Around the House

I have often told this story to congregations when preaching. There was a man in a bookstore interested in a religious book. He turns the cover over and sees the author is a woman priest. He frowns instantly. The picture of a feminine smiling face stares at him head on. He is instantly uncomfortable. He…
Read the full article  

What aspect of the women’s ordination movement do you most want Episcopalians today to remember and honor? The “movement” was not so much a movement as it was the Gospel’s call to be about those tasks that un-bind people and to set them free. As a child of the church growing up within the church,…
Read the full article  

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.–Soren Kierkegaard Five years ago, Christmas day found me cradling a one-week old baby in my arms. A newborn, black baby boy holding all of the promise and hope of the future in his quivering, adorable, needy little body. At the time, I believed…
Read the full article  

In mid-September, a group of African Anglicans, members of other African churches, and Episcopalians held a consultation on the Bible and sexuality in Elmina, Ghana.  House of Deputies President Gay Clark Jennings and Deputies Brian Baker, Lowell Grisham, Fredrica Harris Thompsett, and Bonnie Perry participated in the meeting, which was held at the invitation of…
Read the full article  

Deputy Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows of the Diocese of Chicago preached this sermon on racial reconciliation and social justice at the Church of St. Paul and the Redeemer on December 14, 2014 (Advent 3B): As we continue to process the events of the day–the continued protests over the killing of black men at the hand of police…
Read the full article  

Earlier this month, the Executive Council awarded Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) with a $44,910 Constable Grant to increase the involvement of Episcopalians in the Church’s refugee ministry. The Constable grant will support “Share the Journey,” a program that encourages Episcopalians to advocate for just solutions for all refugees and offers education and formation that “deepens…
Read the full article  

Sawubona, Yebho. This is a salutation you would hear if you were to travel to Johannesburg and Cape Town, the cities where my family live and where I was born and raised. The Zulu greeting, “Sawubona” means “I see you” and the response “Ngikhona” means “I am here.” As always, when translating from one language…
Read the full article  

Sarah Lawton Honored with House of Deputies Medal Members of Generation X are frequently portrayed as too cynical to commit themselves to creating institutional change. But the description doesn’t fit Deputy Sarah Lawton of the Diocese of California. “There’s work for all of us to do in the public square,” says Lawton, who was awarded…
Read the full article  

“Rain is a blessing, and we know you have brought us a blessing,” Rita Ayeebo, the project manager at the Anglican Women’s Development Centre in Yelwoko, Ghana, told a group of nineteen Episcopal Relief & Development pilgrims waiting out a heavy shower under a roofed patio at the organization’s headquarters last July. After several days…
Read the full article  

14-15 de Junio, 2013 Ciudad de Mexico Buenos días. Es un honor el haber sido invitada por el Obispo Touché-Porter y el Canónigo Ramos-Huerta para estar con ustedes en este importante sínodo, y estoy feliz de ser la portadora de afectuosos saludos para todos ustedes de parte de la Iglesia Episcopal. En el noventa y…
Read the full article