All Hallows' Eve By Ken Asel A Reading from the Gospel of Luke 12:22-34 22 He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet … [Read more...] about Fear and Trust
Archives for October 2021
Working Out Salvation
By Ed Little A Reading from Nehemiah 4:1-23 1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he mocked the Jews. 2 He said in the presence of his associates and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore things? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish it in a day? Will they revive the stones out … [Read more...] about Working Out Salvation
Fact Gathering
By Ed Little A Reading from Nehemiah 2:1-20 1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was served to him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before. 2 So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 … [Read more...] about Fact Gathering
What to Do With a Multi-Million Dollar Surplus?
By Kirk Petersen The Episcopal Church has the kind of problem you like to have: a huge budget surplus. At its four-day meeting in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, the Executive Council learned that the church expects to end the year, and thus the 2019-2021 triennium, with a surplus of just under $16 million. The problem is the optics. More than 80 percent of the church's revenue … [Read more...] about What to Do With a Multi-Million Dollar Surplus?
Grim Tidings from Haiti, Described as a ‘Failed State’
By Kirk Petersen Executive Council members heard a sobering assessment of the chaotic situation in Haiti, home to one of the largest dioceses in the Episcopal Church. "The church is functioning in a civil society that many characterize as a failed state," said the Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, who oversees the church's relationship with the Caribbean nation. Director of Government … [Read more...] about Grim Tidings from Haiti, Described as a ‘Failed State’
Start with Prayer
Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles By Ed Little A Reading from Nehemiah 1:1-11 1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital, 2 one of my brothers, Hanani, came with certain men from Judah; and I asked them about the Jews that survived, those who had escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem. … [Read more...] about Start with Prayer
Today’s Victory
By Ed Little A Reading from Ezra 6:1-22 1 Then King Darius made a decree, and they searched the archives where the documents were stored in Babylon. 2 But it was in Ecbatana, the capital in the province of Media, that a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of his reign, King Cyrus issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, … [Read more...] about Today’s Victory
Council Focuses on Indigenous Boarding Schools
By Kirk Petersen The Executive Council is continuing to explore the history of the Episcopal Church with Indian boarding schools, which were part of a government program of forced assimilation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The council is meeting in person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, gathering from October 25-28 at the Maritime … [Read more...] about Council Focuses on Indigenous Boarding Schools