Through the efforts, work, prayer and given grace, it is "Happening" at St James!
Looking towards 2008 the "Happening" will be greater!
Not to be missed, and not an all-inclusive list, you can join in:
Prayer Circle
Homework Club
Fellowship Groups (Men's, Women's, Single's, Book Reader's and more!)
Christian Education
Music
Lay Readers
Greeters
and Much Much more!
Join in!
See you there!
Monday, December 17
It is Happening at St James
Wednesday, December 5
December Schedule & Notes (from the Spirit)
Here are some of the notes that came in this month's Spirit newsletter:
Sunday worship will be a 10 am Sunday service until further notice (last 7:45 am early service was Dec 2nd)
Dec 9th (Sun) 10 am - Eucharist led by Fr John Krueger
Dec 12th (Wed) 6:30 pm - Eucharist led by Fr Scott Stoner, service followed by a Congregational Meeting
Dec 16th (Sun) 10 am - Eucharist led by Fr John Krueger
Dec 16th (Sun) Caroling after Fellowship Hour (destination Harmony House West - possibly more)
Dec 23rd (Sun) 10 am - Service of Lessons & Carols
Dec 24th (Christmas Eve) 9 PM - Christmas Music
Dec 24th (Christmas Eve) 9:30 PM - Eucharist led by Fr John Krueger
Dec 25th (Christmas Day) 10 am - Morning Prayer
Dec 30th (Sun) 10 am - Morning Prayer & Christmas Pageant
Jan 6th (Sun - Epiphany) 10 am - Eucharist/Visitation led by Bishop Jacobus
There are lots more chances this month to be a part of St James - Women's Group, Men's Group, Book Groups, Education and much more - See the full copy of The Spirit for details. You can get your own copy from the Church Office
Sunday worship will be a 10 am Sunday service until further notice (last 7:45 am early service was Dec 2nd)
Dec 9th (Sun) 10 am - Eucharist led by Fr John Krueger
Dec 12th (Wed) 6:30 pm - Eucharist led by Fr Scott Stoner, service followed by a Congregational Meeting
Dec 16th (Sun) 10 am - Eucharist led by Fr John Krueger
Dec 16th (Sun) Caroling after Fellowship Hour (destination Harmony House West - possibly more)
Dec 23rd (Sun) 10 am - Service of Lessons & Carols
Dec 24th (Christmas Eve) 9 PM - Christmas Music
Dec 24th (Christmas Eve) 9:30 PM - Eucharist led by Fr John Krueger
Dec 25th (Christmas Day) 10 am - Morning Prayer
Dec 30th (Sun) 10 am - Morning Prayer & Christmas Pageant
Jan 6th (Sun - Epiphany) 10 am - Eucharist/Visitation led by Bishop Jacobus
There are lots more chances this month to be a part of St James - Women's Group, Men's Group, Book Groups, Education and much more - See the full copy of The Spirit for details. You can get your own copy from the Church Office
Looking Forward
So many things happening at St James Manitowoc!
A wonderful Holiday & Christmas service schedule has been planned, with services both lay led and led by familiar friends from the Supply Clergy team.
Everyone has wished Fr Tom well in his new calling and is looking forward to what is ahead for St James!
More, MUCH more to follow as St James looks to its renewal in faith & seeks its mission and future!
Sunday, August 5
David K called to the Lord
Our friend Mr David Kelley has left us. His published obituary follows.
Rest in Peace David,
Your friends.
----
David W. Kelley
David William Kelley, age 78, of 2214 Cappaert Road, Manitowoc, died on Thursday, August 2, 2007, from lung cancer at Zilber VNA Family Hospice in Wauwatosa.
David was born on May 14, 1929, son of the late Rex and Helen (Gowen) Kelley, in Amesbury, Mass. He graduated from Northeastern University, Boston, Mass., in 1954, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in liberal arts. Following that, he served in the U.S. Army for two years, in both Texas and Germany. He received his teaching certificate from Marquette University. David taught biology and mathematics, coached track and cross country and advised many student clubs at Mishicot High School from 1959 to 1991. Coach Kelley started the Jim Bremser Memorial Invitational Cross-Country Meet in the late 1970s, and coordinated it in retirement through the 2006 season. He was a member of St. James Episcopal Church. He married Maxine M. Frozena on June 17, 1988, in Manitowoc. He was a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America, and taught skiing at Hidden Valley Ski Area and other ski areas in Wisconsin. He was enshrined into the Lakeshore All Sports Hall of Fame, and served as treasurer of that organization from 1982 to the present. He acted in two plays as part of the local Masquers Theatre Company in the early 1960s. David loved to play golf, watch birds, enjoyed photography and woodworking. He was an avid reader, and loved to spend time with his grandsons.
He is survived by his wife: Maxine, Manitowoc; sister: Glenna Barkan, Martha's Vineyard, Mass.; daughters: Heidi Kelley, Asheville, N.C.; Moira Kelley, Madison; sons-in-law: Ken Betsalel and Don Creedy; stepdaughters and their husbands: Debbie (Alan) Stock, Kellnersville; and Cindy (Joe) Monty, Wauwatosa; grandchildren: Ben and Simon Betsalel; Henry Creedy; Joshua Stock; Christopher, Noah and Benjamin Monty; mother-in-law: Valeria Zboralski, Manitowoc; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends also survive. He was preceded in death by his first wife: Alice (Welke) Kelley; and his parents.
Funeral services will be held at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, August 7, 2007, at St. James Episcopal Church, 434 N. 8th St., Manitowoc. Father Thomas McAlpine will officiate. Military graveside services will be accorded by the VFW Otto Oas Post 659 at 2 p.m. at Mishicot Village Cemetery. Relatives and friends may call at the Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Home, 818 State St., on Monday evening from 5 to 8 p.m., and again on Tuesday morning at the funeral home from 9 to 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to either the Mishicot High School Perpetual Scholarship Fund or to St. James Episcopal Church.
Herald Times Reporter
Wednesday, July 11
More "Not Playing Well with Others" - Islamofascists chase head of Iraqi Anglican Church out of Iraq
Vicar flees Baghdad after threats
A vicar who has been working to secure the release of five British hostages in Iraq has fled the country after being denounced as a spy.
Canon Andrew White, who ran Iraq's only Anglican church, left Baghdad amid fears for his safety.
The five Britons' abductors reportedly threatened to kill them unless the vicar stopped trying to find them.
The captives, four security guards and a consultant, were abducted on 29 May, from the finance ministry in Baghdad.
They were seized by insurgents disguised as Iraqi police.
Canon White left Baghdad after pamphlets dropped in Shia areas of the Iraqi capital reportedly branded the vicar as "no more than a spy".
An unconfirmed report in London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi said the leaflets accused Mr White of trying to broker deals against the kidnappers.
The vicar, who was based at St George's Church in Baghdad, arrived back in Britain on Wednesday morning.
The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East, of which Mr White is executive director, confirmed he had left Iraq because of a "serious security threat".
In Baghdad, the British Embassy confirmed that the vicar, who was previously based at Coventry Cathedral, had been working on the release of the five British hostages.
Mohammed Shokat, head of the political section at the British Embassy, confirmed Mr White's departure, saying: "He has left Iraq because of a security threat."
A vicar who has been working to secure the release of five British hostages in Iraq has fled the country after being denounced as a spy.
Canon Andrew White, who ran Iraq's only Anglican church, left Baghdad amid fears for his safety.
The five Britons' abductors reportedly threatened to kill them unless the vicar stopped trying to find them.
The captives, four security guards and a consultant, were abducted on 29 May, from the finance ministry in Baghdad.
They were seized by insurgents disguised as Iraqi police.
Canon White left Baghdad after pamphlets dropped in Shia areas of the Iraqi capital reportedly branded the vicar as "no more than a spy".
An unconfirmed report in London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi said the leaflets accused Mr White of trying to broker deals against the kidnappers.
The vicar, who was based at St George's Church in Baghdad, arrived back in Britain on Wednesday morning.
The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East, of which Mr White is executive director, confirmed he had left Iraq because of a "serious security threat".
In Baghdad, the British Embassy confirmed that the vicar, who was previously based at Coventry Cathedral, had been working on the release of the five British hostages.
Mohammed Shokat, head of the political section at the British Embassy, confirmed Mr White's departure, saying: "He has left Iraq because of a security threat."
Friday, June 29
Playing "God" or Discovering More of "God's Ways?"
First artificial life 'within months'
by Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 6:42am BST 29/06/2007
From reading DNA to writing it
Scientists could create the first new form of artificial life within months after a landmark breakthrough in which they turned one bacterium into another.
In a development that has triggered unease and excitement in equal measure, scientists in the US took the whole genetic makeup - or genome - of a bacterial cell and transplanted it into a closely related species.
This then began to grow and multiply in the lab, turning into the first species in the process.
The team that carried out the first “species transplant” says it plans within months to do the same thing with a synthetic genome made from scratch in the laboratory.
If that experiment worked, it would mark the creation of a synthetic lifeform.
The scientists want to create new kinds of bacterium to make new types of bugs which can be used as green fuels to replace oil and coal, digest toxic waste or absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
But this pioneering research also triggers unease about the limits of science and the inevitable fears about “playing god,” as well as raising the spectre that this technology could one day be abused to create a new generation of bioweapons.
Producing living cells from synthetic genomes of lab-made DNA would require the ability to move and manipulate whole genomes.
To that end, a milestone was passed today by a team led by Craig Venter, the first person to have his entire genetic makeup read, and which included the Nobel prizewinner Ham Smith.
Dr Venter said that, in the light of this success, the culmination of a decade’s work, he will be attempting the first transplant of a lab-made genome to create the first artificial life “within months.”
Dr Venter said: “We would hope to have the first fuel from synthetic organisms certainly within the decade, possibly within half that time.”
The breakthrough occurred at the J Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland, the team reports today in the journal Science.
One of its editors called it “a landmark in biological engineering.”
Since the 1970s, scientists have moved genes - instructions to make proteins - between different organisms.
But this marks the first time that the entire instruction set, consisting of more than a million “letters” of DNA, has been transplanted, transforming one species of bacterium into another.
They are attempting to build a microbe with the minimal set of genes needed for life, with the goal of then adding other useful genes, such as ones for making biofuels.
It recently submitted broad patents for methods to create a synthetic genome from such lab-made DNA.
In anticipation, the team wanted to develop a way to move a complete genome into a living cell, chosing the simplest and smallest kind, a bacterium.
In all, of the millions of bacteria that they tried the transplant on, it only worked one time in every 150,000.
Dr Venter likened it to “changing a Macintosh computer into a PC by inserting a new piece of software” and stressed it would be more difficult in other kinds of cells, which have enzymes to snip the DNA of invaders.
But he said to achieve the feat, without adding anything more than naked DNA, “is a huge enabling step.”
“This is a significant and unexpected advance,” commented Robert Holt of the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, Vancouver, Canada.
“It’s a necessary step toward creating artificial life,” added microbiologist Fred Blattner of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Antoine Danchin of the Pasteur Institute, Paris, calls the experiment “an exceptional technical feat.”
But he told Science “many controls are missing.” And that has prevented Glass’s team, as acknowledged by Ham Smith, from truly understanding how the introduced DNA reprograms the host cell.
“We are one step closer to synthetic organisms,” said Markus Schmidt of the Organisation for International Dialogue, Vienna.
He said the experiment will drive discussions about the safety issues related to synthetic biology and the implications for society.
Dr Venter stressed that the work had been halted for some time for a review to ensure it is ethical, though acknowledged concerns that synthetic biology could pave the way to new kinds of biowarfare.
by Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 6:42am BST 29/06/2007
From reading DNA to writing it
Scientists could create the first new form of artificial life within months after a landmark breakthrough in which they turned one bacterium into another.
In a development that has triggered unease and excitement in equal measure, scientists in the US took the whole genetic makeup - or genome - of a bacterial cell and transplanted it into a closely related species.
This then began to grow and multiply in the lab, turning into the first species in the process.
The team that carried out the first “species transplant” says it plans within months to do the same thing with a synthetic genome made from scratch in the laboratory.
If that experiment worked, it would mark the creation of a synthetic lifeform.
The scientists want to create new kinds of bacterium to make new types of bugs which can be used as green fuels to replace oil and coal, digest toxic waste or absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
But this pioneering research also triggers unease about the limits of science and the inevitable fears about “playing god,” as well as raising the spectre that this technology could one day be abused to create a new generation of bioweapons.
Producing living cells from synthetic genomes of lab-made DNA would require the ability to move and manipulate whole genomes.
To that end, a milestone was passed today by a team led by Craig Venter, the first person to have his entire genetic makeup read, and which included the Nobel prizewinner Ham Smith.
Dr Venter said that, in the light of this success, the culmination of a decade’s work, he will be attempting the first transplant of a lab-made genome to create the first artificial life “within months.”
Dr Venter said: “We would hope to have the first fuel from synthetic organisms certainly within the decade, possibly within half that time.”
The breakthrough occurred at the J Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland, the team reports today in the journal Science.
One of its editors called it “a landmark in biological engineering.”
Since the 1970s, scientists have moved genes - instructions to make proteins - between different organisms.
But this marks the first time that the entire instruction set, consisting of more than a million “letters” of DNA, has been transplanted, transforming one species of bacterium into another.
They are attempting to build a microbe with the minimal set of genes needed for life, with the goal of then adding other useful genes, such as ones for making biofuels.
It recently submitted broad patents for methods to create a synthetic genome from such lab-made DNA.
In anticipation, the team wanted to develop a way to move a complete genome into a living cell, chosing the simplest and smallest kind, a bacterium.
In all, of the millions of bacteria that they tried the transplant on, it only worked one time in every 150,000.
Dr Venter likened it to “changing a Macintosh computer into a PC by inserting a new piece of software” and stressed it would be more difficult in other kinds of cells, which have enzymes to snip the DNA of invaders.
But he said to achieve the feat, without adding anything more than naked DNA, “is a huge enabling step.”
“This is a significant and unexpected advance,” commented Robert Holt of the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, Vancouver, Canada.
“It’s a necessary step toward creating artificial life,” added microbiologist Fred Blattner of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Antoine Danchin of the Pasteur Institute, Paris, calls the experiment “an exceptional technical feat.”
But he told Science “many controls are missing.” And that has prevented Glass’s team, as acknowledged by Ham Smith, from truly understanding how the introduced DNA reprograms the host cell.
“We are one step closer to synthetic organisms,” said Markus Schmidt of the Organisation for International Dialogue, Vienna.
He said the experiment will drive discussions about the safety issues related to synthetic biology and the implications for society.
Dr Venter stressed that the work had been halted for some time for a review to ensure it is ethical, though acknowledged concerns that synthetic biology could pave the way to new kinds of biowarfare.
Wednesday, June 20
Being Untrue to Two Faiths
This is inane. That a Bishop would allow her to continue to serve is nonsensical.
Welcome to an Alice in Wonderland version of Christianity...
-----
"I am both Muslim and Christian"
By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times religion reporter
Shortly after noon on Fridays, the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding ties on a black headscarf, preparing to pray with her Muslim group on First Hill.
On Sunday mornings, Redding puts on the white collar of an Episcopal priest.
She does both, she says, because she's Christian and Muslim.
Redding, who until recently was director of faith formation at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, has been a priest for more than 20 years. Now she's ready to tell people that, for the last 15 months, she's also been a Muslim — drawn to the faith after an introduction to Islamic prayers left her profoundly moved.
Her announcement has provoked surprise and bewilderment in many, raising an obvious question: How can someone be both a Christian and a Muslim?
But it has drawn other reactions too. Friends generally say they support her, while religious scholars are mixed: Some say that, depending on how one interprets the tenets of the two faiths, it is, indeed, possible to be both. Others consider the two faiths mutually exclusive.
"There are tenets of the faiths that are very, very different," said Kurt Fredrickson, director of the doctor of ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. "The most basic would be: What do you do with Jesus?"
Christianity has historically regarded Jesus as the son of God and God incarnate, both fully human and fully divine. Muslims, though they regard Jesus as a great prophet, do not see him as divine and do not consider him the son of God.
"I don't think it's possible" to be both, Fredrickson said, just like "you can't be a Republican and a Democrat."
Redding, who will begin teaching the New Testament as a visiting assistant professor at Seattle University this fall, has a different analogy: "I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both."
Redding doesn't feel she has to resolve all the contradictions. People within one religion can't even agree on all the details, she said. "So why would I spend time to try to reconcile all of Christian belief with all of Islam?
"At the most basic level, I understand the two religions to be compatible. That's all I need."
.......
In Redding's car, she has hung up a cross she made of clear crystal beads. Next to it, she has dangled a heart-shaped leather object etched with the Arabic symbol for Allah.
"For me, that symbolizes who I am," Redding said. "I look through Jesus and I see Allah."
-----
Full article is at the link. Simply click on the Title at the top or at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003751274_redding17m.html
Welcome to an Alice in Wonderland version of Christianity...
-----
"I am both Muslim and Christian"
By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times religion reporter
Shortly after noon on Fridays, the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding ties on a black headscarf, preparing to pray with her Muslim group on First Hill.
On Sunday mornings, Redding puts on the white collar of an Episcopal priest.
She does both, she says, because she's Christian and Muslim.
Redding, who until recently was director of faith formation at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, has been a priest for more than 20 years. Now she's ready to tell people that, for the last 15 months, she's also been a Muslim — drawn to the faith after an introduction to Islamic prayers left her profoundly moved.
Her announcement has provoked surprise and bewilderment in many, raising an obvious question: How can someone be both a Christian and a Muslim?
But it has drawn other reactions too. Friends generally say they support her, while religious scholars are mixed: Some say that, depending on how one interprets the tenets of the two faiths, it is, indeed, possible to be both. Others consider the two faiths mutually exclusive.
"There are tenets of the faiths that are very, very different," said Kurt Fredrickson, director of the doctor of ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. "The most basic would be: What do you do with Jesus?"
Christianity has historically regarded Jesus as the son of God and God incarnate, both fully human and fully divine. Muslims, though they regard Jesus as a great prophet, do not see him as divine and do not consider him the son of God.
"I don't think it's possible" to be both, Fredrickson said, just like "you can't be a Republican and a Democrat."
Redding, who will begin teaching the New Testament as a visiting assistant professor at Seattle University this fall, has a different analogy: "I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both."
Redding doesn't feel she has to resolve all the contradictions. People within one religion can't even agree on all the details, she said. "So why would I spend time to try to reconcile all of Christian belief with all of Islam?
"At the most basic level, I understand the two religions to be compatible. That's all I need."
.......
In Redding's car, she has hung up a cross she made of clear crystal beads. Next to it, she has dangled a heart-shaped leather object etched with the Arabic symbol for Allah.
"For me, that symbolizes who I am," Redding said. "I look through Jesus and I see Allah."
-----
Full article is at the link. Simply click on the Title at the top or at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003751274_redding17m.html
Tuesday, June 12
Female Episcopal bishop a first for Cuba
NEWS RELEASE FROM AP NEWS:
Female Episcopal bishop a first for Cuba
By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press
HAVANA — New Episcopal Bishop Nerva Cot Aguilera, the church's first female bishop in Cuba and the developing world, said Monday she welcomed the opportunity to show what women can do if given the chance.
"I feel very honored by my designation," Cot told The Associated Press in a phone interview, a day after being consecrated at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Havana. "It's a historic act that demonstrates women's possibilities."
Cot's designation as suffragan bishop was first announced in February.
"Her appointment is a wonderful reminder that in some nations, leadership is primarily about gifts for service and not about gender," U.S. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who took office in November as the first woman to lead the church, said at the time.
Also consecrated on Sunday was Cuban's other new suffragan bishop, Ulises Mario Aguiera Prendes.
Cuba's Episcopal Church has about 10,000 members in a nation of more than 11 million. A majority of Cubans are nominally Roman Catholic, but Protestant denominations and the African-influenced faith Santeria have gained in popularity in recent years.
Cot was a secondary school teacher before church reforms permitted her ordination as one of the first three Episcopal women priests in Cuba in 1987.
Cuba was a diocese of the U.S. church until 1967, when it was forced to break away because hostility between the U.S. and Cuban governments made contacts difficult. Cuba's communist leaders were embracing official atheism at the time, a stance abandoned in the early 1990s.
The Episcopal News Service of the U.S. Episcopal Church reported earlier this year that the Cuban church has since operated under a Metropolitan Council, an extra-provincial region of the church. Now chaired by the Archbishop Andrew Hutchison of Canada, the council also includes Jefferts Schori and the archbishop of the West Indies.
As suffragan bishops, Cot and Aguiera will serve under Cuba's interim bishop, Miguel Tamayo. Cot said she will be responsible for western Cuba and Aguiera eastern Cuba.
The Episcopal Church of Cuba is part of the 77 million-member Anglican Communion, a global fellowship of churches that trace their roots to the Church of England.
Thursday, May 31
"For YouTube, read PewTube" - Should Churches Do This?
"For YouTube, read PewTube"
by Jonathan Wynne-Jones ("London Telegraph")
London, England - The video-sharing website most used for pop promotions, film trailers and personal "vidcasts", is set to become the next tool in the Church of England's battle to curb declining attendances.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is planning to use the site to broadcast his sermons in an attempt to make the Church more relevant to the internet generation.
A video will also be put on YouTube later this month urging other churches to advertise the contemporary style of their services and suggesting ideas introduced under the Fresh Expressions initiative, which was set up by Rowan Williams.
"The potential of YouTube is enormous," a Lambeth Palace spokesman said. "It provides limitless access to what any minister has to say. You have to preach where people are listening."
Up to 100 million clips are viewed daily on YouTube and it has almost 20 million visitors each month.
While the rate of decline in attendance at Church of England services has slowed recently, it lost 100,000 worshippers between 2000 and 2002 – nearly eight per cent. In particular, it has seen the average age of its congregations rise as the number of young people in the pews has dropped.
The Rev Steve Croft, team leader of Fresh Expressions, said that YouTube could provide the perfect way to reach teenagers.
About 300 alternative schemes have been established under the initiative, including services in pubs, cafes and buses.
by Jonathan Wynne-Jones ("London Telegraph")
London, England - The video-sharing website most used for pop promotions, film trailers and personal "vidcasts", is set to become the next tool in the Church of England's battle to curb declining attendances.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is planning to use the site to broadcast his sermons in an attempt to make the Church more relevant to the internet generation.
A video will also be put on YouTube later this month urging other churches to advertise the contemporary style of their services and suggesting ideas introduced under the Fresh Expressions initiative, which was set up by Rowan Williams.
"The potential of YouTube is enormous," a Lambeth Palace spokesman said. "It provides limitless access to what any minister has to say. You have to preach where people are listening."
Up to 100 million clips are viewed daily on YouTube and it has almost 20 million visitors each month.
While the rate of decline in attendance at Church of England services has slowed recently, it lost 100,000 worshippers between 2000 and 2002 – nearly eight per cent. In particular, it has seen the average age of its congregations rise as the number of young people in the pews has dropped.
The Rev Steve Croft, team leader of Fresh Expressions, said that YouTube could provide the perfect way to reach teenagers.
About 300 alternative schemes have been established under the initiative, including services in pubs, cafes and buses.
Thursday, May 24
The 39 Articles of Anglicanism - Part V
Articles 32-39, "Miscellaneous"
XXXII. Of the Marriage of Priests
that bishops, priests, and deacons are not commanded to celibacy but may marry at their own discretion;
XXXIII. Of Excommunicate Persons, how they are to be avoided
XXXIV. Of the Traditions of the Church
that uniformity is not necessary, but that openly flouting accepted church traditions that are not unscriptural deserves rebuke, as threatening good order; and that national churches have authority to change rites of human origin;
XXXV. Of the Homilies
that two specified books of homilies should be read in churches (includes a list of homilies by Thomas Cranmer and other key bishops);
XXXVI. Of Consecration of Archbishops, Bishops and Other Ministers
that the ordination rite set out in the reign of Edward VI (the "Edwardine Ordinal") is valid and lawful;
:In the American Prayer Book, this is: "Of the Consecration of Bishops and Other Ministers."
XXXVII. Of the Civil Magistrates
that the Monarch is the supreme power in England, and not subject to any foreign power; that the Monarch does not administer Word or Sacrament, but has the power to rule both church and secular estates;
XXXVIII. Of Christian Men's Goods, which are not common
that private property is affirmed, though all should give what alms they can from what they have;
XXXIX. Of a Christian Man's Oath
that rash swearing is forbidden, but not swearing in a court of law.
XXXII. Of the Marriage of Priests
that bishops, priests, and deacons are not commanded to celibacy but may marry at their own discretion;
XXXIII. Of Excommunicate Persons, how they are to be avoided
XXXIV. Of the Traditions of the Church
that uniformity is not necessary, but that openly flouting accepted church traditions that are not unscriptural deserves rebuke, as threatening good order; and that national churches have authority to change rites of human origin;
XXXV. Of the Homilies
that two specified books of homilies should be read in churches (includes a list of homilies by Thomas Cranmer and other key bishops);
XXXVI. Of Consecration of Archbishops, Bishops and Other Ministers
that the ordination rite set out in the reign of Edward VI (the "Edwardine Ordinal") is valid and lawful;
:In the American Prayer Book, this is: "Of the Consecration of Bishops and Other Ministers."
XXXVII. Of the Civil Magistrates
that the Monarch is the supreme power in England, and not subject to any foreign power; that the Monarch does not administer Word or Sacrament, but has the power to rule both church and secular estates;
XXXVIII. Of Christian Men's Goods, which are not common
that private property is affirmed, though all should give what alms they can from what they have;
XXXIX. Of a Christian Man's Oath
that rash swearing is forbidden, but not swearing in a court of law.
Tuesday, May 22
The 39 Articles of Anglicanism - Part IV
Articles 19-31, "Corporate Religion"
XIX. Of the Church
that the visible Church of Christ is the congregation of those who preach the Word of God and minister the sacraments; and that the Eastern and Roman Churches have erred in matters of faith as well as practice;
XX Of the Authority of the Church
that the church has authority both in ceremonial matters and in controversies of faith, but cannot lawfully ordain anything against Scripture, or expound Scripture inconsistently, or enforce any non-scriptural belief;
XXI. Of the Authority of General Councils
that they can only be called by secular rulers, and are capable of error, so that their ordinances are only authoritative so far as they have scriptural authority;
XXII. Of Purgatory
that the Roman Catholic doctrines of purgatory, pardons (e.g. indulgences), the adoration of images and relics, and the invocation of saints, are unscriptural inventions;
XXIII. Of Ministering in the Congregation
that only those publicly and legally authorized should preach or minister the sacraments;
XXIV. Of Speaking in the Congregation in such a tongue as the people understandeth
XXV. Of the Sacraments
that there are two sacraments ordained by Christ in the Gospel, Baptism and the Eucharist ('the Supper of the Lord'), the other five rites so called being merely later corruptions, or states of life allowed in the Scriptures but not divinely ordained; and that the consecrated elements are to be partaken, not venerated in themselves; and that they have a wholesome effect only on those who partake worthily;
XXVI. Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the effect of the Sacrament
XXVII. Of Baptism
that it is a sign of Regeneration and the instrument by which one becomes a member of the Church and receives grace; and that the baptism of young children is to be retained;
XXVIII Of the Lord's Supper
that the Body and Blood of Christ are partaken in the sacrament; but that the doctrine of transubstantiation is unscriptural and gives rise to superstition; and that reservation, elevation, or veneration of the sacrament is not of Christ's ordinance;
XXIX Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ in the use of the Lord's Supper
that the wicked and unbelievers who take communion do not partake Christ but are condemned (see manducatio impiorum);
XXX. Of both kinds
that lay people ought to receive the wine as well as the bread;
XXXI. Of the one Oblation of Christ finished upon the Cross
that Christ's sacrifice once made is perfect satisfaction for sin, and so the Mass is not to be regarded as a sacrifice for sin;
XIX. Of the Church
that the visible Church of Christ is the congregation of those who preach the Word of God and minister the sacraments; and that the Eastern and Roman Churches have erred in matters of faith as well as practice;
XX Of the Authority of the Church
that the church has authority both in ceremonial matters and in controversies of faith, but cannot lawfully ordain anything against Scripture, or expound Scripture inconsistently, or enforce any non-scriptural belief;
XXI. Of the Authority of General Councils
that they can only be called by secular rulers, and are capable of error, so that their ordinances are only authoritative so far as they have scriptural authority;
XXII. Of Purgatory
that the Roman Catholic doctrines of purgatory, pardons (e.g. indulgences), the adoration of images and relics, and the invocation of saints, are unscriptural inventions;
XXIII. Of Ministering in the Congregation
that only those publicly and legally authorized should preach or minister the sacraments;
XXIV. Of Speaking in the Congregation in such a tongue as the people understandeth
XXV. Of the Sacraments
that there are two sacraments ordained by Christ in the Gospel, Baptism and the Eucharist ('the Supper of the Lord'), the other five rites so called being merely later corruptions, or states of life allowed in the Scriptures but not divinely ordained; and that the consecrated elements are to be partaken, not venerated in themselves; and that they have a wholesome effect only on those who partake worthily;
XXVI. Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the effect of the Sacrament
XXVII. Of Baptism
that it is a sign of Regeneration and the instrument by which one becomes a member of the Church and receives grace; and that the baptism of young children is to be retained;
XXVIII Of the Lord's Supper
that the Body and Blood of Christ are partaken in the sacrament; but that the doctrine of transubstantiation is unscriptural and gives rise to superstition; and that reservation, elevation, or veneration of the sacrament is not of Christ's ordinance;
XXIX Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ in the use of the Lord's Supper
that the wicked and unbelievers who take communion do not partake Christ but are condemned (see manducatio impiorum);
XXX. Of both kinds
that lay people ought to receive the wine as well as the bread;
XXXI. Of the one Oblation of Christ finished upon the Cross
that Christ's sacrifice once made is perfect satisfaction for sin, and so the Mass is not to be regarded as a sacrifice for sin;
Monday, May 21
The 39 Articles of Anglicanism - Part III
Articles 9-18, "Personal Religion"
IX. Of Original or Birth-sin
that it is not merely in following Adam's example of disobedience, but inherent in human nature, and all deserve God's wrath; and that though there is no condemnation for the baptized believer, yet the lusts of the flesh are still sinful;
X. Of Free Will
that only by the grace of God in Christ can we turn to God in faith, do good works, and "have a good will";
XI. Of the Justification of Man
that we are accounted righteous by God only by faith for the merit of Christ, not by our good works;
XII. Of Good Works
that good works of a believer are pleasing to God and make a living faith known;
XIII. Of Works before Justification
that works done before one is justified are not pleasing to God, do not bring grace, and as not commanded by God, "have the nature of sin";
XIV. Of Works of Supererogation
that it impious to suppose that one can do more good works than God commands or requires;
XV. Of Christ Alone without Sin
XVI. Of Sin after Baptism
that the baptized believer is capable both of committing mortal ("deadly") sin, and of being forgiven upon true repentance;
XVII. Of Predestination and Election
XVIII. Of Obtaining Eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ
that only in the name of Christ is one saved and not by following the law of nature or of another religion;
IX. Of Original or Birth-sin
that it is not merely in following Adam's example of disobedience, but inherent in human nature, and all deserve God's wrath; and that though there is no condemnation for the baptized believer, yet the lusts of the flesh are still sinful;
X. Of Free Will
that only by the grace of God in Christ can we turn to God in faith, do good works, and "have a good will";
XI. Of the Justification of Man
that we are accounted righteous by God only by faith for the merit of Christ, not by our good works;
XII. Of Good Works
that good works of a believer are pleasing to God and make a living faith known;
XIII. Of Works before Justification
that works done before one is justified are not pleasing to God, do not bring grace, and as not commanded by God, "have the nature of sin";
XIV. Of Works of Supererogation
that it impious to suppose that one can do more good works than God commands or requires;
XV. Of Christ Alone without Sin
XVI. Of Sin after Baptism
that the baptized believer is capable both of committing mortal ("deadly") sin, and of being forgiven upon true repentance;
XVII. Of Predestination and Election
XVIII. Of Obtaining Eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ
that only in the name of Christ is one saved and not by following the law of nature or of another religion;
Tuesday, May 15
The 39 Articles of Anglicanism - Part II
Articles 1-8, "The Catholic Faith"
In the order given in the Book of Common Prayer (with a brief summary when the title is not wholly clear), they are:
I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity
that there is one God, eternal Maker of all, in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was made very Man
that the Son took man's nature of the substance of the Virgin, so Godhead and Manhood were joined indivisibly in one Person, who truly died both for original guilt and for the actual sins of all;
III. Of the going down of Christ into Hell
IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ
that Christ truly rose from death and took again a body of flesh and bones, wherewith he ascended to heaven and sits until the Last Judgment;
V. Of the Holy Ghost
that the Holy Ghost proceeds from Father and Son, of one substance with both;
VI. Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scripture for Salvation
Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought necessary and requisite to salvation. The canonical books are then listed, with the Apocryphal (or deuterocanonical) books recommended (quoting Jerome) ''for example of life and instruction in manners; ... [but not] to establish any doctrine'
VII. Of the Old Testament
that it does not contradict the New, but Christians are bound only by the Moral Commandments, not the Mosaic Law of rites and ceremonies nor the civil precepts;
VIII. Of the Three Creeds (Nicene, Athanasian, and Apostles' Creed)
In the order given in the Book of Common Prayer (with a brief summary when the title is not wholly clear), they are:
I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity
that there is one God, eternal Maker of all, in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was made very Man
that the Son took man's nature of the substance of the Virgin, so Godhead and Manhood were joined indivisibly in one Person, who truly died both for original guilt and for the actual sins of all;
III. Of the going down of Christ into Hell
IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ
that Christ truly rose from death and took again a body of flesh and bones, wherewith he ascended to heaven and sits until the Last Judgment;
V. Of the Holy Ghost
that the Holy Ghost proceeds from Father and Son, of one substance with both;
VI. Of the Sufficiency of the holy Scripture for Salvation
Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought necessary and requisite to salvation. The canonical books are then listed, with the Apocryphal (or deuterocanonical) books recommended (quoting Jerome) ''for example of life and instruction in manners; ... [but not] to establish any doctrine'
VII. Of the Old Testament
that it does not contradict the New, but Christians are bound only by the Moral Commandments, not the Mosaic Law of rites and ceremonies nor the civil precepts;
VIII. Of the Three Creeds (Nicene, Athanasian, and Apostles' Creed)
Monday, May 14
Today in History: State of Israel Proclaimed (1948)
In November of 1947, the UN voted on a Partition Plan for Palestine, calling for the formation of two states, one Jewish and one Arab, in what had been a British-administered territory. The Arab leadership rejected this plan, arguing that it violated the rights of the 67% of the population who were not Jewish. On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was declared in the territory that the Partition Plan allotted. The next day, 6 Arab states declared war on Israel.
Basically these Arab States were rewarded for their acts of war by being clobbered, and Israel doubled its size with their Victor's Spoils.
1948 War of Independence - the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
Immediately following the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel, Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Jordanian, and Lebanese forces invaded the newly formed state on all fronts. In a desperate and costly war characterized by use of makeshift armaments and resourceful tactics, Israel eventually repelled the attacking armies, and then advanced its forces to occupy some of the territory set aside under the Partition Plan for the Arabs and for the City of Jerusalem. A cease fire agreement was signed between the two sides, with the current front line becoming the boundary between Israel and the Arab territories. As a result of the 1948 war, Israel controlled all the territory allotted to them under the Partition Plan, much of the territory allotted to the Arabs under the Plan, and half of what was to be the UN-administered City of Jerusalem. The remaining Arab territories were the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; the West Bank was administered by Jordan, while the Gaza Strip was administered by Egypt.
In 1949, under UN auspices, four armistice agreements were negotiated and signed at Rhodes, Greece, between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The 1948-49 War of Independence resulted in a 50% increase in Israeli territory, including western Jerusalem. No general peace settlement was achieved at Rhodes, however, and violence along the borders continued for many years.
As a result of this war, about 711,000 Arab refugees were created (according to the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine[1]) and over 800,000 Jewish refugees were created. The latter figure includes all Jews who fled or were expelled from Arab states after Israel was created. Pro-Palestinian sources call these people emigrants, rather than refugees. Pro-Israeli commentators hold that the Jewish exodus from Arab lands, many of which communities had been established for more than 2000 years, came as a result of violence and persecution. About 600,000 of the Jewish refugees settled in the State of Israel, having neither intention nor willingness to return to their source countries; many of the Arab refugees, and their descendants, remain to this day in refugee camps run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
On July 5, 1950, the Knesset passed the Law of Return which granted all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel. Even prior to the passing of that law, immigrants flocked to Israel, some assisted by Israeli authorities. From 1947 to 1950 some 250,000 Holocaust survivors made their way to Israel. "Operation Magic Carpet" brought thousands of Yemenite Jews to Israel.
The early years were not easy for the newly founded state, and a state of austerity was put into force in 1949, not to be fully annulled until 1959.
Saturday, May 12
The 39 Articles of Anglicanism - Part I
Part of a Series - Part I
The Thirty-Nine Articles are the historic defining statements of Anglican doctrine. The articles were established by a Convocation of the Church in 1563, under the direction of Archbishop Matthew Parker, using as a basis the Forty-Two Articles written under the direction of Thomas Cranmer in 1552 and passed under Edward VI in 1553. Adherence to them was made a legal requirement by parliament in 1571. They are printed in the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican prayer books. The Test Act of 1673 made adherence to the Thirty-Nine Articles a requirement for holding civil office in England (an act which has since been repealed). Clergy of the Church of England are still required to take an oath that the doctrine in the Articles is "agreeable to the Word of God," but the laity are not, and other Churches of the Anglican Communion do not make such a requirement.
The Articles were not intended as a complete statement of the Christian faith, but as a statement of the position of the Church of England over against the Roman Catholic Church and against dissident protestants. The Articles also argue against some Anabaptist positions such as the holding of goods in common, and the necessity of believer's baptism. The reason for the imposition of the 39 articles at this point in British history was that, since the separation with Rome, it had not been possible to find a protestant consensus. The establishment was concerned by the rise in influence of dissenters who wanted the reformation to go much further, and, for example, to abolish hierarchies of bishops. The democratic threat could be calmed down by imposing a compromise position - the thirty nine articles.
John Henry Newman, in his Tract 90, written before his conversion to Roman Catholicism, attempted to show that the Articles could be interpreted in a way less hostile to Roman Catholic doctrine.
Outside the Church of England, Anglican views of the Thirty-Nine Articles vary. The Episcopal Church in the United States of America regards them as an historical document and does not require members to adhere to them.
Anglican priest John Wesley adapted the Thirty-Nine Articles for utilization by American Methodists in the 18th century. The adapted Articles of Religion remain official United Methodist doctrine.
Content of the document
The Articles highlight some of the major differences between Anglican and Roman Catholic doctrine, as well as more conventional declarations of a Trinitarian Christianity. They are divided (according to command of Queen Elizabeth I) into four sections: Articles 1-8, "The Catholic Faith"; Articles 9-18, "Personal Religion"; Articles 19-31, "Corporate Religion"; and Articles 32-39, "Miscellaneous."
The Thirty-Nine Articles are the historic defining statements of Anglican doctrine. The articles were established by a Convocation of the Church in 1563, under the direction of Archbishop Matthew Parker, using as a basis the Forty-Two Articles written under the direction of Thomas Cranmer in 1552 and passed under Edward VI in 1553. Adherence to them was made a legal requirement by parliament in 1571. They are printed in the Book of Common Prayer and other Anglican prayer books. The Test Act of 1673 made adherence to the Thirty-Nine Articles a requirement for holding civil office in England (an act which has since been repealed). Clergy of the Church of England are still required to take an oath that the doctrine in the Articles is "agreeable to the Word of God," but the laity are not, and other Churches of the Anglican Communion do not make such a requirement.
The Articles were not intended as a complete statement of the Christian faith, but as a statement of the position of the Church of England over against the Roman Catholic Church and against dissident protestants. The Articles also argue against some Anabaptist positions such as the holding of goods in common, and the necessity of believer's baptism. The reason for the imposition of the 39 articles at this point in British history was that, since the separation with Rome, it had not been possible to find a protestant consensus. The establishment was concerned by the rise in influence of dissenters who wanted the reformation to go much further, and, for example, to abolish hierarchies of bishops. The democratic threat could be calmed down by imposing a compromise position - the thirty nine articles.
John Henry Newman, in his Tract 90, written before his conversion to Roman Catholicism, attempted to show that the Articles could be interpreted in a way less hostile to Roman Catholic doctrine.
Outside the Church of England, Anglican views of the Thirty-Nine Articles vary. The Episcopal Church in the United States of America regards them as an historical document and does not require members to adhere to them.
Anglican priest John Wesley adapted the Thirty-Nine Articles for utilization by American Methodists in the 18th century. The adapted Articles of Religion remain official United Methodist doctrine.
Content of the document
The Articles highlight some of the major differences between Anglican and Roman Catholic doctrine, as well as more conventional declarations of a Trinitarian Christianity. They are divided (according to command of Queen Elizabeth I) into four sections: Articles 1-8, "The Catholic Faith"; Articles 9-18, "Personal Religion"; Articles 19-31, "Corporate Religion"; and Articles 32-39, "Miscellaneous."
Friday, May 11
A Wisconsin Monestary - Order of Julian of Norwich
Not many of us are aware that Wisconsin has a number of Episcopal Monestaries. The "Order of Julian of Norwich" is one:
Order of Julian of Norwich
A contemplative monastic order in the Episcopal Church. They are currently located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The order is open to both men and women. It is contemplative in that its purpose and goal is simply the practice and teaching of silent and intercessory prayer. The Order follows the traditional monastic vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, and adds a fourth vow: Prayer. Monks and nuns live in the same monastery on equal status under the same vows.
The Rule of Life for the Order of Julian is a minimal document that describes only the most basic obligation of the vows. Thus what we call our Customary is actually what other Orders call their Rule of Life. It covers everything from Silence, to the Habit, to Enclosure, Composure, Hospitality and the Vows. We invite you to download the attached PDF file of our Customary. It is a long document — around 55 pages (480k), but it is the most adequate description of the principles by which we live and the practices we use to fulfill them.
The OJN Customary Document Downloads from HERE
Order of Julian of Norwich
A contemplative monastic order in the Episcopal Church. They are currently located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The order is open to both men and women. It is contemplative in that its purpose and goal is simply the practice and teaching of silent and intercessory prayer. The Order follows the traditional monastic vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, and adds a fourth vow: Prayer. Monks and nuns live in the same monastery on equal status under the same vows.
The Rule of Life for the Order of Julian is a minimal document that describes only the most basic obligation of the vows. Thus what we call our Customary is actually what other Orders call their Rule of Life. It covers everything from Silence, to the Habit, to Enclosure, Composure, Hospitality and the Vows. We invite you to download the attached PDF file of our Customary. It is a long document — around 55 pages (480k), but it is the most adequate description of the principles by which we live and the practices we use to fulfill them.
The OJN Customary Document Downloads from HERE
Thursday, May 3
President gets it Right about the Power of Prayer
Prayer Has the Power to Change History, Says Bush
"Prayer has the power to change lives and to change the course of history," President Bush said Thursday in comments marking the National Day of Prayer.
Speaking at the White House, he quoted America's first president, George Washington: "It's the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and to humbly implore his protection and favor."
"For two centuries," Bush said, "Americans have answered this call to prayer. We're a prayerful nation. I believe that makes us a strong nation."
The president said Americans pray " to give thanks for the blessings the Almighty has bestowed upon us," for the strength to follow God's will "and for forgiveness when we fail to do so," to acknowledge God's sovereignty, and "to offer petitions."
"The greatest gift we can offer anyone is the gift of our prayers, because our prayers have power beyond our imagining," he said.
"Prayer has the power to change lives and to change the course of history," President Bush said Thursday in comments marking the National Day of Prayer.
Speaking at the White House, he quoted America's first president, George Washington: "It's the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and to humbly implore his protection and favor."
"For two centuries," Bush said, "Americans have answered this call to prayer. We're a prayerful nation. I believe that makes us a strong nation."
The president said Americans pray " to give thanks for the blessings the Almighty has bestowed upon us," for the strength to follow God's will "and for forgiveness when we fail to do so," to acknowledge God's sovereignty, and "to offer petitions."
"The greatest gift we can offer anyone is the gift of our prayers, because our prayers have power beyond our imagining," he said.
Monday, April 30
Four Centuries of Anglicanism in America
It was a modest mere 400 years ago that the Anglican Church arrived in America by the way of Jamestown's settlement.
Rather fortunate that the Church has survived in much better form than the orginal setllement, which comprises but a few ruins of structures part of the evolving Jamestown.
Letters from Jamestown are surprisingly readable despite four centuries of langauge change and speak of the importance of "worshipp and praye" to the people of the first years of Jamestown.
Our presiding Bishop has been part of the celebrations marking this anniversary.
Episcopalians join celebration of first Anglicans in Virginia
Now on to the next four-hundred years!
Thursday, April 26
Views of the Family's Church
Cirencester Parish Church
We all remember the Churches that played important roles in our lives - where we went to Sunday School, where we were Confirmed, where we went when we were in College, where we were married.....
Sometimes we have chance to return & visit our old familiars for a service.
Cirencester Parish Church is arguably Alison's family church (there are four Anglican Churches in Cirencester) and is where we were married.
Though it lacks the hirarchy of being a Cathedral, it is so sized and fitted.
Properly called "The Parish Church of St John Baptist" the there has been a church here for over 1000 years.
The Church's age is amazing - the church has had a set of bells in the church tower since around 1499. The full complement of 12 bells was installed in 1722 and the church was amongst the first to have such.
(During 1984-85 the bell frame was replaced and a new bell added - the first addition in over 250 years!!)
The main pews seat 500 and the church has 4 side chapels.
Alison & I have vastly fond memories of our marriage in the main church, and if all works well our dear friend Linda who sang at our wedding in St John the Baptist will sing for us at St James this autumn during her travels.
Though Alison only makes to services at St John the Baptist two or three times in a year, it remains a favorite church experience.
Steve
We all remember the Churches that played important roles in our lives - where we went to Sunday School, where we were Confirmed, where we went when we were in College, where we were married.....
Sometimes we have chance to return & visit our old familiars for a service.
Cirencester Parish Church is arguably Alison's family church (there are four Anglican Churches in Cirencester) and is where we were married.
Though it lacks the hirarchy of being a Cathedral, it is so sized and fitted. 
Properly called "The Parish Church of St John Baptist" the there has been a church here for over 1000 years.
The Church's age is amazing - the church has had a set of bells in the church tower since around 1499. The full complement of 12 bells was installed in 1722 and the church was amongst the first to have such.
(During 1984-85 the bell frame was replaced and a new bell added - the first addition in over 250 years!!)
The main pews seat 500 and the church has 4 side chapels.
Alison & I have vastly fond memories of our marriage in the main church, and if all works well our dear friend Linda who sang at our wedding in St John the Baptist will sing for us at St James this autumn during her travels.
Though Alison only makes to services at St John the Baptist two or three times in a year, it remains a favorite church experience.
Steve
Friday, April 20
St George's Day - Rule Britannia
Who was St George? What is myth and what is fact? Did he really slay the Dragon? Why is he such a popular Saint, celebrated in so many Countries, Races, Religions and Organisations?
The celebration of St George's Day is currently fairly low key in England and much more celebrated elsewhere. However, the Society and its members are clearly succeeding in their constant efforts to revive St. George's Day as the day on which to celebrate being English.
There are many legends in many cultures about St. George, but they all have a common theme; he must have been an outstanding character in his lifetime, for his reputation to have survived for almost 1,700 years!
Most authorities on the subject seem to agree that he was born in Cappadocia in what is now Turkey, in about the year 280 AD. It is probable that from his physical description, he was of Darian origin, because of his tall stature and fair hair. He enlisted into the Cavalry of the Roman Army at the age of 17, during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian and very quickly established a reputation amongst his peers, for his virtuous behaviour and physical strength; his military bearing, valour and handsome good looks.
He quickly achieved the rank of Millenary or Tribunus Militum, an officer's rank roughly equivalent to a full Colonel, in charge of a regiment of 1,000 men and became a particular favourite of his Emperor. Diocletian was a skilled military tactician and strict disciplinarian, who set himself the task of rejuvenating the morale of the citizens of Rome by reviving the prevailing traditions and paganism of Rome. It may be recalled that this was a time of high inflation and civil unrest and one outcome of this was the increasing influence of Christianity.
Diocletian's second in Command was Galerius, the conqueror of Persia and an avid supporter of the Pagan religion. As a result of a rumour that the Christians were plotting the death of Galerius, an edict was issued that all Christian Churches were to be destroyed and all scriptures to be burnt. Anyone admitting to being a Christian, would lose his rights as a citizen, if not his life.
As a consequence, Diocletian took strict action against any alternative forms of religion in general and the Christian faith in particular. He achieved the reputation of being perhaps the cruellest persecutor of Christians at that time.
Many Christians feared to be loyal to their God; but, having become a convert to Christianity, St. George acted to limit the excesses of Diocletian's actions against the Christians. He went to the city of Nicomedia where, upon entering, he tore down the notice of the Emperor's edict. St. George gained great respect for his compassion towards Diocletian's victims.
As news spread of his rebellion against the persecutions St. George realised that, as both Diocletian and Galerius were in the city, it would not be long before he was arrested.He prepared for the event by disposing of his property to the poor and he freed his slaves.
When he appeared before Diocietian, it is said that St. George bravely denounced him for his unnecessary cruelty and injustice and that he made an eloquent and courageous speech. He stirred the populace with his powerful and convincing rhetoric against the Imperial Decree to persecute Christians. Diocietian refused to acknowledge or accede to St. George's reasoned, reproachful condemnation of his actions. The Emperor consigned St George to prison with instructions that he be tortured until he denied his faith in Christ.
St George, having defended his faith was beheaded at Nicomedia near Lyddia in Palestine on the 23rd of April in the year 303 AD.
Stories of St. George's courage soon spread and his reputation grew very quickly. He soon became known in Russia and the Ukraine as the Trophy Bearer and his remains are said to have been buried in the church that bears his name in Lydda. However, his head was carried to Rome, where it was preserved in the Church that is also dedicated to him.
St George was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church and is recognised in the liturgy of the Russian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Churches as well as the Roman Catholic Church. He has been revered in the Ukraine since Christianity was established in 988 AD by Volodymyr the Great the Prince of the Kyivan empire. The Romanesque Monastic order in Prague established St. George's Church in the Castle in the year 920AD and in the year 1119 AD the Cathedral of St George was founded in Novgorod. His reputation for virtue and chivalrous conduct became the spiritual inspiration of the Crusaders and by this time the pennant or flag with a red cross on a white or silver background became prominent as a means of recognition by English Knights. It was also worn on breast plates.
In the year 1348 King Edward Ill established the Knights of the Garter, which is the oldest order of Chivalry in Europe. The Order of the Garter was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Edward the Confessor and St George. The Insignia of the order consists of a collar and badge appendant known as the George, the Star, the Garter and the Sash with the Investment Badge called the lesser George. This is a gold and richly enamelled representation of St George on horseback slaying the dragon.
A similar representation of St George can be seen in our Armorial Bearings and in the collar and appendant that officers of The Royal Society wear.
In 1352 the College of St George was established in Windsor, with 6 Chorister boys and since then, St George's school has played an important role in the daily worship and on State Occasions in the Queen's Free Chapel of St George in Windsor Castle. By providing free education and sustenance for the boys, a priceless musical inheritance in choral worship has been established and their numbers increased until the Plague struck in 1479 when the numbers were reduced from thirteen to six again but recovered to thirteen by Michaelmas in 1482.
It was in the year 1415 AD that St. George became the Patron Saint of England when English Soldiers under Henry V won the battle of Agincourt.
In 1497 in the reign of Henry VIII, the pennant of the Cross of St. George was flown by John Cabot when he sailed to Newfoundland and it was also flown by Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1620 it was the flag that was flown by the Mayflower when the Pilgrim Fathers arrived in Plymouth Massachusetts. It is also the flag of the Church of England and as such is known throughout Christendom.
Wednesday, April 18
A Presidential Affirmation of Faith
Tragedy tests faith. Our President's remarks yesterday were perhaps one of the finest public affirmations of faith from our country's leadership:
President Bush's remarks Tuesday in Blacksburg, Va., as transcribed by the White House:
Governor, thank you. President Steger, thank you very much. Students, and faculty, and staff, and grieving family members, and members of this really extraordinary place.
Laura and I have come to Blacksburg today with hearts full of sorrow. This is a day of mourning for the Virginia Tech community - and it is a day of sadness for our entire nation. We've come to express our sympathy. In this time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking about you, and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been affected.
Yesterday began like any other day. Students woke up, and they grabbed their backpacks and they headed for class. And soon the day took a dark turn, with students and faculty barricading themselves in classrooms and dormitories - confused, terrified, and deeply worried. By the end of the morning, it was the worst day of violence on a college campus in American history - and for many of you here today, it was the worst day of your lives.
It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering. Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone - and they leave behind grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation.
In such times as this, we look for sources of strength to sustain us. And in this moment of loss, you're finding these sources everywhere around you. These sources of strength are in this community, this college community. You have a compassionate and resilient community here at Virginia Tech. Even as yesterday's events were still unfolding, members of this community found each other; you came together in dorm rooms and dining halls and on blogs. One recent graduate wrote this: "I don't know most of you guys, but we're all Hokies, which means we're family. To all of you who are okay, I'm happy for that. For those of you who are in pain or have lost someone close to you, I'm sure you can call on any one of us and have help any time you need it."
These sources of strength are with your loved ones. For many of you, your first instinct was to call home and let your moms and dads know that you were okay. Others took on the terrible duty of calling the relatives of a classmate or a colleague who had been wounded or lost. I know many of you feel awfully far away from people you lean on and people you count on during difficult times. But as a dad, I can assure you, a parent's love is never far from their child's heart. And as you draw closer to your own families in the coming days, I ask you to reach out to those who ache for sons and daughters who will never come home.
These sources of strength are also in the faith that sustains so many of us. Across the town of Blacksburg and in towns all across America, houses of worship from every faith have opened their doors and have lifted you up in prayer. People who have never met you are praying for you; they're praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There's a power in these prayers, real power. In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God. As the Scriptures tell us, "Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
And on this terrible day of mourning, it's hard to imagine that a time will come when life at Virginia Tech will return to normal. But such a day will come. And when it does, you will always remember the friends and teachers who were lost yesterday, and the time you shared with them, and the lives they hoped to lead. May God bless you. May God bless and keep the souls of the lost. And may His love touch all those who suffer and grieve.
President Bush's remarks Tuesday in Blacksburg, Va., as transcribed by the White House:
Governor, thank you. President Steger, thank you very much. Students, and faculty, and staff, and grieving family members, and members of this really extraordinary place.
Laura and I have come to Blacksburg today with hearts full of sorrow. This is a day of mourning for the Virginia Tech community - and it is a day of sadness for our entire nation. We've come to express our sympathy. In this time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking about you, and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been affected.
Yesterday began like any other day. Students woke up, and they grabbed their backpacks and they headed for class. And soon the day took a dark turn, with students and faculty barricading themselves in classrooms and dormitories - confused, terrified, and deeply worried. By the end of the morning, it was the worst day of violence on a college campus in American history - and for many of you here today, it was the worst day of your lives.
It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering. Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone - and they leave behind grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation.
In such times as this, we look for sources of strength to sustain us. And in this moment of loss, you're finding these sources everywhere around you. These sources of strength are in this community, this college community. You have a compassionate and resilient community here at Virginia Tech. Even as yesterday's events were still unfolding, members of this community found each other; you came together in dorm rooms and dining halls and on blogs. One recent graduate wrote this: "I don't know most of you guys, but we're all Hokies, which means we're family. To all of you who are okay, I'm happy for that. For those of you who are in pain or have lost someone close to you, I'm sure you can call on any one of us and have help any time you need it."
These sources of strength are with your loved ones. For many of you, your first instinct was to call home and let your moms and dads know that you were okay. Others took on the terrible duty of calling the relatives of a classmate or a colleague who had been wounded or lost. I know many of you feel awfully far away from people you lean on and people you count on during difficult times. But as a dad, I can assure you, a parent's love is never far from their child's heart. And as you draw closer to your own families in the coming days, I ask you to reach out to those who ache for sons and daughters who will never come home.
These sources of strength are also in the faith that sustains so many of us. Across the town of Blacksburg and in towns all across America, houses of worship from every faith have opened their doors and have lifted you up in prayer. People who have never met you are praying for you; they're praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There's a power in these prayers, real power. In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God. As the Scriptures tell us, "Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
And on this terrible day of mourning, it's hard to imagine that a time will come when life at Virginia Tech will return to normal. But such a day will come. And when it does, you will always remember the friends and teachers who were lost yesterday, and the time you shared with them, and the lives they hoped to lead. May God bless you. May God bless and keep the souls of the lost. And may His love touch all those who suffer and grieve.
Wednesday, April 4
Lest We Forget Friends Across the Street - a zisn peysekh!
As we remember that God the Creator made us all.
a zisn peysekh!
(Have a sweet Passover!)
a zisn peysekh!
(Have a sweet Passover!)
Friday, March 30
Thank You Dr Anne !!
I am sure we all offer our heartfelt thanks to Dr Anne for her service on Vestry and as our Junior Warden.
As many of you will have started to read in Fr Tom's informational on Dr Anne's resignation, Anne has stepped down from her Warden's role at St. James.
I am sure as time goes by she will be able to share herself what lead to herr decision.
I am sure as time goes by she will be able to share herself what lead to herr decision.
Thank you Dr Anne for all you have done and glad to have you with us "regular folk" again!
Steve & Alison
Thursday, March 1
Check out photos
Photos of Shrove Tuesday, the Crafters for Outreach, and Joanna Sanchez's reception into the church on 2/25/07 at St. Anne's DePere are available for viewing at My Family -- St. James. If you need an invitation to that site please let me know. Anne
Sunday adult forum - feedback and ideas
Every Sunday from 8:45-9:45 AM, adults gather in the fellowship space on the lower level for an adult forum. These sessions are designed to be a la carte. There is no commitment to reading a book or preparing for the session--come as you are! These sessions do not require weekly attendance--come when you can!
Previous and upcoming topics include:
January 14 - Habitat for Humanity - with Bill Duran and Jean Wakefield
January 21 - Presentation on India - with Pradeep Giriyappa
January 28 - History of the Great Litany - with Fr. Tom McAlpine
February 4 - Open forum with the Bishop - with Bishop Russ Jacobus
February 11 - Hospice care presentation - with Sister Jean Herman
February 18 - "Grousin' Buddies" - book discussion with author Bob Feller
February 25 - "Voice of Young Adults" - DVD and discussion
March 4 - What is lay ministry? - discussion with Fr. Tom McAlpine
March 11 - "Women in the Early Church" - DVD and discussion
March 18 - "Windows on Mission" - DVD and discussion
March 25 - Appalachian Service Project - presentation by Jon Buggs
Sally Hunner has been coordinating presenters. Tony Karl has been facilitating the DVD viewing and discussions. We are looking for your feedback and ideas!
What topics have you enjoyed most? What topics are you sorry you missed? What topics would you like to discuss in the future? Do any speakers come to mind? Any video/DVD presentations come to mind? Anything else?
Previous and upcoming topics include:
January 14 - Habitat for Humanity - with Bill Duran and Jean Wakefield
January 21 - Presentation on India - with Pradeep Giriyappa
January 28 - History of the Great Litany - with Fr. Tom McAlpine
February 4 - Open forum with the Bishop - with Bishop Russ Jacobus
February 11 - Hospice care presentation - with Sister Jean Herman
February 18 - "Grousin' Buddies" - book discussion with author Bob Feller
February 25 - "Voice of Young Adults" - DVD and discussion
March 4 - What is lay ministry? - discussion with Fr. Tom McAlpine
March 11 - "Women in the Early Church" - DVD and discussion
March 18 - "Windows on Mission" - DVD and discussion
March 25 - Appalachian Service Project - presentation by Jon Buggs
Sally Hunner has been coordinating presenters. Tony Karl has been facilitating the DVD viewing and discussions. We are looking for your feedback and ideas!
What topics have you enjoyed most? What topics are you sorry you missed? What topics would you like to discuss in the future? Do any speakers come to mind? Any video/DVD presentations come to mind? Anything else?
Welcome to our blog!
Thanks for visiting our blog. Feel free to join in the conversation, or to simply read the threads. Anyone may comment on the blog. Please e-mail Tony Karl if you'd like to be an author (one of the people who can make new posts).
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