev. Jemonde Taylor, rector of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and co-chair of the Gathering of Leaders’ board. Most members are clergy, but lay membership is also growing. The leaders typically meet a few times a year for retreats centered around hopefulness, peer-to-peer learning, networking, community building and evangelism. “We know with [Rowe’s] degree in systems and organizations that it just makes sense for him to be speaking about leadership in a time of change,” Taylor told Episcopal News Service in advance of the virtual gathering. “I haven’t heard [Rowe] articulate this, but I can also imagine that being in the Gathering of Leaders had an impact on him in the same way, because one of Bishop Payne’s visions was all about leadership in a time of change.” During the virtual gathering, several former and current board members were recognized for their longtime service, including Payne; retired Mississippi Bishop Duncan Gray III, former board chair; Diane Pollard, a lay board member who serves in the House of Deputies representing the Diocese of New York; and board member Scott Bader-Saye, dean and president of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. “We’re all called to serve and offer our gifts, and it’s been a joy through over 60 years of ordained ministry to be encouraging and to try to follow Christ and to look at possibilities, explore ways,” Payne said. Other members of the Gathering of Leaders who were honored were former director Mary Parmer; former executive director Haley Bankey; former database and program manager Elizabeth Brauza-Hughes; and the Rev. Alicia Hager, rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Hastings, Michigan, and the Gathering of Leaders’ former community and communications curator. “It is my privilege, my pleasure and my honor to have worked with each of you and to be able to say on behalf of the board and on behalf of the community of the Gathering of Leaders, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, every one of you. You rock,” the Rev. Emily Mellott, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown, New Jersey, and co-chair of the Gathering of Leaders, told all who were recognized for their services. During the meeting’s closing prayer and blessing, former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said he “thanks God” for the Gathering of Leaders and for Payne’s and Rowe’s leadership in The Episcopal Church. As for leading in a time of change, “we are in a time of transition, and maybe that’s always the case, but it is fitting that we are in Ascensiontide – between the ascension of our Lord into heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit,” Curry said. “Maybe we are always in that in-between time.” -Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Jacqueline Means, the first woman ordained to the priesthood in The Episcopal Church after the 1976 canonical changes allowing women to become priests went into effect, has died. Her death was announced by Indianapolis Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows in a June 3 message to the diocese, where Means had served throughout her ministry. Her ordination on Jan. 1, 1977, followed the “irregular” ordination of 11 women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 29, 1974, and four other women in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 7, 1975. Means had been ordained a deacon on April 6, 1974. An Episcopal News Service story about a 1997 service marking her 20th ordination anniversary quoted Means as saying that when she first approached then-Indianapolis Bishop John Craine about her desire to be ordained a priest, she was “so nervous that I spilled a cup of coffee all over myself. But Bishop Craine was just wonderful.” Baskerville-Burrows said that Means had served several congregations across the diocese. She also had been active in prison ministry, serving at the Indiana Women’s Prison and as director of prison ministries under the bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Means was part of a Critical Incident Response Team formed by The Episcopal Church to help support dioceses and parishes in the regions affected – New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Baskerville-Burrows said of Means, “Jackie’s ministry shattered barriers and opened doors for generations of women called to the priesthood. Jackie was never content with simply breaking ground — she cultivated it. She gave her life to the work of healing, accompaniment and liberation, especially among the incarcerated, the unhoused, the grieving and the overlooked.” Two General Conventions adopted resolutions marking anniversaries of her ordination: the 77th convention in 2012 noting her 35th anniversary, and the 80th General Convention in 2022 marking her 45th. Funeral arrangements are pending.

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians from five states and the District of Columbia are in the middle of a five-day pilgrimage to immigration detention centers along the U.S.- Mexico border in New Mexico and Texas. At each stop they, along with area residents, offer a prayer vigil for detainees and for center employees harmed by the system. “We want to continue to shine a light on immigrants, because [Americans] are not aware of what is happening, what we are supporting as taxpayers and voters,” the Rev. Leeann Culbreath, a priest in the Diocese of Georgia and one of the pilgrimage organizers, told Episcopal News Service in a phone interview while traveling to the group’s third stop. “We are responsible for this system and what is happening to these people, who are all beloved children of God.” She and other participants are members of the Episcopal Migration Caucus, which was formed in May 2024 to urge Episcopalians to advocate for just immigration policies. Members introduced a resolution that was adopted by the 81st General Convention, calling for “Migration with Dignity” for migrants in every country. The 10-member group’s first stop on June 1 was at a park near the Torrance County Detention Center in Estancia, New Mexico. There 55 people participated in the prayer vigil, including several people involved in migrant advocacy. Rio Grande Bishop Michael Hunn was there to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he said, noting, “Our status before God does not depend on the passport we carry.” Hunn, whose diocese covers New Mexico and parts of West Texas, including El Paso, said he was supporting not only those detained but also those who work inside the detention facility. “Those who are detained deserve humane treatment, and those employed in the detention center deserve the honor of treating people humanely,” he said. “Not asking people to sleep in cold rooms, with the lights on all night, or packed in like cattle. Treating people like animals hurts a person.” The prayer vigil that begins each stop on the pilgrimage has a similar shape, Culbreath said, patterned after Morning and Evening Prayer. It includes Scripture readings, a psalm and songs. It also includes time for stories or reflections from those engaged in work on behalf of immigrants. At the second stop on June 2, outside a detention facility in El Paso, they heard from the Rev. Lee Curtis, Rio Grande’s canon to the ordinary, about his visit the night before to men being held at a processing center in El Paso. He told of his efforts to offer comfort and blessings to them through the plexiglass divider that separated them. He also described the experience of a local immigration advocate who, along with a Roman Catholic priest, that morning was accompanying a woman to immigration court in El Paso. That woman and some 30 other people had their cases dropped without notice and were immediately arrested, even after she declared that being deported to her home country would mean certain death for her. “They wanted to do the right thing, but they got arrested and detained anyway,” Culbreath said. Culbreath emphasized the pilgrimage’s mission is rooted in immigration and migration resolutions adopted by The Episcopal Church in General Convention. In addition to the caucus’s 2024 resolution, she pointed to a 2018 resolution that denounced inhumane immigration policies and urged all Episcopalians to advocate on behalf of migrants. It also asked people to tell the U.S. government “to address the specific needs of women and children migrants and others with special vulnerabilities.” The 2024 resolution’s call for migration with dignity will be hard to enact, Culbreath said, given that the current profit-based system of over 200 immigrant detention centers nationwide benefits from placing migrants in incarceration facilities. It also disproportionately detains people of color, she added, but people of every race will be affected after Temporary Protected Status is removed from as many as 300,000 immigrants living in the United States, putting them all at risk of being detained and deported. Worldwide migration is at an all-time high, she said, with people leaving their homes to avoid wars, political unrest or climate-related food insecurity. “They’re going to keep moving, no matter how bad their deterrence is,” she said. “And they are going to continue to try to come to places they believe are safe, so they can have some kind of future for their children.” She added, “The more we put people in detention, the more abuse and trauma we’ll see … but it doesn’t have to be this way.” Americans have a choice to make, Culbreath said. “We have to decide if we want to keep going down that path, or if we want to have a completely different system that actually upholds the dignity of every human being, which is our part of our Baptismal Covenant.” In addition to the stops in Estancia and El Paso, on June 3 the group held a vigil outside the West Texas Detention Facility in Sierra Blanca, Texas. The final two stops will take them to detention centers near San Antonio, Texas. — Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

[Anglican Church of Canada] Anglicans are gearing up for the next meeting of General Synod, which is set to take place June 23-29 at RBC Place in London, Ontario, in the diocese of Huron and will include the election of the 15th primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, as well as an update from the primate’s commission on re-imagining the church. About 240 members of General Synod from the orders of bishops, clergy and laity will attend the meeting, along with dozens of staff members and volunteers, says Archdeacon Alan Perry, general secretary of General Synod. Candidates to become the next primate are National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop Chris Harper; Archbishop Greg Kerr-Wilson, bishop of Calgary and metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of the Northern Lights; Bishop of Caledonia David Lehmann; and Bishop Riscylla Walsh-Shaw, suffragan bishop in the diocese of Toronto. Another major item of business will be a report from the primate’s commission tasked with re-imagining church structures. That document, already presented to Council of General Synod in March, outlines six major “pathways” for change that include potentially making significant cuts to the size of the church’s governance bodies. However, Perry says, acting on these proposals will likely be the task of a future General Synod. Also up for discussion are resolutions on church governance that were withdrawn at the previous meeting of General Synod in 2023. Resolution A030-R1 would eliminate the need to approve canon changes at two successive sessions of General Synod by instead requiring notice of the proposed change to have been previously referred for at least a year to all diocesan and provincial synods. Resolution A031 would change the threshold for required votes by orders from “a two-thirds majority in each Order” to “a two-thirds majority of the members with a majority in each Order.” Both resolutions are up for the first of two necessary readings at consecutive General Synods. Worries about future of church Alan Hayes, professor emeritus of church history at Wycliffe College, says the latest General Synod comes at a time when many have expressed worries about the future of the church. “Parishes are closing and being merged,” he notes. “It’s hard to get clergy to fill vacancies … There’s financial issues and things are closing down. I think people see problems for sure.” Such concerns prompted former primate Archbishop Linda Nicholls to create the commission, Reimagining the Church: Proclaiming the Gospel in the 21st Century, tasked with re-examining church structures. Though the primate’s commission will be presenting its six pathways, the working group tasked with proposing organizational restructuring for the church has not yet been formed, Hayes notes, so hard decisions about church structures will likely not be made until future meetings of General Synod. In that sense, he says, the 2025 General Synod will not likely be a turning point for the church. While the election of a new primate is significant, Hayes says—many view the history of the Anglican Church of Canada through the lens of its primacies—the primate has little intrinsic authority outside the office of General Synod. “Primates aren’t as influential as bishops of large dioceses tend to be,” Hayes says. “Bishops of large dioceses control more of the funding. Money has a way of talking in the church as well as in the secular world.” Primates’ authority, he says, lies partly in being able to set the agenda in areas such as Council of General Synod. “They get to decide what people talk about, so that’s actually a big deal,” Hayes says. “But otherwise, it’s the moral credibility they have, the respect that people have for their leadership.” Finances, youth also likely on agenda: planning committee chair Perry says the 2025 meeting of General Synod is budgeted for a gross of $923,000, with about $390,000 in recoveries, i.e. reimbursed costs. Normally General Synod pays the cost of meals and sometimes accommodations for members and then recovers those amounts from dioceses, which make up the majority of reimbursements. General Synod also receives fees from exhibitors and sponsors who contribute to the cost of hosting the event, though this makes up a much smaller share of recoveries. The result is a net cost of about $500,000 for General Synod, Perry says. The final cost may come in under that estimate due to lower travel costs, he adds, with many members travelling by train rather than by air. By comparison, the 2023 meeting of General Synod cost $645,082 with $320,990 in recoveries, according to audited financial statements, for a net cost of $324,092. Guests at General Synod will include The Episcopal Church’s former presiding bishop, Michael Curry, in lieu of current Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe who is unable to attend; Bishop Marinez Santos Bassotto, primate of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil; and a range of ecumenical and interfaith representatives. Canon Laura Walton, chair of the General Synod planning committee, highlights other agenda items such as financial planning discussions, youth programs, a farewell dinner for Nicholls and installation of the new primate. Members will vote on resolutions using electronic handheld devices. With just two years since the last General Synod rather than the usual three years, planning committee members faced great pressure to get things done, Walton says. Dividing tasks among four subgroups helped, she says. Walton hopes their planning will result in a meeting that is much more than items on an agenda. “We’re really focused on creating a General Synod that is not all business and will give some people time to meet, interact, learn, and understand how General Synod works,” she says.

[World Council of Churches] In 1925, Archbishop of Sweden Nathan Söderblom gathered more than 600 church leaders from 37 countries for a historic meeting in Stockholm. A century later, church leaders from around the globe will again convene in the Swedish capital, to commemorate the 1925 meeting and the achievements of the ecumenical movement ever since. Hosted by the Christian Council of Sweden, the ecumenical week will aim to strengthen common efforts for peace, reconciliation and Christian fellowship. With more than 60 public seminars, worship services and cultural events on the agenda, the event is expected to attract large audiences. It will take place Aug. 18-24 in different locations around the Swedish capital. Just as in 1925, the worship service in the Storkyrkan cathedral will be attended by the king and queen of Sweden, along with the prime minister, government officials, church leaders and international guests. Read the entire article here.

[Episcopal News Service] A disciplinary hearing panel in the Diocese of Dallas has recommended an Episcopal priest there be deposed, or removed from the priesthood, after concluding he had violated church canons by engaging in financial misconduct and allegedly defrauding his congregation. The Rev. Edward Monk also has been charged separately with three felonies in a pending criminal case alleging he stole more than $300,000 from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Corsicana, Texas, where he had served as rector since 2003. Police initiated their criminal investigation in July 2024, when St. John’s members reported suspicious financial activity. The Diocese of Dallas also launched an investigation into the matter. Monk also had served as chair of the Nashotah House Theological Seminary’s board of directors until he resigned in August, after church leaders and police began investigating the theft allegations. The diocesan investigator reported finding that Monk had opened unauthorized bank accounts and routed money to other accounts, obtained a credit card under a church treasurer’s Social Security number and “used this card to conduct a multi-year spending spree that included personal trips.” Monk, who denied any wrongdoing, faced a diocesan hearing panel in the disciplinary case on May 27 under the process outlined by The Episcopal Church’s Title IV disciplinary canons for clergy. A day later, on May 28, the hearing panel filed its order, saying Monk had violated church canons and standards of conduct and was guilty of “conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy” for six financial infractions, including the misappropriation of church funds for personal use. The panel’s recommendation that Monk face deposition was forwarded to Dallas Bishop George Sumner, Monk and the complainants. Each will have opportunities to respond to the order before Sumner acts on the panel’s recommendation. Navarro County court records indicate that Monk’s criminal case has been scheduled for a trial in October.

[Religion News Service — Washington, D.C.] A group of clergy, faith-based protesters and disability advocates were once again arrested in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on June 2 while praying against the Republican-led federal budget bill, including a wheelchair user who said potential cuts to health care programs would imperil her future. Suvya Carroll, a disability rights advocate who was born with cerebral palsy, was among those who prayed in the Rotunda, asking that God would “not let this happen,” referring to the bill. She spoke clutching a Bible as fellow demonstrators laid hands on her shoulders, calling on the Almighty to allow her and others “to be free to live, be healthy, well and safe.” Carroll was arrested by Capitol police a few minutes later, along with eight other demonstrators, according to police. Faith leaders arrested with her included activist the Rev. William Barber II, president of Repairers of the Breach; the Rev. Della Owens, pastor of Saint James Christian Church in Wilson, North Carolina and Barber’s wife; and the Rev. Franklin Golden of Durham Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. Most of them, including Carroll, were placed in handcuffs as they were led away by police. In an email, a Capitol police spokesperson said the nine people arrested were charged with “crowding, obstructing and incommoding.” It was the third time since April 28 that faith-led “Moral Monday” protesters were arrested while protesting the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” House Republicans passed last month that is currently being debated in the Senate. Republican leaders such as House Speaker Mike Johnson and Russell Vought, office of management and budget director, have said people either won’t lose Medicaid coverage under the bill or will only lose it if “they choose to do so.” But last month, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded the bill will reduce federal Medicaid spending by $723 billion and ultimately increase the number of uninsured people by 7.6 million. That discrepancy was brought up repeatedly at the Moral Monday rally on June 2, organized by Repairers of the Breach outside the U.S. Supreme Court building. Taking place before the arrests, activists and faith leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions decried the GOP-led budget and potential Medicaid cuts. “They don’t want us to talk about the particular people who will die,” Barber told the crowd. “They say they’re cutting waste, fraud and abuse. So what they’re saying is, it’s wasteful to lift people, it’s fraudulent to help people live, and it’s abusive to make sure people have health care. Well, the truth is, it’s a waste not to do it — it’s fraudulent not to do it, and it’s a form of political abuse.” Barber also commented on remarks made by Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, during a recent town hall. After an attendee shouted the budget bill will lead to deaths, Ernst replied, “We all are going to die.” Ernst, a Lutheran, later doubled down on her comments, posting a video to social media in which she sarcastically mocked her detractors and invited people to embrace “my Lord and savior Jesus Christ” in order to have “eternal and everlasting life.” “(Ernst) said something about wanting to introduce people to Jesus,” Barber told the crowd on Monday. “Well, let me introduce you to Jesus: the Jesus I know never charged a leper a co-pay.” Disability rights activist Sloan Meek, who is also a worship leader, addressed the crowd using an automated voice device. “Without Medicaid support in my home and my community, I will be forced into a nursing home to spend the rest of my life in a hospital bed until I die,” Meek said. Carroll also addressed the crowd. “I want the people that are trying to take this away from us to put yourself in our seats and understand what we have to go through as people with disabilities,” she said. “It is not easy waking up with our bodies in pain.” She added: “When we have a procedure that needs to be done, how will that be paid for?” The Rev. Tony Larson, co-moderator of Presbyterian Church (USA), a denomination that sponsors the Moral Mondays effort, also led a prayer. “We ask that through this gathering, we might wake people up to the immorality of this bill, that we might help our leaders remember that they have a special obligation to the poor and the least among us,” Larson said. Sponsors of the event included the National Council of Jewish Women, Masjid Muhammad, the National Council of Churches, Fellowship of Reconciliation, the AME Zion Church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, Indivisible and the National Urban League. The protest comes days after news broke that Barber is facing a legal battle with his ex-wife, Rebecca Barber, who has asked a judge to investigate whether the pastor used funds from Repairers of the Breach, the nonprofit he founded, to make alimony payments. Barber has denied the allegations, and representatives for Repairers of the Breach have said they believe the allegations “to be baseless.” The group has launched an internal investigation into the matter. Demonstrators at the Moral Monday rally seemed unmoved by Barber’s legal situation. One speaker, the Rev. Brian R. Thompson, bishop of the AME Zion Church’s Mid-Atlantic District, made a joking reference to controversy surrounding Barber, saying someone had warned him not to be associated with the pastor. But the AME Zion bishop appeared to dismiss the suggestion, adding that the broader cause is a moral one that transcends any one individual. “I ain’t standing with Bishop Barber — I’m standing with Jesus,” Thompson said.

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church kicked off Pride Month celebrations and affirmations of LGBTQ+ people with a special livestreamed Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York. Watch the service on the church’s website or Facebook page. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe presided in person at the June 1 service, which served as a blessing and formal commissioning for Episcopalians and Episcopal congregations to observe Pride Month. The Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, preached remotely. “Let us love one another, not even thoughor despite our queerness, our transness but because of the unique human beings God has created us to be and to become,” Partridge said during his sermon. “In the face of so many who refuse to know us, may our love, our lives reflect the glory of God upholding us, transforming us, strengthening us, and charging us to make our way forward in this moment, together.” Read Partridge’s entire sermon here. Pride Month has been celebrated nationwide in June since 1970. It began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests that took place one year prior between June 28 and July 3, 1969. The riots started in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. In 1999, former President Bill Clinton commemorated the Stonewall riots’ 30th anniversary by declaring June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. June 28 is International LGBT Pride Day, though celebrations are held throughout June. “LGBTQ+” stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning, with the “+” sign representing the many other sexual orientations and gender identities that are not explicitly included in the acronym, including intersex, asexual, two-spirit and more. The inclusive terms and its variations – such as “LGBTQIA2S+” and others – are meant to acknowledge the diverse and expansive spectrum of human sexuality and gender expression. The service began with a recorded performance by Trinity Church Wall Street’s choir of “Epilogue: Meet Me Here” from “Considering Matthew Shepard,” Craig Hella Johnson’s Grammy-nominated three-part oratorio. Johnson composed the work as a musical response to the murder of Shepard – a young gay man who in 1998 was beaten and tortured to death because of his sexuality. Shepard’s parents held onto his ashes for 20 years out of fear his grave would be vandalized before they were safely interred at Washington National Cathedral. This year’s Pride Month is taking place as hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people continue to increase worldwide; and as anti-LGBTQ+ bills continue to be introduced nationwide, with six additional anti-trans bills passing since May 30. Since The Episcopal Church formally began to welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ people in 1976 through acts of General Convention, Episcopal dioceses, congregations, organizations and individuals continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. LGBTQ+ people also now serve in multiple clergy and lay leadership roles, including bishops. Many churches sponsor and march in their local Pride parades and festivals, while many others display the rainbow flag despite the risk of vandalism. The rainbow flag – designed by Gilbert Baker and other artists in 1978 by commission from Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California – reflects the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. More Episcopal churches are also now flying the Progress Pride flag, a variation on the traditional Pride flag with added white, pink and light blue stripes to represent the transgender community, a brown stripe to represent communities of color and a black stripe in remembrance of the 42.3 million people who’ve died by HIV/AIDS since 1981 – many of whom were LGBTQ+. “Pride gives us an opportunity to remember the struggles, celebrate the joy, and give thanks for the love of God that binds us together and makes us one,” Rowe wrote in a message printed in the service bulletin. “Especially this year, Pride provides an opportunity to stand against injustice and fear by proclaiming that LGBTQ+ people are beloved children of God and cherished members of The Episcopal Church and the Body of Christ.” New Testament readings included passages from Acts 1:1-11 and Revelation 22. The Gospel reading was John 17:20-26 – Jesus prays for all believers. The service also included a recording of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California’s choir performing “In the Midst of New Dimensions,” a hymn written and composed by Julian B. Rush, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. During the commissioning, adapted from the Book of Occasional Services, Rowe addressed the congregation: “You have been called to ministries of the church, to be carried out in communities, congregations, dioceses and all the places in which you serve. Will you faithfully do so to the honor of God and the benefit of the church?” The congregation replied: “We will.” Shaneequa Brokenleg, the presiding bishop’s staff officer for racial reconciliation and a Lakota “winkte,” or “two-spirit,” sang an original work called “Creator God, We Cry to You.” “Hear our prayer for all who serve across your church, for all who doubt and all who search, for all who seek, for all who find, for open hearts and open minds, for justice, peace and equity… .” Native American cultures generally have a broader understanding of gender identity than European cultures. As an example, the Lakota language does not use gendered pronouns, and two-spirit are seen as reconcilers and healers. The service also included a reading of the Prayers of the People, written by the church’s Task Force on LGBTQ+ Inclusion: “For communities that honor queer and transgender lives, and for voices that proclaim your gospel of love and transformation. Strengthen your Church with power through your Spirit, especially where it has caused harm or withheld blessing. Teach us to walk in love, as Christ loved us, and to be faithful stewards […]

[Episcopal News Service] Grace-Based Films, a nonprofit founded and run by Episcopalians with experience in the film industry, has gradually increased the scope and reach of its projects in recent years. Its most recent success was the feature-length documentary “A Case for Love,” which was inspired by and featured interviews with former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. “A Case for Love” was released theatrically in January 2024 and has been available since October on all digital rental services. Revenue from each of the nonprofit’s project helps fund future Grace-Based Films productions, and while the filmmakers await an eventual payout for “A Case for Love,” they have begun pivoting to their next project. The new movie has a title and a concept but is still very much a work in progress. It will be called “HOPE,” and unlike “A Case for Love,” the new project is a fictional film. It will tell the story of a group of diverse teenagers, struggling with the anxiety of contemporary life, the influence of social media and an epidemic of loneliness and isolation fueled largely by the pervasive availability of screen time. But Brian Ide, the director, told Episcopal News Service in a phone interview that he and the rest of the filmmaking team aren’t interested in creating a “problem” movie. In keeping with the nonprofit’s Christian calling, the filmmakers want “HOPE” to resonate with teenagers and inspire them to connect with each other and their faith communities. “The job first is to create something [teens] want to go to. … They need to see themselves in it. They need to see people they aspire to be,” Ide said, adding, “the film is called ‘HOPE’ for a reason.” He summarized the concept as a “modern day ‘Breakfast Club.’” Like that 1980s classic, “HOPE” will feature a cast of young characters who might not normally socialize with each other but are brought together and learn to trust and rely on each other. Instead of a stint in detention, the characters of the new film will bond when they get lost in the woods while on a trip. The filmmakers are working with a professional screenwriter on the story and recently received a $500,000 matching grant from a foundation that will commit Grace-Based Films to begin filming this year, with an estimated budget of $1.5 million. The team is in the middle of fundraising to cover the rest of the budget, and is planning to film on location in Sewanee, Tennessee, on the campus of the Episcopal-owned University of the South. Early donors have included Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, Ohio; the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, and Virginia Theological Seminary. Ide spoke to ENS from Des Moines, where he had recently screened “A Case for Love” before an audience of about 150 people at an event hosted by St. Paul’s Cathedral in a rented downtown theater. Touring with the documentary has been “an amazing journey,” Ide said, and talking to audiences around the country has been the focus of 90% of his work since the movie was released to streaming sites. The film’s distributor now is in talks with subscription-based services for a distribution deal that could get it in front of even more viewers. Grace-Based Films was founded by Ide with fellow members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, California. Last year, it notched impressive numbers for the single-day theatrical release of “A Case for Love” in theaters across the United States. The 25,000 tickets sold placed it 10th out of all movies playing in the country on that one night. The documentary is structured as seven chapters featuring 14 individual stories of people from a range of backgrounds, whom Ide described as “ordinary people doing ordinary-to-extraordinary things.” The stories cover a wide range of experiences, from racial justice issues and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights to the foster care system and the military. The October timing of the release of the film on rental services was intended both as a tribute to Curry, who was concluding his nine-year term as presiding bishop, and to amplify the message of love over divisiveness as the United States approached its Nov. 5 presidential election. This year, in the early months of the Trump administration, audiences have found the message as relevant as ever, Ide said. “What felt like a film that touched on where we were in 2024 continues to evolve,” he said. “We still have to figure out how in the world we’re going to live together.” – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

[Anglican Communion News Service] The Rt. Rev. Jo Wells, deputy secretary general of the Anglican Communion, visited the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil (Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil) to celebrate the 135th anniversary of the church and the 40th anniversary of women’s ordination in the province. The Church of Brazil was a missionary district of the U.S.-based Episcopal Church until it became an autonomous province within the Anglican Communion in 1980. It now includes nine dioceses and one missionary district. Wells was hosted by the Most Rev. Marinez Bassotto, primate of the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil and regional primate for the Americas. Bassotto is the first woman to become a primate in the Church of Brazil and the third female primate in the global Anglican Communion. Well’s visit began on May 29, when she attended the national meeting of ordained women in Brazil, titled “Women Weaving Justice,” meeting with female clergy, laity, bishops and Bassotto. The meeting included teaching and dialogue on the challenges and opportunities facing ordained women in the region and globally, as well as a reflection on the history of the ordination of women. Participants shared experience and celebrated achievements, so many of which have been led by women persevering in witness to God’s abundant love. The event gathered 50 people together. Among them was the Rev. Carmen Etel Gomes, who was the first ordained woman in the province. On June 1, Wells preached at the Anglican National Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in a service to commemorate both the 135th anniversary of the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil and the 40th anniversary of women’s ordination. The service concluded the four-day meeting of ordained women. Speaking about her visit Wells said, “I have been overjoyed to be part of the province’s celebration of 40 years since the first ordination of women, and in the diocese of Meridional where the very first of those ordinations took place. Over 50 women have gathered from across the country — lay as well as ordained — to recount the history and to consider next steps. “I am grateful to Bishop Marinez as primate for her invitation and to witness all she is doing to build and sustain an ambitious vision for mission. And I give thanks to God for the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil, a church which may be small (relative to the size of this country), yet which bears significant impact and influence. Of course, there is so much more to do — across all the five Marks of Mission — yet there is so much here to celebrate, from inter-Anglican and ecumenical collaboration, to tackling issues of gender justice and environmental justice. “My visit began with volunteers at an urban church offering lunch to the homeless and it will end with hospitality from a rural indigenous parish – oh, the beauty and variety of God’s world, even in one province!” Speaking about the visit, Bassotto said, “The history of women’s leadership in the church is a story of strength, courage, boldness and faith. A story of transformation, movement, action, inclusion, resilience and equity. “The 40-year history of female ordination in the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil has come a long way. This story began in 1973 and culminated in July 1984, when the General Synod approved female ordination. The historic synodal decision allowed women to be ordained not only to the diaconate and priesthood, but also to the episcopate. This was an unprecedented decision in the Anglican Communion. On May 5, 1985, almost a year later, the church ordained the first woman to the sacred ministry. “Thanks to the strength of lay women in the church, thanks to the many women who did not even want to be ordained, but who wanted to ensure that those who were called, called by God to the ordained ministry, could say yes and live their vocations fully, many barriers have already been overcome. And many others still need to be broken with our boldness, passion, courage and faith – without ever losing sight of love!” The Church of Brazil released a statement about the celebratory events, stating, “Looking to the future, we reaffirm our commitment to awakening new female ministerial vocations, ensuring a safe church for all – both clergy and lay women – and promoting the ongoing formation of women, especially at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. We call on our church to continue opening and consolidating spaces for women to act, amplifying their voices in decision-making processes and canonically formalizing gender parity at all levels – parish, diocesan and provincial. “We also emphasize the urgency of gender, race and ethnic literacy for the entire ecclesial community, so that we may be agents of transformation of the unjust structures of society, challenging all forms of violence and promoting peace and reconciliation.” At the end of the final service, the Safe Church Working Group announced their publication of a major new resource, “Igreja Segura,” with resources for community dialogue. This is part of a major strategy across the Church of Brazil for addressing issues in safeguarding and protecting the vulnerable.

Note: On April 16, the United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled that a woman is someone born biologically female and that transgender women are excluded from that legal definition. The case before the court arose from a law in Scotland that called for 50-50 balance of men and women on the boards of Scottish public bodies. Its definition of women included trans women whose gender is legally affirmed with a Gender Recognition Certificate.  On May 29, the Bench of Bishops offered the following response. [Scottish Episcopal Church] The Bench of Bishops believe that every human being is a precious child of God, deserving of dignity and respect. We each have an innermost identity known only to God, which it is our purpose to discover in its deepest reality. We as bishops all know individual trans people for whom the struggle to find their true identity is often costly and difficult. With that in mind, and in response to the recent judgement of the Supreme Court, which has stirred such deep concerns on many sides, we want to acknowledge and affirm our collective identity as children of God, whatever our gender at birth, whatever our gender identity, and whatever our views on this sensitive issue. As society begins to process the court’s ruling, we call for practical compassion for those who feel the judgement has made them vulnerable, and for generosity from those who agree with the judgement. We all know individuals who feel distressed by the ruling, and we are aware that this is particularly challenging for younger persons, who are facing difficulties enough when negotiating the complexities of gender identity in a widely divergent society. To them, we say, the church welcomes you, as you are, always. Together, we commit to prayer for all who are touched by this issue, including the legislators and public authorities who face the difficult task of finding a practical and just way forward. And we call for greater compassion, greater understanding, and greater generosity so that all children of God can find in the Church, and in society as a whole, a welcome and a place to be their fullest selves.

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal churches nationwide will recognize Pride Month throughout June with special events to celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ people, and to raise awareness of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. “It’s really important for Christians to be actively, vocally affirming and visible in Pride Month. It’s a time to be fabulous, to be joyful and to celebrate,” the Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, told Episcopal News Service. “I’m looking forward to continuing to live out our witness as a church in support of the community and as agents of good news and transformers of this world.” On June 1 at 6 p.m. Eastern, The Episcopal Church will kick off Pride Month with a special livestreamed Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York, “to bless and commission Episcopalians who will share God’s love at Pride events across the church,” and to “celebrate the dignity, love and lives of LGBTQ+ people.” Partridge will preach and Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe will preside. Pride Month has been celebrated nationwide in June since 1970. It began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests that took place one year prior between June 28 and July 3, 1969. The riots started in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. In 1999, former President Bill Clinton commemorated the Stonewall riots’ 30th anniversary by declaring June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. June 28 is International LGBT Pride Day, though celebrations commonly occur on other days in June. This year’s Pride Month events will take place as anti-LGBTQ+ bills continue to be introduced nationwide. As of May 16, the American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 588 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States. Out of 910 anti-trans bills introduced in 49 states so far in 2025 by federal, state and local legislators, 103 have already passed, and 731 cases remain active, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills affecting anti-trans and gender-diverse people in the United States. In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning initiatives that support diversity, equity and inclusion, prompting federal agencies and now some private corporations to discontinue commemorating holidays and observances, including Pride Month. By early February, agency websites began to remove mention of transgender or queer people, including the Rev. Pauli Murray, and changed the acronym LGBTQ (for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) to LGB. Additionally, hate crimes targeting marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ people, also have increased worldwide. Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, 350 known transgender people worldwide – including 41 in the United States – were murdered, though the number may be much higher, according to data compiled by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, an initiative of Transgender Europe, a Berlin, Germany-based nongovernmental organization. The Episcopal Church has been formally welcoming and affirming LGBTQ+ people since 1976, when General Convention adopted two resolutions stating that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church (A069), and that they “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens (A071). Today, Episcopal dioceses, congregations, organizations and individuals continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and LGBTQ+ people now serve in clergy and lay leadership roles, including bishops. Many churches display the rainbow flag despite the risk of vandalism, while many others sponsor and march in their local Pride parades and festivals. “I recognize that sometimes there may be a place where, for instance, it’s not safe to have pride flags flying outside your church. Maybe in those cases, you don’t do that, but you make sure that within your community, you are doing the work to be fully welcoming and supportive,” Partridge said. “I recognize that not all contexts are the same, and you have to know your context and what’s going to create the greatest reality of sanctuary for trans and nonbinary folks in your midst.” The Episcopal Church has special Pride Month resources available on its website, including a downloadable Pride shield, short videos highlighting the church’s advocacy and support, social media graphics and more. The following is a list of some Episcopal congregations hosting Pride Month gatherings or participating in community-led events. Check online for additional events hosted by local dioceses and parishes. All times are local. Lebanon, Pennsylvania — St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will hold a livestreamed Pride service on June 1 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a luncheon. At 3 p.m., St. Luke’s will host the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus, who will perform their spring program, “A Choral Kaleidoscope.” Crystal Lake, Illinois — Trinity Episcopal Parish: St. Mary’s Church is sponsoring and participating in the city’s downtown Pride Walk & Social, taking place June 1 beginning at 11 a.m. A festival featuring live music, line dancing, karaoke and a car show will follow. The festival will also include a craft fair supporting LGBTQ+-owned businesses and makers, as well as opportunities to connect with local nonprofits and community resources. New York City — St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Harlem, Upper Manhattan, will host a special Pride worship service on June 1 at 10 a.m. After the service, everyone is welcome to gather in the church’s garden beginning at noon for the “Gay Garden Get Together,” “where the vibes are lush, the love is loud, and the community is unapologetically queer.” There will be a DJ and live performances and presentation, as well as open mic opportunities for poetry readings, music and storytelling. “This is a celebration of Pride, joy, resilience, and community. Whether you’re out and proud or still finding your way, this space is for YOU.” Greenville, North Carolina — Members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will participate in […]

[Episcopal News Service – Toms River, New Jersey] Christ Episcopal Church’s plan to open an overnight shelter on its campus and the mayor’s plan to seize the church’s campus to build a park roiled another public meeting May 28, even though neither plan was on the agenda. Mayor Daniel Rodrick and council members traded insults during the first part of the town council’s meeting over several controversial issues, including cuts to government service and jobs, allegations of campaign sabotage and allegations of misappropriation of money from an outside group on whose board sit two town council members. Those insults carried into the public comment period, when the church’s homeless shelter plan then dominated the discussion. Episcopalians, including Diocese of New Jersey Archdeacon Ted Foley, attended the meeting because they said they feared that the council might consider the land seizure measure, even though it was not on the agenda. They also want to keep the issue visible until the council acts, as it has said it will at its July 30 meeting. During the public comment period, Foley came to the microphone to outline Christ Church’s concerns about the process Rodrick has used in his attempt to seize the church land for a park. Council members, the town attorney and the mayor talked over Foley, arguing with him and insulting each other. Foley continued to testify beyond the 3-minute time limit because he said their behavior took away much of his time. Council members then began shouting at each other about letting Foley continue. Council President Justin Lamb tried to recess the council. “Please ask this person to leave. Please leave the meeting. He’s interrupting the meeting,” Lamb said, asking two on-duty police officers to “get control of the room.” The audience erupted with shouts as the officers approached Foley, with one officer trying to calm the crowd. Rodrick’s supporters on the council agreed to a recess and left, but three members stayed and listened to Foley finish his remarks.  The microphone and, eventually, the livestream were turned off during the recess. New Jersey Bishop Sally French, who watched the livestream, told Episcopal News Service, “it is disappointing to me that the democratic process does not seem to be something that can go forward appropriately, given the personalities and the way that the meetings have been conducted thus far.” The council’s interaction with Foley begins at the 47:08 mark here. During his testimony, Foley said he was concerned that township officials had not formally contacted the church or the diocese before or after the land-seizure ordinance got its first reading in April. Township Attorney Peter Pascarella told Foley that he had left a telephone message for the bishop the day after that meeting. Rodrick said he used social media to try to contact the bishop. The crowd laughed at his comment. French said neither attempt reached her. “My expectation is that communications about matters of this nature should be made in advance and in writing to the diocese and to the congregation, and that did not happen,” she told ENS. After the meeting, Rodrick said in an interview with ENS that he has God and the law on his side in his plan to seize Christ Church’s 11 acres and turn the land into a park. “Why? Because it’s for children to play,” he said. “I think that’s what Christianity is all about. It’s about taking care of one another, and I think children being happy and having a safe place to play is very Christian-like,” said Rodrick, who added he’s read the Gospels three times and the Old Testament at least that many times. French responded to Rodrick’s claim in agreement, saying Jesus told his disciples to let children come to him. “However, I suggest that that is best done through an active and vibrant life in a faith community, which is something that Christ Church Toms River has provided for 160 years and continues to be committed to,” she said. Rodrick wants to acquire the church’s property either through purchase or use of eminent domain. He proposes creating a park there with pickleball courts, a soccer field, a children’s playground and a skate park. The mayor said that it is a “coincidence” that his land-seizure plan became public while the town’s zoning board considers Christ Church’s application to open a 17-bed overnight shelter in one of its buildings for people experiencing homelessness. “One thing has nothing to do with the other,” he said. The case for eminent domain is “rock solid,” he told ENS, adding that “everyone is equal before the law” and that “a church is no different from any other property as far as eminent domain is concerned.” The plan would serve a “very good public purpose,” he said, and he predicted that, if the plan had to be put to a vote, 85% of township voters would support it. French agreed that churches shouldn’t receive special consideration related to eminent domain. However, she said, it should be employed in urgent situations and for the welfare and well-being of the community, such as for schools or street safety. Christ Church, she said, supports the common good of the community through its outreach efforts, which would be lost under the plan. She called Rodrick’s plan “a misguided, inappropriate and potentially illegal application of eminent domain.” The evening before, during an Interfaith Prayer Service for the Freedom of Religious Expression attended by more than 250 people at Christ Church, Senior Rabbi William Gershon of Congregation B’nai Israel in Toms River excoriated the mayor’s plan. “Even if you are legally correct, you can be morally deficient,” he said. “You can choose to use eminent domain to set up a pickleball court for your own preference or political needs. You could do that, and God forbid that the courts should decide that it is indeed permissible or legal,” Gershon said during his sermon. “If you do that, you will be a […]

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians from the Episcopal Church in Colorado made a pilgrimage to the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in today’s Kiowa County to learn how the deadliest day in the state’s history continues to impact the Cheyenne and Arapaho people more than 160 years later. “The tribes tried to work with the U.S. government, but this betrayal showed us that we couldn’t trust them at all. It was fight or flight with the U.S. government as they totally slaughtered our people,” Fred Mosqueda, a Southern Arapaho tribal elder who lives in Oklahoma, told Episcopal News Service. His great-great-grandfather, named Mixed Hair, survived the Nov. 29, 1864, surprise attack at the encampment near Big Sandy Creek. Despite efforts by Southern Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle and other tribal leaders to make peace with the white settlers, over the course of eight hours, U.S. Army cavalry soldiers, led by Col. John Milton Chivington, a Methodist pastor, killed and mutilated at least 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, most of whom were women, children or elderly. The soldiers then looted the village, leaving most of it burned or destroyed. Then-governor of the Territory of Colorado, John Evans, had earlier that year commanded all so-called “friendly Indians” to seek sanctuary at Fort Lyon while the Army would hunt “hostile Indians” like wild game. While Evans wasn’t directly involved with the massacre, his two proclamations – which current Colorado Gov. Jared Polis formally reversed in 2021 – created the conditions that lead up to the attack. The Denver-based Episcopal Church in Colorado co-sponsored the May 23-24 pilgrimage with the Colorado Coalition of Indigenous Allies, the Mennonite Church-affiliated Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, and Everyday Epics. Like many Christian pilgrimages, the pilgrimage to the Sand Creek Massacre site was a time of listening, learning and reflection. The word “reconciliation” is often used in discussions of healing and repair, but Marrton Dormish, a nondenominational Christian minister who led the pilgrimage, told ENS, “we’re not there yet.” “I would say conciliation because there has never been a time, unfortunately, in our history when Native and non-Native people have been truly conciliatory toward each other,” said Dormish, who leads pilgrimages through his advocacy nonprofit, Everyday Epics. “We’re not doing anything again but rather trying to do it for the first time.” Dormish, who attended Denver public schools, said he didn’t learn about the Sand Creek Massacre until he was an adult. Senate Bill 123, which would have required “the genocide against Native Americans, the Sand Creek Massacre and other massacres, and the Colorado Native American residential and boarding schools” to be taught in public schools, failed to pass earlier this month, though they’re included in some public school curricula. The pilgrimage began on May 23 with an overview of the program and the Doctrine of Discovery, a centuries-old theological and political doctrine used to justify colonization and the oppression of Indigenous people. (The Episcopal Church became the first Christian body to officially repudiate the doctrine in 2009.) Sarah Augustine, co-founder and executive director of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, and the Rev. Joe Hubbard, who leads the coalition’s Episcopal Indigenous Justice Roundtable, which meets monthly, led the opening session. Hubbard’s wife, Ashley Dobbs Hubbard, is Cherokee and serves as diocesan missioner for the Diocese of North Dakota. “In Colorado, the pilgrimage was about telling the truth of what happened historically at the massacre. …That’s why it’s so important to have elders share their oral histories in thinking through what justice might look like for the Arapaho and the Cheyenne at this point,” Augustine, who is Tewa, told ENS. “In establishing relationships, Christians in Colorado have the opportunity to engage in a process of repair.” On May 24, the pilgrims went to the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site – the only National Park site with the word “massacre” in its name – near Eads to listen to a historic overview by a park ranger. After the lecture and a period of reflection and discussion, the 53 pilgrims, most of whom were white, gathered at Monument Hill. The area overlooks Big Sandy Creek and is where some of the massacre victims who have been repatriated are interned. It also is the site of a monument that erroneously describes the massacre site as a “battle ground.” While at Monument Hill, Mosqueda and his wife, Mary Mosqueda, shared some stories of survivors that have been orally passed down through generations. “It was an emotional presentation, hearing the horror stories,” Martha “Marti” Dever, co-coordinator of the Colorado Coalition for Indigenous Allies and a parishioner at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder, told ENS. The pilgrimage concluded with a liturgy of remembrance that included Indigenous and Christian traditions. Fred Mosqueda sang in his native Arapaho language; Augustine smudged pilgrims with smoldering sage, an Indigenous ritual of blessing and cleansing; and Hubbard gave blessings with holy water. “People were really emotional during the liturgy, especially when the names of the deceased were read,” Sarah Hartzell, co-coordinator of the Colorado Coalition for Indigenous Allies and a parishioner at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Boulder, told ENS. Pilgrims had the option to walk along the Bluff Trail for further reflection after the ceremony concluded. “I think that this pilgrimage in Colorado is an important first step toward repair, but there is no rush to being absolved, and there was no triumphalism in the liturgy,” Hubbard told ENS. “This was a recognition that we must lament together if we can ever have a possibility of healing.” -Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

[Church of England] The membership of the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission is now complete with the appointment of representatives from the Diocese of Canterbury. The Canterbury diocesan representatives were appointed on May 25 following the conclusion of the Canterbury Vacancy in See process. They are the Rev. Estella Last, David Berry and Sally-Ann Marks. The commission will convene for its first meeting in the coming days, followed by at least two further meetings, with the announcement of the next archbishop expected this autumn. The full list of commission members and short biographies of them are available here. A description of the nominating process for the next archbishop of Canterbury is available here.

[World Council of Churches] An Armenian Heritage Conference opened in Bern, Switzerland, on May 27 to address the consequences of the conflict in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh with regard to the protection of Armenian religious and cultural heritage, the human rights of its people and the future security of the Armenian nation. During an opening prayer and remarks, the Rev. Rita Famos, president of the Protestant Church in Switzerland, offered a welcome to Bern, the headquarters of the church, and reflected on its longstanding work for peace, particularly in Armenia/Nagorno Karabakh. Setting the tone for the opening session, she prayed, “Let us seek truth so that this conference bears good fruit and we can, according to our conscience, do what we must do.” His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, reflected and lamented the destruction of Armenian churches and sacred sites, in Nagorno Karabakh and other locations. “We are called to seek ways to prevent the further appropriation and destruction of sacred sites,” he said. “We are witnessing condemnable violation of religious freedom and fundamental human rights.” Read the entire article here.

[Anglican Church of Canada] Sacred Circle, the main governing body of the Indigenous Anglican church, will continue to give shape to the emerging self-governing institution when it meets Aug. 5-10 in Calgary, Alberta. National Indigenous Archbishop Chris Harper says key topics will include working out the procedural structures needed to put its founding documents, Our Way of Life and the Covenant, into practice; discussing an equitable method of picking representatives to Sacred Circle from across Canada; analyzing the funding available to the Indigenous church; and potentially even choosing a new national Indigenous archbishop. “Putting the boards and the nails together” to build a framework of the emerging church, he says, will mean working out how duties are divided between Sacred Circle and the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples. The former, like General Synod, meets every three years with a large body of representatives from across the church; ACIP, like the Council of General Synod, is smaller and meets more frequently to carry out business between the larger gatherings. The coming meeting of Sacred Circle will offer members a chance to lay out the procedures each body will use to handle discussion and decision-making, as well as which one will be responsible for what work, says Harper. Indigenous church leaders are preparing to welcome the new primate of the Anglican Church of Canada to Sacred Circle after the primatial election at June’s meeting of General Synod. Harper has spoken at previous Council of General Synod meetings about his belief that the church should be treated as a family and has mentioned his standing invitation for non-Indigenous Anglicans to join and participate in Sacred Circle. The primate is naturally a vital part of that, he says. However, since he himself is one of the candidates for primate, he jokes, “If the Lord’s sense of humor is right on that day, [if] I am made primate, then all the work that we’re doing right now is to welcome myself back into Sacred Circle.” In that case, Sacred Circle would have to select a new national Indigenous archbishop to continue the work of solidifying the Indigenous church’s structures. Another aspect of that, he says, is how the membership of each body is selected. Up until now, he says, the Indigenous church has been mostly following the internal boundaries of the Anglican Church of Canada, parcelling out its representatives based on what diocese and ecclesiastical province they come from. It has also relied on existing members recommending new ones they personally know. Now that work is ramping up, it needs a wider-reaching way to ensure people from coast to coast and in the North have a voice in that governance, he says. But the Indigenous people the church serves are grouped geographically, culturally and politically in ways that don’t match the provincial and diocesan system used to select delegates to General Synod. For that reason, he says, leaders have been considering using a system based on language groups. These groups would include, for example, the western, central and eastern Inuit in the North, coastal peoples in Western Canada, the Blackfoot in Central Canada, the Algonquin and Mohawk heading eastward, and the Mi’kmaq and other peoples of the Atlantic coast. The specifics of eligibility and selection of representatives are still in development and will be discussed further at Sacred Circle, he says. The goal, he says, is to ensure people from any Indigenous community can have their voices heard and people from every language region are included. Meanwhile, Harper says, ACIP has assigned a financial group to work with the office of General Synod to examine what money in which accounts has already been set aside for Indigenous ministries and what procedures are needed to access it. At the time of his late April interview with the Journal,that work was just beginning, he said, but the group’s goal was to bring a report on what had been learned so far to Sacred Circle, then to assign a new group to carry the work forward.

[Episcopal News Service] An Episcopal church in Annapolis, Maryland, has dedicated a new Garden of Peace and Remembrance in the congregation’s historic cemetery, paying tribute to ancestors, including the enslaved, whose identities have been lost to history. St. Anne’s Episcopal Church was founded in 1692, and its 17-acre cemetery dates to 1793. By strolling its grounds and inspecting the names on the gravestones, “you will see the entire recorded history of the United States played out there,” the Rev. Manoj Zacharia, St. Anne’s rector, said in an interview with Episcopal News Service. But not everyone’s lives were recorded or named in that history. Many free and enslaved African Americans who died in Annapolis, the state’s capital city, were buried in the cemetery and then mostly forgotten, with no memorials marking their graves. On May 4, the congregation held a dedication ceremony for its Garden of Peace and Remembrance. The garden was created in a formerly unused and overgrown section of the cemetery in partnership with Nature Sacred, an Annapolis-based organization that promotes the development of ecologically friendly sanctuaries of green space within urban landscapes. The garden memorializes ancestors who now are “known only to God.” Many were buried in a section of the St. Anne’s cemetery set aside long ago for members of Annapolis’ Black community. The congregation is researching the cemetery’s history to identify some of the hundreds of people who were buried there without markers. “We must acknowledge the first part of healing is to accept the fact that the church played a part in the history of slavery. The second part of healing is forgiving one another for the acts of cruelty,” Commissioner Elinor Thompson of the Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture said at the garden’s dedication ceremony, which was attended by about 160 people, including Maryland Bishop Carrie Schofield-Broadbent. Thompson also served on the garden’s steering committee. “This garden is dedicated to the people who had to go through all the suffering trials and tribulations during those uncertain times,” Thompson said, as quoted in the congregation’s news release. “This garden is also dedicated to those courageous men, women who continued to pray for this generation and all our future generations.” The garden is part of St. Anne’s ongoing racial reconciliation efforts, which expanded in 2019 with the creation of its Truth and Reconciliation Ministry. The initial goal, Zacharia said, was to tell the story of “the congregation’s complicity in the colonial project.” St. Anne’s was one of 30 government-established Anglican parishes in colonial Maryland. Its church and cemetery were built on the second-highest hill in Annapolis, eclipsed only by the hill reserved for the statehouse. The churchyard was the city’s only public burial ground through the Revolutionary War, and after the war, the congregation expanded its burial grounds by creating a new cemetery – the 17-acre property that now contains the Garden of Peace and Remembrance. The Truth and Reconciliation Ministry found that a church fire had destroyed nearly all burial records through the Civil War, though members were able to verify the section of the cemetery where enslaved and free African Americans were buried. They hired a firm specializing in ground radar and determined that hundreds of unknown people are buried there. The congregation already had been working with Nature Sacred on a garden concept, and after confirming the unmarked burial site, “it became obvious that the garden was meant to honor those souls who we now know are buried in our cemetery but have no memorials to honor their lives,” parishioner Ginger DeLuca, chair of the Cemetery Committee, wrote in a summary of the Truth and Reconciliation Ministry’s work on the garden. “It is our plan to find as many names as we can and list them on large stones among the flowers,” DeLuca said, along with a dedicated memorial stone for the unknown ancestors. The garden also offers a place for quiet contemplation, including for residents of the surrounding neighborhood, which is mostly African American, Zacharia said. Future plans include a “scatter garden,” where people may sprinkle the ashes of their deceased loved ones, as well as a columbarium. “There has been a lot of excitement around this project, a lot of energy,” Zacharia said. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

[Anglican Communion News Service] The secretary general of the Anglican Communion, the Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, has made a visit to the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of Egypt, one of the four dioceses in the province of Alexandria. He was hosted in Cairo by the Most Rev. Samy Shehata, the bishop of Egypt and archbishop of Alexandria, and other members of the clergy. At the invitation of the diocese, Poggo attended the annual synod as an observer and facilitated a number of Bible studies with the clergy and laity there. The secretary general’s schedule also involved visits to various church ministry programs, including the offices of both the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and Coptic Orthodox Church; a meeting with the embassy of the Republic of South Sudan in Cairo; and trips to sites of spiritual, archaeological and historical interest in the local area. The Anglican Church in the region is a notable center for interfaith dialogue and cooperation in Egypt. It prioritizes building relationships with other faiths, fostering understanding through education, and advocating for religious freedom. As part of this ministry, the Anglican Church in Cairo has a close relationship with the Coptic Orthodox Church, with leaders of both churches meeting and cooperating on various initiatives. During his visit, Poggo made a pilgrimage to St. Mark’s Coptic Church in Alexandria. This cathedral is seen as the historical and spiritual heart of the Coptic Orthodox Church. It is the historical seat of the pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. It is also believed to be the place where St. Mark, the evangelist, established the church in the first century and the location where relics of St. Mark are believed to be. Poggo spent time praying at the cave where St. Mark is likely to have been buried. One of the diocese’s primary missions is to “foster the growth and expansion of the church, disciple believers, care for [the people of the diocese through] acts of love, including medical, educational and developmental support for the poor, marginalized and refugees.” Poggo visited several missional initiatives during his visit, including the Ras Souda Community Centre and a church there called Jesus the King. They are among the diocese’s ministry programs, which include schools, adult literacy and community support. The secretary general also visited a local Alpha course, led by Dean David Aziz, where 40 people were learning more about the Christian faith. Poggo spoke with the group, encouraged them in their discipleship and shared something about the work of the Anglican Communion Office. Alongside his church visits, the secretary general’s work has involved a meeting at the Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan in Cairo, where he was received by Ambassador Kuol Nyok Kuol Arop, the head of mission, and Deputy Military Attaché Captain Denis Oliver. The embassy extended its sincere appreciation to Poggo for his spiritual support and goodwill. A representative of the embassy later shared, “The visit was marked by warm fellowship, fruitful discussions and a heartfelt prayer from Reverend Poggo, who offered blessings to the mission and to the people of South Sudan.” Poggo told ACNS, “As one born in South Sudan, I am always glad for the opportunity to encourage and pray for those involved in mission and reconciliation in the area. Conflict currently affects many nations, including South Sudan, and meeting with His Excellency Ambassador Kuol Nyok Kuol Arop was a chance to share encouragement and fellowship with one another.” To conclude the provincial visit, Poggo attended the annual synod meeting. Shehata opened the meeting by saying, “The church of Antioch was founded as a living sign of the church filled with the Holy Spirit. And here we are today gathering to reflect on the characteristics of this church, so that we may imbibe it to fulfil our message as a church: a living church for a better community. Antioch Church was a church of love and bringing people together. So we ask ourselves: Is our church offering love to the stranger and the poor today? Are we a church rooted in education? For no spiritual work can stand without teaching. The church that is alive is not just a messenger, but a teaching church, and teaching is a pastoral necessity.” Regarding the historical significance of the church in the area, he went on to share, that “Antioch church appeared in a pagan environment, in the middle of a society that didn’t know Christ, but a group of people appeared who lived as Christ lived, and […] people saw the image of the living Christ in them. This is the real church: living, witnessing, quiet, but responsive to need, offering filling food and faithful servants for ongoing service.” Speaking about his visit, Poggo said that his trip to Egypt and Alexandria was “both spiritually uplifting and enjoyable. I was pleased to meet with the synod there and listen to the experiences of the clergy and laity, and I was delighted to be able to visit sites of historic significance in wider Alexandria. The ministry in the diocese has a clear commitment to mission and evangelism, providing practical aid and skills to those in need. Their commitment to ecumenical and interfaith dialogue is commendable.” Shehata said, “We appreciate Bishop Poggo’s willingness to be with us and to open God’s word as we seek to lead with courage and humility in the midst of complex times.”