Episcopal News Service

[The Catholic Diocese of Westminster] Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has written to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, expressing his prayers, along with those of many faithful Anglicans, for the health of Pope Francis during his period of hospitalization. The text of Cottrell’s letter follows. My dear brother in Christ, I wanted to be in touch, given the continued news about the Pope’s health. This comes to assure you and the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church, of my prayers and those of many faithful Anglicans for the health of Pope Francis during this period of hospitalization; we are praying for a good and swift recovery, for his comfort and peace, and also for all those who tend to him and minister to him. I was present in Rome at the recent Ecumenical Vespers, over which His Holiness presided, and he reminded those in S. Paul’s Outside the Walls that hope lies at the heart of the Gospel, the ecumenical endeavor, and this Jubilee year. And so we continue to pray that His Holiness might be nourished by the hope of the Gospel and know the love and healing of Our Lord Jesus Christ in these days and the days ahead. This comes with my warm fraternal greetings. As ever, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell Archbishop of York

[Church of England] The General Synod of the Church of England has voted to strengthen the role of young adults in shaping the church’s future, passing a motion to embed their voices more systematically in national decision-making. The motion, brought by the National Society for Education, will establish a group of up to 200 young adults, ages 18-25, from across all dioceses. These young people will contribute directly to Synod’s discussions through surveys, reports and presentations. Up to five representatives from the group will attend each Synod session, ensuring that young adults’ perspectives are heard in a structured and sustained way. The initiative also seeks to encourage more young adults to stand for election to Synod in the future. The decision builds on previous commitments made in July 2023, when Synod called for greater engagement with children and young people. Following that resolution, initial funding was secured through the Archbishops’ Council to support this work. This latest step affirms the church’s commitment to becoming “younger and more diverse,” embedding young adults’ voices at the heart of its governance. Kenson Li, who moved the motion on behalf of the National Society, said, “This motion is really about encouraging everyone to be intentional about listening and learning from our younger brothers and sisters wherever we encounter them. But it is first and foremost an encouragement to the young people outside this chamber; with this motion we are saying to them: we need you, we need your voice, we want to be challenged about the assumptions we make here in your absence, and most importantly, we need to hear your voice because we cannot understand the church’s mission without you. “We hope that this space will enable each participant to deepen their Christian discipleship, a space for sharing spiritual gifts; it is about creating cross-cultural encounters and journeying together. This is why we will be intentional in including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, ethnic minority groups, those who are disabled, those who are neurodiverse, and those from LGBTQIA+ communities. “I hope that through this process, more young people will see themselves as belonging here in this chamber, and that a change of culture and perception will mean more of them will be elected to Synod in their own right in the next quinquennium.” The bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt. Rev. Jonathan Frost, who chairs the National Society, added, “We must create space … where profoundly different, unheard or unrepresented voices can emerge beyond our cherished echo chambers. “We need their voices now; to be the whole body of Christ, discerning Christ’s way for us together, not just in the future, but today. “The proposal being co-created will provide a structured, supportive and safeguarded way for young people to express their views, navigate the complexities of synods, and, I trust and pray, become those who will serve in synod in the years ahead. “As a diocesan bishop, I’m already making a note of those I should encourage to step forward, and I will be asking my fellow bishops to do the same!” The group of young adults will meet regularly, with at least one in-person gathering per year and additional online meetings. Their contributions to Synod will be carefully planned in collaboration with the Business Committee, ensuring a well-structured and meaningful engagement with national discussions. The initiative will be overseen by the National Society for Education, working in partnership with national church teams to ensure safeguarding, leadership development and structured engagement. The newly formed group will be drawn from across all dioceses, with up to 200 participants meeting each term to discuss issues affecting the church. Up to five young adult representatives from the group will contribute to Synod sessions, ensuring their perspectives inform key debates and decisions. An amendment brought by Clare Williams of Norwich was carried, which added encouragement to link the new plans to opportunities for those under the age of 18 to have their voices heard. The motion was passed overwhelmingly by a show of hands. The Church of England remains committed to fostering a “younger and more diverse” church and hopes the initiative will encourage more young adults to stand for election to Synod in future years.

[Episcopal News Service] The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas, who has been bishop of the Roanoke-based Diocese of Southwestern Virginia since 2013, has announced that he is leaving to become an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Virginia. Virginia Bishop E. Mark Stevenson announced that Bourlakas would begin work on June 1 and will have an office in The Falls Church, west of Arlington. The diocese’s headquarters is in Richmond. Stevenson also said Bourlakas will join him and Assistant Bishop Gayle Harris in providing general support across the diocese but more specifically would work with the diocese’s Office of Congregational Vitality. Bourlakas said he has met with Southwestern Virginia’s chancellor and diocesan staff, as well as with the members of the Standing Committee. That body will be responsible for overseeing the diocese after the bishop leaves and for preparing for the election of Bourlakas’ successor. He also said he had several conversations with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who in a statement called Bourlakas “a valued colleague in the House of Bishops” and noted that the diocese “is poised to go from strength to strength in this time of transition and discernment.”

[Episcopal News Service – Linthicum Heights, Maryland] Executive Council has talked of a “strategic adaptive realignment” of The Episcopal Church’s operations at least as far back as June 2023. This week, the council got its first substantive look at how those changes will be implemented under the new leadership of Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe. Dioceses will be offered greater support in responding to Title IV clergy disciplinary complaints, Rowe told Executive Council at its meeting this week. He also aims to help dioceses conduct more effective and timely bishop searches. The church’s Office of Communication will assist locally with digital evangelism and, as needed, with crisis communications. A team of church leaders will begin rethinking how best to convene General Convention, the church’s triennial gathering and its primary governing body. And under the realignment, various churchwide departments will be “unified” into two divisions, one focused on racial, social and environmental justice programs and the other coordinating the church’s witness to the wider world – with both divisions prioritizing support for the work of dioceses and congregations. “We’re investing in creating a more unified structure for this work,” Rowe told Executive Council during its morning session Feb. 18. “The Episcopal Church has a unique opportunity and a voice in this particular time, but it has to be strategic and streamlined, carefully planned.” Executive Council met here Feb. 17-19 at the Maritime Conference Center in suburban Baltimore, with some members participating remotely via Zoom. As presiding bishop, Rowe chairs Executive Council, while House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris serves as vice chair. Rowe was joined in the Feb. 18 presentation by representatives from Compass, a consulting firm that was hired to help develop and facilitate a realignment plan. It has spent the past four months surveying the churchwide staff, department heads, the House of Bishops and Executive Council to collect and analyze the data that now is informing the planned changes. Rowe and other churchwide leaders did not reveal yet what those changes will mean for individual church employees, though the presentation’s outlines and summaries suggest The Episcopal Church could be poised to transform significantly how it coordinates program, operations and ministry at all levels of the denomination. On Title IV, for example, Rowe suggested that the church could expand capacity at the local level by assisting with documentation, procedural advice and training, as well as making experienced intake officers and investigators available to serve multiple dioceses interested in that option. Rowe also would like to help dioceses reduce the time it takes to fill vacant bishop positions, from a current average of about 22 months. On justice issues, the church’s unified departments would establish regional working groups, so dioceses can collaborate and share best practices. And many small dioceses with minimal staffing “are in need of hands-on help with communications, particular in times of crisis,” Rowe said, such as natural disasters, mass shootings and other catastrophes. Executive Council, as the church’s governing body between meetings of General Convention, is responsible for managing the churchwide budget, adopting new policy statements as needed and providing oversight for the work of the program and ministry staff that reports to the presiding bishop. In addition to the chair and vice chair, it has 38 other voting members, a mix of bishops, other clergy and lay leaders. Twenty are elected by General Convention to staggered six-year terms – or 10 new members every three years. The Episcopal Church’s nine provinces elect the other 18 to six-year terms, also staggered. Executive Council typically meets three times a year, and in the past, its meetings have been hosted by different dioceses around the church. The last meeting, in November 2024, was held in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In response to budget constraints, however, council is scheduled to meet again in June at the Maritime Conference Center, which has long been a frequent meeting venue for the church’s other interim bodies because of its accessible location and cost savings. Lay member Tivaun Cooper of the Diocese of New York proposed a resolution that would recommit Executive Council to traveling to different dioceses for its meetings. The Rev. Molly James, the interim General Convention executive officer, advised that such a plan could increase the cost of each meeting by $50,000. Cooper’s resolution was postponed until June so it could be studied further. “We like the general, overall idea, if we can afford it,” said Lawrence Hitt II, a lay member from Colorado who chairs Executive Council’s Governance & Operations Committee. The rest of the agenda for this week’s meeting was light on action items, though council members voted Feb. 19 to forgive about $2.7 million in debt accrued by the Diocese of South Carolina after a 2012 schism. They also approved the creation of a subcommittee on deaf and disability inclusion, in response to a resolution adopted by the 81st General Convention. On council’s final day, Rowe also announced that four finalists had been identified in the search for a successor to Chief Financial Officer Kurt Barnes, who is retiring after 21 years in that top leadership position. Rowe and Ayala Harris expect to have a nominee to submit for Executive Council’s approval at a special meeting in March. Executive Council showered Barnes with applause after Ayala Harris presented him with her President’s Service Award, which she said was given in recognition of his “unwavering commitment to the financial health of The Episcopal Church. His impact will be felt for generations to come.” Structural changes ‘to serve and comfort and transform God’s people’ Rowe had invited Compass in November to present its initial findings to Executive Council, and this week’s meeting built on those initial deliberations as the presiding bishop prepared church leaders for the coming changes. He and his team indicated that they intended to set more clearly defined priorities and encourage greater collaboration between departments and with dioceses. “We must remember that our job, as the board […]

[World Council of Churches] A Palestinian delegation visited the World Council of Churches on Feb. 18 to participate in deep dialogues on justice, peace and the dignity of all people. The delegation was led by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine and head of the Jerusalem Council of Churches. The delegation met with WCC general secretary the Rev. Jerry Pillay, who reiterated the Council’s continued calls for a just peace and for immediate action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The delegation and the WCC also discussed why the international community must act decisively in ensuring immediate access to humanitarian aid, including food, water, medical supplies and shelter. Read the entire article here.  

[Religion News Service] In the more than five years that Stillmeadow Community Fellowship in Baltimore has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to rehabilitate the 10-acre forest on its urban land, what stands out to the Rev. Michael Martin is kids’ reactions to the “great things in (God’s) original architecture of nature.” Children who are unfamiliar with nature may get the “heebie-jeebies” when they first walk through the church’s walking trails by the stream and the pond, Martin, an Evangelical Free Church of America pastor, said. But after a few days of learning about their surroundings during summer camp or an after-school program, that nervousness changes so much that the adults have to coax them back inside for music classes. But as a result of President Donald Trump’s federal funding freeze, Stillmeadow’s summer camps are now at risk as promised grant money isn’t coming in. And the urban forestry program that would have allowed others to experience Stillmeadow’s land transformation is in jeopardy, Martin said. Faith organizations are among those across the United States suffering funding losses amid the Trump administration’s quest to dismantle former President Joe Biden’s major climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. On the first day of Trump’s second, nonconsecutive term in the White House, he signed an executive order pausing the disbursal of funds that were appropriated through the 2022 law. And, despite a judge’s order on Feb. 10 — which called the freeze “likely unconstitutional” and directed the IRA funds to resume — grant recipients said funding remains paused. The IRA majorly expanded the U.S. Forest Service’s urban forestry program with a $1.5 billion investment to help city residents adapt to climate change. More than 300 faith organizations have lost access to grant funds intended to plant trees in disadvantaged urban communities, leaders who managed grants for numerous organizations told RNS. The vast majority of those grantees are congregations, as well as a few religious educational institutions and religious service organizations. In addition to lowering urban temperatures, planting trees can clean the air of pollutants, capture carbon and reduce flooding by soaking up rainwater. The urban forestry program specifically targeted disadvantaged communities as determined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, which took into account environmental burdens, higher-education enrollment and formerly redlined census tracts before it was taken offline by the Trump administration. “ Tree plantings in the congregation, the hope was then that can reverberate out into the community, and so that their congregants would also want to increase tree canopy in their own yards,” said Cassandra Carmichael, the executive director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, which was poised to work on tree planting across seven cities before the funding freeze. Carmichael said the organization has not yet been reimbursed for costs already incurred. Faith in Place, an environmental nonprofit based in Chicago, had already announced subgrants to faith groups in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana for urban tree planting. It planned to build on previous work using “nature-based climate solutions,” but the Rev. Brian Sauder, a Mennonite pastor who serves as its president and CEO, told RNS its IRA-funded projects are on pause. “It’s unconscionable to us that trees are now a partisan political tool,” he said. The number of faith organizations with urban forestry plans whose funding is frozen may be far higher as several religious grantees did not respond to RNS’ inquiries. The 300-plus affected were relayed to RNS by the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Faith in Place and Creation Justice Ministries, each of which oversees grants to be distributed to various organizations. The National Baptist Convention, USA, and the Church of God in Christ, two historically Black denominations, also each received a $1 million grant during the Biden administration as part of the IRA-funded urban forestry program. Their representatives did not respond to inquiries about the status of those projects that aimed to provide shade and lower electric bills in urban areas. The threats to the promised funding — especially after recipients complied with all the steps of the application process — represent broken commitments, Martin said. “ Other than Jesus, who else can you trust other than the federal government of the United States of America?” Martin asked. Martin framed the funding freeze as wasting money because it disrupts years of work. “ We’ve been evaluated. We’ve been audited. We bring good returns. We can show with our after-school programs an improvement in kids’ GPAs,” he said. Some faith leaders remain optimistic about funding being restored. Avery Davis Lamb, executive director of Creation Justice Ministries, which works with Protestant and Orthodox Christians, said congregations in the network are excited about the possibility of studying the Bible’s teaching on trees, especially Revelation 22, and planting them, “knowing what they’re doing is an act of faith.” The network’s congregants “ know that those trees are going to bring a lot of healing to the community,” he said of its plans to plant trees in  Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; and Baltimore. Those plans, however, are now on pause. The White House did not respond to an RNS request for comment about the status of the frozen funds and the impact on faith communities. Moreover, the IRA funding freeze and other proposed Republican policies affect other faith-based environmental initiatives. “The single biggest area where the religious community is mobilized is around the energy tax credits that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, a board member of Interfaith Power & Light, which partners with congregations to address climate change, and the rabbinic adviser to the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. The IRA enabled nonprofits, including hundreds of congregations, to install renewable energy sources on their properties, allowing them to get credit on their electric bills. In an August 2024 letter, members of the House Republican Conference urged Speaker Mike Johnson to seek options to prevent the repeal of the IRA’s energy tax credits, saying a “full repeal would create a worst-case scenario where we would have spent billions […]

[Episcopal News Service – Linthicum Heights, Maryland] Executive Council is poised to forgive about $2.7 million in debt that the Diocese of South Carolina accrued after a 2012 diocesan split, in which theologically conservative church leaders led a large group of Episcopalians to leave the church. After that split, The Episcopal Church had responded in part by lending money to the remaining Episcopal diocese and its congregations as they fought a decade-long legal battle to retain possession of their historic properties. Those court cases were largely resolved in the Episcopal diocese’s favor in 2022. Since then, some congregations have moved back into their historic churches, and the diocese has pursued church planting efforts in other communities. On Feb. 17, South Carolina Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley appeared on Zoom to address two committees of Executive Council, which is meeting here at the Maritime Conference Center. Woodliff-Stanley emphasized that South Carolina is one of The Episcopal Church’s original nine dioceses, dating to 1785, and now with the court fight resolved, Episcopalians in South Carolina are focused on rebuilding congregations and growing ministries in their communities. “We could not have done what we had to do without the church being with us. And we are now asking you to be with us in this season of rebuilding,” Woodliff-Stanley said. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe spoke briefly to the committees, arguing strongly in favor of forgiving the diocese’s outstanding church loan. “I am in complete support,” Rowe said, adding that acting on the proposal was about more than forgiveness of past debts. “I believe this would be, on our part, an investment in the mission of that diocese.” Executive Council’s committees on Finance and Governance & Operations voted unanimously to advance the proposal, to which Woodliff-Stanley responded, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” The measure will proceed to likely approval by the full Executive Council on Feb. 19, the final day of this meeting. The Charleston-based Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina once counted as many as 78 worshipping communities across the southeastern half of the state, including along the Atlantic Coast. Parochial report data show that the diocese’s baptized membership topped 29,000 in 2011, the year before the diocesan schism. Churchwide theological and doctrinal disputes, especially related to full LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church and lingering objections to women’s ordination, had been simmering for years. After the 2003 consecration of the church’s first openly gay bishop, the talk of schism led to lawsuits in dioceses across the United States where some leaders sought to break from The Episcopal Church while keeping control of Episcopal churches. South Carolina was one of five dioceses upended by schism. The others were Fort Worth in north-central Texas, Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania, Quincy in northern Illinois, and San Joaquin in central California. In October 2009, a majority of delegates at a special South Carolina diocesan convention voted to authorize the bishop and standing committee to begin the process of disassociating from The Episcopal Church over General Convention resolutions that endorsed greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in the life of the church. South Carolina leaders accelerated their plans to leave the church in 2012 after General Convention approved rites for blessing same-sex unions. After the split, Episcopal membership in the remaining Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina dropped below 6,400 across 22 continuing parishes and missions, but Episcopalians in South Carolina found ways to continue worshipping and serving their communities amid a series of legal victories and setbacks in the church property lawsuit. Now, with that legal battle behind it, the diocese can devote more of its time and resources to ministry priorities, including addressing racial justice issues and the prevalence of extreme poverty in the state, Woodliff-Stanley said. She also highlighted the early success of Church of the Messiah, a storefront church plant in Myrtle Beach that is looking to the diocese for help in establishing a more permanent worship space. The Episcopal Church has forgiven the debt of a diocese in a similar situation at least once before. The Diocese of San Joaquin was approved for about $5 million in debt forgiveness in 2017, the same year that the diocese installed its first diocesan bishop since its own schism in 2006. Michael Glass, chancellor for House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris, also served as chancellor of the Diocese of San Joaquin during its fight to retain diocesan properties after a schism. He spoke Feb. 17 in favor of granting South Carolina’s request, a gesture that also will reassure the wider church. If other dioceses face similar upheaval, they will know “we’ll back you up,” Glass said. “It’s really important that message get out there.” – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

[Church of England] General Synod on Feb. 11 debated and voted on two proposed models (labelled 3 and 4) for independent safeguarding in the Church of England. Members approved a motion (amended) that endorses “Model 3” first, while doing further work on “Model 4” (both models are outlined in the Future of Church Safeguarding Synod paper). The approved motion includes: Setting up an external scrutiny body, which is likely to be on a statutory basis in order to give it “teeth” and so would require legislation. Transfer of most functions currently delivered by the National Safeguarding Team (NST) – except policy development – to an external employer, eventually and after all development, consultation and legislative processes are complete. Further work to determine the legal and practical requirements necessary to implement model 4, which would involve the transfer of safeguarding teams in dioceses and cathedrals to the same external employer as the NST. Lament and repent of the failure of the church to be welcoming to victims and survivors and the harm they have experienced and continue to experience in the life of the church. The original motion from the lead safeguarding bishop, the Rt. Rev. Joanne Grenfell, endorsed Model 4. Speaking after the debate she said, “We have missed the opportunity to say unequivocally to victims and survivors today that we hear their concerns about trust and confidence in the church. “I am committed to working with where we have got to today continuing to do feasibility around model 4, as well as moving swiftly to set up a statutory body for scrutiny, audits and complaints.” Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said, “I support independence in Safeguarding. I’m disappointed that the church is now going to do that in two stages, but I fully commit myself to work toward implementing synod’s decision and making it happen.” Bishop Philip North, who brought the amendment to the original motion, said, “Synod has voted almost unanimously for real progress in independence in safeguarding. “What we’ve got is a strong endorsement of moving immediately to setting up an independent scrutiny body and more work to ensure that operational independence is legally and practically deliverable. “This gives us a chance to make immediate progress on what we can achieve whilst not slowing down the pace on more fundamental change.” Additional information and the final motion can be read here.

[Church in Wales] Swansea’s iconic St. Mary’s Church became Wales’ first minster in a special service on Feb. 16. The declaration was made by Archbishop of Wales Andrew John. The church, which was rebuilt in the 1950s after being burned to the ground during the Nazis’ three-day blitz of the city in World War II, is a city center landmark and has long been home to Swansea’s civic services. It now is known as Swansea Minster, a title given to a large or important church in an urban area that serves the civic community and hosts a college of chaplains who serve the area and its people. The declaration of minster reflects the importance of the building to the city. The Church in Wales is investing £2.8 million, or more than $3.5 million, over the next five years from its Growth Fund to complete the transformation. The vicar of St. Mary’s, the Rev. Justin Davies, said, “There has been a buzz around the city since the announcement was made. I think people are genuinely pleased that the church is getting recognized for what it is, and in the place it is. “It’s also seen as a boost to the city. Many city centers are having difficult times, and Swansea is one of those, so to have something  positive happening in the middle of Swansea, as part of a greater regeneration funded by the city and county of Swansea, is a really good thing.” The service featured specially commissioned music by composer Sir Karl Jenkins, and the sermon was preached by former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. A video of the history of the church and the city also was shown during the service, which also featured prayers offered by people across the city. Davies said, “It’s really exciting to have the piece of music composed by Gower resident Sir Karl Jenkins, “The Glory of this House,” especially for the service. It was commissioned by St. Mary’s and paid for by Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts. It was heard for the first time at the service and then will be here for everlasting, so that’s a fantastic thing to happen.”

[Episcopal News Service – Linthicum Heights, Maryland] Executive Council has convened here Feb. 17-19 for its first meeting since the inauguration of President Donald Trump – a political earthquake that Episcopal leaders say has shaken many of the communities the church serves, but not the church’s commitment to serving them. Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe and House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris, in their opening remarks Feb. 17, did not reference Trump by name but alluded, mostly in general terms, to the sharp shift in many federal policies during the first month since his return to office. “We are weathering what has proven to be a hard season for us and for the people that we serve, for sure. Many of us are afraid and looking to the church to provide a sense of safety and moral witness,” Rowe said. “As the political landscape of the United States becomes even more confusing and harder to navigate, we are being called to make decisions here in this place that are firmly rooted in the kingdom of God.” Rowe then repeated a theme that has become common in his public addresses since the inauguration: The people marginalized by society and by our political leaders are at the center of God’s kingdom. In his remarks to Executive Council, he again singled out “migrants, transgender people, the poor and vulnerable.” In God’s kingdom, “they are not reviled and scapegoated. … They are the bearers of salvation,” Rowe said. “If we believe this to be true, where does that leave us as a church? Where does that lead us as a church?” Ayala Harris cited a recent lawsuit as one example of the church actively responding to the needs Christ calls on his followers to meet. The Episcopal Church last week joined more than two dozen ecumenical and interfaith partners in suing the Trump administration over policy changes giving immigration agents greater flexibility to conduct enforcement actions in houses of worship and other “sensitive” places. “This is not about politics. It’s about embodying Christ’s radical hospitality in our very structures and policies,” Ayala Harris said. “The Gospel compels us to welcome the stranger, to care for the vulnerable and to ensure that all who seek spiritual sanctuary can do so freely. And my friends, if we fail to lead with courage, we risk not just stagnation but irrelevance.” Executive Council is The Episcopal Church’s governing and oversight body between meetings of General Convention and typically meets in person three times a year. Its last gathering, in November, occurred days after both Rowe’s installation as the church’s 28th presiding bishop and Trump’s election as president. The current meeting is being held in suburban Baltimore at the Maritime Conference Center, a frequent venue for Episcopal Church governance meetings. Executive Council’s initial agenda for this meeting was light on action items – the board spent most of its first morning in a training on emotional intelligence and effective interpersonal relations – though some of its upcoming sessions, both open and closed, will touch on Trump’s suspension of the federal refugee resettlement program, committee work and church leaders’ ongoing recruitment of a new executive officer for General Convention and a chief finance officer for the church.  On Feb. 18, representatives from Compass, a contractor hired to survey and analyze the churchwide staffing structure, will present their latest findings and recommendations to council members, and on Feb. 19, Rowe is scheduled to offer more details in a closed session about efforts he is spearheading for a “structural realignment” of churchwide operations to better serve the needs of dioceses and congregations. The first phase of those plans won’t be unveiled publicly until after this meeting. Ongoing tensions among some council members also surfaced again briefly during the morning session Feb. 17 on emotional intelligence session, which was led by three representatives from the consultant Visions Inc. Sandra Montes, a lay Executive Council member from the Diocese of Texas, raised concerns about the way Visions had framed discussion, suggesting that it was based in a white-centric understanding of emotion and communication. “This is completely different to people of the global majority to LGBTQIA+ people. And when we show up as ourselves … we are seen differently than who we are,” Montes said. “Do you want me to be, like, OK, I need to learn my emotions so I don’t show that I’m angry or that I don’t show that I’m scared? That’s what this seems like to me.” Another member, Thomas Chu of the Diocese of Long Island, who is gay, rose to object to Montes’ generalizing about all people of color and LGBTQ+ people. “I’m feeling mad, sad and scared,” Chu said, referencing some of the emotions listed on a Visions graphic. “Sandra, you can speak what you’re saying. But I’m an LGBTQIA+ person, a person of color. I feel very differently from you. And I accept what you said, but please don’t represent us. … This is [about] process – it’s not about what you said, it’s about how you said it, and you had an impact on me right now.” Executive Council is chaired by Rowe, as presiding bishop, and Ayala Harris is vice chair. It has 38 other voting members, a mix of bishops, other clergy and lay leaders. Twenty are elected by General Convention to staggered six-year terms – or 10 new members every three years. The Episcopal Church’s nine provinces elect the other 18 to six-year terms, also staggered. Ayala Harris, in her opening remarks, underscored the importance of Executive Council in upholding the church’s faith values, especially in today’s world. “Our decisions here ripple through the life of every diocese, every congregation, every seeker who is looking to The Episcopal Church right now as a beacon of radical welcome and transformative love,” she said. “As we make decisions about resource allocation and policy, we directly influence the capacity of our congregations to serve their communities, […]

[Anglican Church of Canada] The General Synod will meet June 23–29 in London, Ontario, and a major item of business will be the election on June 26 of a new primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. Canon III requires the Order of Bishops to meet prior to the General Synod meeting to choose three or more nominees – and this meeting must occur between 30 and 120 days prior to the date of the election. This will take place during the meeting of the House of Bishops scheduled for March 31–April 4. On April 2, the Order of Bishops will prayerfully discern the names of the nominees in a balloting process as set out in the regulations of Canon III as determined by the Council of the General Synod. These names will be posted on the General Synod website at 9 a.m. Eastern on April 3. The General Secretary is required to collect and disseminate biographical information about the nominees. In order to give time for the nominees to provide this information and for General Synod staff to assemble it in a uniform style for dissemination, this information will be posted on the website at 9 a.m. Eastern on April 11. The nominees also will be asked a series of questions and given the opportunity to have their answers recorded on video. Once these videos are edited and ready to be posted, they will be added to the website at 9 a.m. Eastern on April 22. During the meeting of the General Synod, the Orders of Clergy and Laity will gather at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, Ontario, for the election of the new primate on June 26. Once that process is complete, the acting primate will announce the election of the new primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

[Anglican Communion News Service] Anglican primates from the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) on Feb. 12 issued a statement for peace on the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The statement was signed by the Most Rev. Albert Chama, primate of the Church of the Province of Central Africa and chair of CAPA, on behalf of all Anglican primates in Africa. The statement follows. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) We, the Africa Anglican primates representing the Anglican Communion in Africa, express our deepest and grave concern and unwavering solidarity with the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) amid the ongoing crisis that has persisted for decades. The turmoil impacting the nation is a profound humanitarian tragedy, marked by violence, displacement, and suffering that affects millions of innocent lives. We acknowledge the extensive history of conflict in the DRC, deeply rooted in colonial legacies and exacerbated by political instability, economic exploitation and ethnic tensions. This crisis has taken a heavy toll, resulting in the loss of lives, the disruption of families, and the endangerment of communities that have long sought for peace and justice. As followers of Christ, we are called to be peacemakers, advocating for love, reconciliation, and justice. We therefore urge: 1. An End to Violence: We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the violence perpetrated against vulnerable populations, especially women and children, particularly in the areas around the eastern province of the country. The protection of all civilians must be prioritized, and those who commit acts of violence must be held accountable. 2. Dialogue and Reconciliation: We encourage all parties involved in the DRC’s conflict to engage in meaningful dialogue, prioritizing reconciliation efforts that foster understanding and healing among diverse communities. The path to peace requires a commitment to listening, understanding, and resolving grievances through non-violent means. In this wise, we lend our support to the various initiatives by the regional blocs such as the EAC, SADC, the AU and the UN and other well-meaning bodies. 3. Support for Humanitarian Aid: We urge the international community, including governments, humanitarian organizations, and individuals, to extend their support to address the urgent needs of those affected by the crisis. Access to water, food, healthcare, shelter, and education must be prioritized to restore dignity and hope within especially the displaced communities. 4. Respect for Human Rights: We call for the protection of human rights and the promotion of justice within the DRC. Our commitment to Christ’s teaching compels us to stand against corruption, oppression, and any actions that violate the inherent dignity of every human being. 5. Sustainable Development: We acknowledge that long-term peace in the DRC requires addressing the root causes of conflict, including poverty, inequality, and lack of access to resources. We implore national and international leaders to work collaboratively towards sustainable development in the region, ensuring that the wealth of the DRC benefits all its citizens. We, the Africa Anglican primates, stand with the people of DRC in prayer and action. We encourage local churches and communities to be agents of peace, fostering environments where love and hope can flourish despite the shadows of despair. May God grant us the strength and wisdom to work together toward a peaceful and just future for all in the DRC.

[Anglican Communion News Service] On Feb. 14, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued a humanitarian plea about defending the dignity and presence of the people of Gaza. They said they “raise our voices in sorrow and steadfast resolve in the face of the ongoing suffering in Gaza.” They added, “The people of Gaza, families who have lived for generations in the land of their ancestors, must not be forced into exile, stripped of whatever is left of their homes, their heritage, and their right to remain in the land that forms the essence of their identity.” Archbishop Hosam Naoum, primate of the Province of Jerusalem & the Middle East and bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, was among those issuing the statement, which follows. As custodians of the Christian faith and conscience in this sacred land, we raise our voices in sorrow and steadfast resolve in the face of the ongoing suffering in Gaza. The devastation that has unfolded before the eyes of the world is a profound moral and humanitarian tragedy. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost, and entire communities stand in ruin, with the most vulnerable — children, the elderly and the sick — enduring unimaginable hardship. Amid this anguish, we are compelled to speak against the grave threat of mass displacement, an injustice that strikes at the very heart of human dignity. The people of Gaza, families who have lived for generations in the land of their ancestors, must not be forced into exile, stripped of whatever is left of their homes, their heritage and their right to remain in the land that forms the essence of their identity. As Christians, we cannot be indifferent to such suffering, for the Gospel commands us to uphold the dignity of every human being. The words of our Lord remind us: “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed.” (Isaiah 10:1-2) In this critical moment, we acknowledge and support the position of His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, President El-Sisi of Egypt and others, whose firm and principled stance has remained clear and unwavering in rejecting any attempt to uproot the people of Gaza from their land. Their relentless efforts to provide humanitarian aid, appeal to the world’s conscience, and insist on the protection of civilians exemplify leadership at its highest level of responsibility. In this same spirit, we also call for the release of all captives from both sides so that they can be safely reunited with their families. We appeal to all people of faith, to governments and to the international community to act swiftly and decisively to halt this catastrophe. Let there be no justification for the uprooting of a people who have already suffered beyond measure. Let the sanctity of human life and the moral obligation to protect the defenseless outweigh the forces of destruction and despair. We call for an immediate, unfettered humanitarian access to those in desperate need. To abandon them now would be to abandon our shared humanity. As we lift our prayers for those in mourning, for the wounded and for those who remain steadfast in the land of their forefathers, we remember the promise of Scripture: “The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” (Psalm 145:14) May the God of mercy strengthen the afflicted, soften the hearts of those who hold power, and bring forth a peace that upholds justice, preserves human dignity, and safeguards the presence of all people in the land to which they belong.

[Episcopal News Service] East Tennessee Bishop Brian Cole joined his counterpart in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to write a column in the Nashville Tennessean pleading for the state to commit to distributing federal food assistance to address child hunger this summer. The state has until Feb. 15 to decide whether to use the federal funds. The program helps feed low-income children in the summer, when they no longer have access to the free or reduced-cost meals they receive during the school year. “The program is a lifeline at a time when inflation in food prices makes it impossible for too many families to provide adequate nutrition for their children,” Cole said in the column with the Rev. Kevin Strickland, who leads the ELCA’s Southeastern Synod, with congregations in Tennessee and three other states. Cole’s Knoxville-based diocese has congregations in the eastern third of the state. The full column can be read here.

[Episcopal News Service] Minnesota Bishop Craig Loya has established a new migrant support fund and has asked diocesan congregations to take a special collection on March 2 to add to its initial gift of $10,000. Loya created the fund, he told Episcopal News Service, because the diocese has seven congregations where immigrants are the majority of members, and another two where immigrants are a sizable minority. Four are predominantly Latino, but all of them include people who have arrived in Minnesota from around the world. “We are richly blessed by this diversity,” he said. But in a time when recent immigrants are the target of what he called hateful rhetoric and unjust policies, “we really feel as a diocese that we have to provide a response,” he said. Loya thinks the fund can be helpful in two main ways: providing money to congregations’ existing or new initiatives that serve recent immigrants, especially if they need to expand those efforts; and partnering with other organizations to help fill the gaps that will result from cuts to federal funding under President Donald Trump. Specifics are still in flux, Loya said, as changing circumstances affect where the need is greatest, but he knows the need will be enormous. And just because there is a limited amount the diocese can do “doesn’t let us off the hook to do what we can,” he said With Episcopal Migration Ministries winding down its core operations after the Trump administration halted federal funding for refugee services, Loya said that now is “a moment for us to recommit to the stranger among us with the love God extends to every human being.” Since announcing the fund’s creation on Feb. 6, more than 100 individuals have made personal contributions, he said, and he also has been contacted by ecumenical colleagues in the state to see if there was a way they could either partner with the fund or start one of their own. Loya’s commitment to the fund, and meeting the needs behind it, springs from what he describes as the Christian community’s dual vocation of witness and resistance – “witnessing to God’s vision for beloved community in the world, witnessing to the power of God’s love and God’s coming kingdom in the world; and resisting the way in which the forces of evil in a broken world are always breaking down the creatures of God.” A model for how Christians can speak up in challenging times, he said, comes from the comments Washington Bishop Mariann Budde addressed to President Donald Trump in the Jan. 21 Service of Prayer for the Nation at Washington National Cathedral. Her words were “brave, convicted, clear, gentle, humble and loving,” Loya said. He also supports the action of The Episcopal Church in joining the lawsuit against the Trump administration for allowing immigration officers to target churches and other “sensitive” places for arrests as part of the president’s promised crackdown on legal and illegal immigration. “There is probably no clearer moral imperative in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures than the call to care for the stranger and the foreigner in our midst,” Loya said. “We are given that call because when we were estranged from God, God met us with embrace rather than exclusion.” Loya also acknowledged that while his primary motivation for serving immigrants in his diocese comes simply from being a follower of Jesus, as a third-generation Mexican American it feels personal. “When I see photos of some of the people in the early deportation efforts, I see my grandmother, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins,” he said. He added that for Christians, “what affects one of us affects all of us.” In addition to announcing the migrant support fund, Loya’s message also encouraged support for the diocese’s migration caucus, a group of clergy and lay people who have been meeting online for several months to help congregations better understand what is happening with immigration and how they can assist. He noted a series of resources the caucus has gathered. As bishop, Loya also called on Minnesotans to pray as a way to ground their work and advocacy, and he offered a special prayer that he asked to be used as the end of the Prayers of the People every Sunday until Easter Day: O God, who embraced us with perfect love and made us your people when we were yet strangers to you: be present with all refugees, immigrants, and displaced people throughout the world; may they know the consolation of your presence, and the liberating power of your love. Then give us grace, we pray, to extend ever wider your embrace in a world of exclusion, until all your children are knit together as beloved family in the perfect love that is your very heart, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who was displaced among us, and who now lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. — Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

[Religion News Service] The Rev. Michele Morgan, rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., strives to be a “non-anxious presence” for the congregation she serves. It’s an important trait for any pastor, but especially for one who serves a church that sits a block or so from the U.S. Capitol and includes members performing high-stress jobs within the federal government. But over the last three weeks, as President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated sweeping cuts, funding freezes and work stoppages across the federal government, Morgan’s job has suddenly gotten harder. In an interview last week, Morgan said she frets over federal workers in her church who say their life’s work may disappear at any moment. She’s receiving frantic requests for pastoral care, such as from one person who had to furlough three-quarters of a team at a nonprofit that works in foreign aid. And as Morgan tried to leave church on a recent evening, she was stopped by a parishioner who recounted the difficulty of having to call people abroad and inform them the aid they rely on has been halted. “Worry is the watchword around here,” Morgan said. Ministering to anxious, fear-stricken congregations is rapidly becoming a shared experience for religious leaders who work in and around Washington, D.C. Clergy are preaching sermons of encouragement and having private conversations with congregants concerned about their own livelihoods and those of people they work with, fielding worries that range from paying children’s college bills to potential deportations of family members. The Rev. William H. Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Washington, D.C., estimated that around 60% to 70% of the people in his congregation are connected to the government in some way, either as federal employees or as contractors. When the government has furloughed workers in the past, he said, his church has tried to offer financial aid. Lamar said his church intends to again offer those services, pledging to stand with his congregation spiritually, emotionally and economically. “Some people are positioned to do something else, but the majority with whom I have spoken, who are in the most anxious place, are not sure about their economic security beyond their federal employment,” he said. But while previous experiences provide a blueprint, Lamar argued the current situation is different from past crises, not only in scale but also because he believes the layoffs are “needless, unnecessary” and “unconstitutional.” He voiced palpable frustration with the impact on his congregation, outraged by those who have cheered on the decimation of the federal government. “This is a con game,” Lamar said. “Getting rid of federal employees does not solve a problem. It inflicts pain. This is designed to inflict pain on human beings, and whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, whether you voted for Trump or not, I would hope that there are not people who delight in inflicting pain on other human beings.” Bishop Derek Grier, founding pastor of Grace Church in Dumfries, Virginia, said his multicultural church is starting to budget and plan for what people may need, including preparing its emergency team with psychologists, just as it has in previous crises. “During many of the government shutdowns, we’ve had to help people with their mortgages, we’ve had to help people put food on their table,” said Grier, who estimates more than half of the congregants of his independent evangelical megachurch are either government workers or contractors, and “a good number” are active military members. “To have more than half your congregation receive notices to resign or face the risk of losing a job, is a super, super big deal,” he told Religion News Service on Feb. 13. “We are already putting aside extra funds for the potential crisis ahead. We’re also beefing up our food pantry.” He’s pastored through other traumatic times but said “this one’s a little different than the past crises,” including the 9/11 airplane strike at the Pentagon and the 2002 D.C. sniper attacks. “It’s easy to look at the reduction in government in a purely intellectual way but, as a pastor, I have to look at it in terms of how it impacts lives of individual people,” he said. “And, no matter what side of the aisle you are on, we’re all in the same boat, and people are being impacted. So we need to pray for one another and pull for one another, and we’ll get through this.” Terry Lynch, executive director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations, said he’s hearing from an array of Washingtonians, including church employees and congregants, who are facing rapid change in a city where the federal government is so dominant that he calls it “a cornerstone of the economy and of people’s employment here in D.C.” Lynch said they are trying to respond to personal questions about their ability to make rent and mortgage payments while also determining how to help others. “People are afraid. People’s lives are being disrupted,” he said. “They’ve been thrown into consternation by the dramatic number of changes that are coming at them very fast.” Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, rabbi emeritus of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland, said his house of worship is one of many across the Washington metropolitan area, as well as the country, that is affected. “Members of my own congregation are being let go of their longtime federal jobs simply because they performed well as directed by their supervisors in previous administrations,” he said on Tuesday of the 400-household organization. “The community came together just this Sunday with over 100 members for the first of a two-part exploration on how do we rise to meet the moment.” Dobb said the congregation is considering how to assist at-risk federal workers and contractors as well as how to support immigrants and creation care “and other core religious concepts, which have sadly become politicized along a partisan divide when, as we read it, Scripture […]

[Episcopal News Service] After almost 45 years of ordained ministry, New York Assistant Bishop Mary Glasspool will retire this summer. Her last day will be June 30. “Even at the most challenging of times, it is a huge privilege to be a bishop in this church, and not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for it,” Glasspool wrote in a Feb. 7 letter to the diocese. Glasspool made history in 2009 when she was elected bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles, becoming the second openly gay – and first lesbian – bishop in the Anglican Communion. In 2015, she moved to the Diocese of New York. Glasspool and her wife, Becki Sander, have been together 38 years. Glasspool was born on Staten Island when her father was the rector jointly of All Saints Church and St. Simon’s Church. She grew up in Goshen, New York, after her father became the rector of St. James Church. In 1981, Glasspool earned her Master of Divinity degree from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was ordained a deacon. The following year, she was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, where she served as assistant to the rector and later interim priest-in-charge of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. Glasspool moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1984 to serve as rector of St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s Church. In 1992, she moved to the Diocese of Maryland to serve as rector of St. Margaret’s Church in Annapolis, where she remained until 2001, when she became the diocese’s canon to the bishop until 2009. “The time has come when … I need to put aside the mitre and crozier, take a long break, and just waste some time with God,” Glasspool said in the letter. She also said she and Sander plan to stay in the New York area and spend the second half of 2025 traveling, resting and discerning “what God has in store for us in the next chapter of our lives.” Glasspool said she will continue her normal duties in the coming months, including attending the House of Bishops’ gathering in March at Camp McDowell in Alabama. She also will assist with the transition in leadership over areas she oversees, including global mission, reparations, ecumenical and interreligious life, social concerns commissions and college chaplains in the Diocese of New York. Glasspool said she’s working with New York Bishop Matthew F. Heyd and Bishop Suffragan Allen K. Shin to “establish clear boundaries” that allow her to continue working with the Interfaith Center of New York, as bishop visitor of the Community of Saint John Baptist and with the Anglican Diocese of Cuernavaca in Mexico. “It won’t be perfect, but I’ll do the very best I can to honor and support the ongoing life of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and my own life, as God has given it to me,” Glasspool said. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York will host a diocesan celebration of Glasspool’s episcopate on May 31.

[Episcopal News Service] As the new Trump administration leads public and private entities to remove calendared holidays and observances commemorating the contributions of people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities, Episcopal leaders are reflecting on how the wider church can ensure that those Americans are never erased from the public’s consciousness. “This decision to pause Black History Month celebrations and DEI work puts us in a profound moment to reflect out loud what as a church – as a people – do we choose to remember and choose to forget?” the Rev. Lester V. Mackenzie, The Episcopal Church’s chief of mission program, told Episcopal News Service. He also leads the church’s Department of Ethnic Ministries, which includes the Offices of African Descent Ministries, Asiamerica Ministries, Indigenous Ministries and Latino/Hispanic Ministries. “Too often, institutions, including our own, have been complicit and slow to act … so how are we adjusting to what is unfolding socially in our dioceses, or in our congregations and local ministries?” February is Black History Month, the annual acknowledgment of Black Americans’ accomplishments and contributions to the making of the United States. Celebrations are underway in the church, including worship services commemorating the feast of the Rev. Absalom Jones, the first Black Episcopal priest. Jones stands among the Rev. Pauli Murray, Thurgood Marshall, King Kamehameha and Queen Emma of Hawai‘i, Enmegahbowh and many other clergy and activists of color on The Episcopal Church’s calendar of Lesser Feasts and Fasts. Some congregations, such as St. James’ Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas, are hosting Black History Month events throughout February, including workshops and lectures. Washington National Cathedral is also hosting several events, including a special worship service on Feb. 16 honoring historically Black colleges and universities. Commemorations and events are necessary, and so is the need to educate younger generations about why they are necessary, the Rev. Ellis Clifton, rector of St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church in Virgin Gorda, Diocese of the Virgin Islands, told ENS. “We’ve spent all these years celebrating what our predecessors accomplished, but we forgot to teach what caused the need for these celebrations – their work and struggles – and how the benefits that we have came about,” said Ellis, who sits on the church’s African Descent Ministries’ council of advice and previously served as the Midwest regional director of the Union of Black Episcopalians. At the federal level, the government’s emphasis on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion dates back at least to 1961, when President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating based on race. And after 15 years of activism following the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., President Ronald Reagan signed a law in 1983 designating the third Monday in January as a federal holiday to honor the civil rights leader’s life. Last month, in his first hours back in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning DEI initiatives, prompting federal agencies and now some private corporations to discontinue commemorating certain holidays and observances: Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Holocaust Day and Days of Remembrance, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, Juneteenth, Women’s Equality Day, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month and National American Indian Heritage Month. The president didn’t officially call for the erasure of cultural observances, though federal agencies interpreted the executive order as such and sent memos calling on staff to pause them. On Feb. 11, Google removed Black History Month and other cultural observances from its calendar, saying that maintaining those references was not “sustainable.” Last week, Julia Ayala Harris, president of The Episcopal Church’s House of Deputies, released a statement of solidarity and standing up for marginalized groups: “Like the psalms of lament that turn to praise, Dr. [Pauli] Murray understood that hope is not passive optimism, but an act of holy defiance, a declaration that the struggle for justice is worth enduring,” Ayala Harris said in the Feb. 6 statement. “Their life reminds us that we are called not simply to lament the injustices of the world but to act — to sing our own songs of hope in a weary time, to advocate, to organize, to protect, and to uplift.” The Deputies of Color also released a statement broadly condemning Trump’s executive orders: “We must address how these policies impact vulnerable populations and stand against the injustices they face. In doing so, we honor our commitment to serve God through serving our neighbors.” A nationwide surge in interest in diversity, equity and inclusion, including by employers, paralleled the calls for racial justice after the death of George Floyd in May 2020. That year, Episcopal Church leaders encouraged Episcopalians to observe Juneteenth – the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when in Galveston, Texas, the last formerly enslaved people learned they had been freed. A year later, in 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Since then, more churches have participated in Juneteenth events every year. Episcopalians also observe notable events in history that aren’t official U.S. observances. This month, for example, St. Peter’s Episcopal Parish, a historically Japanese church in Seattle, Washington, marked the 83rd anniversary of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s executive order to authorize the incarceration of Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II. Some 45 years later, the United States officially apologized for the unjust incarceration, damages and post-war discrimination, and offered restitution to survivors.  There’s a long history of discrimination against Asians in the United States. For people of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage, removing the observances of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month obscures both the accomplishments and the challenges that still exist today, said the Rev. Jo Ann Lagman, the church’s Asiamerica Ministries missioner. AAPI communities are “incredibly diverse,” Lagman said. For example, the life experiences of the Hmong and […]

[Episcopal News Service] The Church of England’s General Synod is meeting in London this week for the first time since the resignation last month of former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. On a separate track, the process for selecting Welby’s successor is advancing and eventually will involve both England’s prime minister and King Charles III. Welby, who first took office in 2013, stepped down Jan. 6 under pressure over his handling of a sprawling abuse scandal in the church. The archbishop of Canterbury is both a diocesan leader and the primate of the Church of England, and the position also traditionally has been seen as a “focus of unity” for the 42 worldwide Anglican provinces, including The Episcopal Church. Until a new archbishop is chosen, Welby’s former duties are being delegated to other Church of England leaders, with Archbishop of York Steven Cottrell filling most of the position’s responsibilities as head of the church. Cottrell, though, is also facing criticism over a separate, unrelated abuse case. He is accused of allowing a priest to remain in his post despite the priest being accused of sexual abuse involving two girls. On the first day of General Synod, Feb. 10, a lay member forced a vote seeking to block Cottrell from giving his opening address to the church’s governing body. That proposal was overwhelmingly defeated, and Cottrell spoke for about 20 minutes, acknowledging the “difficult and challenging times” facing the church. “I believe in and love the Church of England,” Cottrell said. “However, I am deeply, deeply mindful of the feelings of anguish, anger, sadness and regret present in this chamber, not least among victims and survivors of abuse and those who valiantly support them, but also among women in our church who are still victims of discrimination, unwanted touch and, at times, even sexual assault.” In addition to those “safe church” issues, the Church of England’s efforts in recent years to offer greater welcome to LGBTQ+ people have fueled tensions within the church and the wider Anglican Communion, a network of autonomous, interdependent provinces with historical ties to the Church of England. The position of the archbishop of Canterbury is one of four designated “Instruments of Communion” serving all Anglican provinces.  The other three are the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops, the Primates’ Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council, or ACC. Conservative leaders of some provinces in what is known as the Global South, mostly Africa, Asia and South America, have objected to greater LGBTQ+ inclusion, particularly same-sex marriage and blessings in some provinces, including the Church of England and The Episcopal Church. In February 2023, those Global South leaders demanded changes to the archbishop of Canterbury’s leadership role in the communion, following that month’s triennial meeting of the ACC. At the ACC’s meeting in Ghana, members from 38 provinces approved a resolution on “good differentiation” that endorsed efforts “to explore theological questions regarding structure and decision-making to help address our differences in the Anglican Communion.” The Anglican body assigned to discuss those questions released its latest draft report in December 2024 proposing two key changes: The Anglican Communion’s membership would be defined as all provinces with “historical connection” to the See of Canterbury, rather than being “in communion” with that office. And the archbishop of Canterbury would no longer be the ACC president, the presidency instead rotating among leaders from the communion’s five regions. The ACC is expected to take up the proposals when it meets next in February 2026 in Northern Ireland. The process for selecting a new archbishop of Canterbury, meanwhile, is proceeding on its own schedule, and all Episcopalians and Anglicans worldwide have been invited to provide input. “We want to hear from you,” the Church of England says in an invitation on its website. Those interested in giving their input are asked to complete an online form by March 28. “Whether you are based in England or anywhere in the Anglican Communion, your views matter. This consultation invites you to share your thoughts on what qualities, values, and vision the future archbishop should embody.” Unlike The Episcopal Church, which is governed independently by its General Convention, the Church of England’s governance is intertwined with the British government. “Absolute discretion” for appointing the archbishop of Canterbury is given to the British monarch, who is also supreme governor of the church. However, since 1976 church leaders have had a more direct voice in choosing the next archbishop of Canterbury through a body known as the Crown Nominations Commission. The process “is likely to take several months,” according to a Parliament website explaining the steps in electing a new archbishop of Canterbury. The Crown Nominations Commission has 17 voting members and is chaired by a lay leader appointed by the prime minister. Three lay and three clergy members of General Synod serve on the commission, as well as three representatives of the Diocese of Canterbury. The commission also includes one member from each of the Anglican Communion’s five global regions. The other two voting members are the archbishop of York and an additional bishop elected by the House of Bishops. Nonvoting members include the prime minister’s appointments secretary and the secretary general of the Anglican Communion. The commission interviews candidates, and then two-thirds of the commission must agree on a nomination for it to advance. The nominee’s name is presented to the prime minister, currently Keir Starmer, who then confirms that the nominee is willing to serve as archbishop of Canterbury. Once the prime minister accepts a nominee, that person is recommend to the king, who grants a license for Canterbury Cathedral’s College of Canons to elect the archbishop of Canterbury. After that election, the king assents to the result of the election, and the new archbishop of Canterbury officially takes office at a Confirmation of Election ceremony held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. A separate installation service is held later at Canterbury Cathedral. – David Paulsen is a […]

[Episcopal News Service] As a young Episcopalian, dating in person and online has been tough, and oftentimes frustrating, for Eva Warren. She’s too theologically “liberal” for most Christians on dating sites, but the people who do share the same progressive values oftentimes don’t share the same religious views. “In modern American culture, we have an idea of what it means to be a Christian looking for romance. But in many cases, the practice of Christianity and the beliefs associated with faith are different for a lot of folks who are Episcopalians than from the folks who designed those sites,” Warren, referring to Christian-specific dating sites like Christian Mingle and CatholicMatch, told Episcopal News Service. On the other hand, “I’ve been on countless first dates where I can see people’s eyes start to panic when I talk about the fact that I go to church every Sunday, and they start to make assumptions about what that means about your beliefs. That’s heartbreaking in many ways,” Warren, 28, said. “I found when I was dating that telling folks that I was Christian would often alienate people who maybe had shared values with me. At the same time, telling people that I wasn’t Christian would allow me to connect with folks who I was maybe more aligned with morally, but then it felt really like I was denying this serious part of my own identity.” After learning that fellow young adult Episcopalians feel the same, in 2023 Warren, a member of the church’s House of Deputies from the Diocese of Ohio and a convener of the Young Adult Caucus, founded Gladness of Heart, a digital dating service exclusive to Episcopalians and members of Christian denominations that are in communion with The Episcopal Church. Today, more than 200 people, mostly in their 20s to early 40s, are on Gladness of Heart’s mailing list. The dating service offers quarterly virtual speed dating events for single Episcopalians and communion-partner adults of all ages and sexualities looking to connect and build relationships rooted in shared faith. The cost to participate is $10, which helps cover operating fees for the website and a Zoom account. Participants first gather in a large group for 10-15 minutes, then in smaller groups facilitated by Warren and a volunteer friend for about 10 minutes to answer icebreaker and basic introductory questions, like hometown, parish, age and profession. That way, participants can spend more time sharing their interests. The remaining half hour is spent “dating.” Each “date” lasts between four and six minutes. On Feb. 14 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, though, Gladness of Heart is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a free hourlong speed dating event. It’ll be structured like the paid events, but for Warren, “I love any excuse for a theme.” Gladness of Heart’s website, which uses the same colors as The Episcopal Church’s shield, quotes former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry: “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God.” The website also quotes the Book of Common Prayer: “For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve, we thank you, Lord.” “I tried to put as many shibboleths as possible into the website to show that this service is legitimate,” said Warren, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Ohio State University who also serves on the vestry at Harcourt Parish Episcopal Church at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. “If nothing else, they’ll make Episcopalians chuckle and smile.” Warren said she doesn’t know yet if any speed dating events have led to long-term relationships, but “I can’t wait until the first wedding happens.” Gladness of Heart also launched its paid matchmaking service in January. For a tiered subscription fee – $65 for six months, $80 for nine months and $90 for 12 months — which is much cheaper than mainstream dating sites like Bumble, Hinge and Tinder – Warren will virtually meet with participants one-on-one and match potential couples based on how they answer questions, such as the ministries they participate in. Warren is interviewing participants now, though the matchmaking pool is open to new members. “I see myself in many ways as the kind of modern ‘nosy church lady’ who sits in the second pew and sets everyone up for potential relationships,” Warren said. “But in the world we live in today, you’re not going to know that the perfect person for you is one diocese over because you’re never going to wander into their church on a random day. But maybe you can find them with help like the matchmaking pool.” The idea of an Episcopal-focused dating service was initially a throwaway joke between Warren and her friends until she realized that it could help reverse The Episcopal Church’s gradual membership decline over the years. As of 2023, the church has about 1,547,779 members, with an average age of 69 years old. Meanwhile, evangelical “megachurches” continue to grow as they attract more Millennial and Gen Z members. Warren said Gladness of Heart’s growing membership shows that there’s “clearly a need that isn’t being met.” “Episcopalians aren’t having a lot of kids, and because there are so few young people at individual parishes to meet, a lot of Episcopalians will date and marry non-Episcopalians and have kids. Then, it’s a matter of whether those children will be raised in the faith. They might get baptized, but they probably won’t get confirmed or go through all the formation. So, we lose those kids,” Warren said. “Every young Episcopalian I’ve spoken with talks about how important it is to find a partner who wants to raise a family in the church. It’s countercultural these days, but Gladness of Heart’s becoming a ministry of its own.” Warren said her next goal for Gladness of Heart is to partner with dioceses and churches to host in-person speed dating and matchmaking meetups at diocesan conventions, General Convention, or other diocesan and churchwide events. –Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal […]