[ELD] Sudan needs prayer and action, Episcopal, Lutheran presiding bishops urge in joint statement / Philippine human rights concerns raised by Presiding Bishop in Manila / ERD commemorates World Environment Day

[Matthew Davies]

Episcopal Life Daily
June 5, 2008

Episcopal Life Online is available at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.

Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:

* TOP STORY - Sudan needs prayer and action, Episcopal, Lutheran
presiding bishops urge in joint statement
* TOP STORY - Philippine human rights concerns raised by Presiding
Bishop in Manila
* TOP STORY - Episcopal Relief and Development commemorates World
Environment Day
* DIOCESAN DIGEST - NORTH DAKOTA: Bishop Carol Gallagher to provide
pastoral care in diocese
* DIOCESAN DIGEST - SOUTHERN VIRGINIA: Five bishop nominees announced;
election set for September 27
* WORLD REPORT - WEST INDIES: ERD responds to 'surprise' Tropical Storm
Arthur in Belize
* MULTIMEDIA - Rochester Bishop Prince G. Singh
* DAYBOOK - June 6, 2008: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - The Promise: God's Purpose and Plan for when Life Hurts

_____________________


TOP STORIES

Sudan needs prayer and action, Episcopal, Lutheran presiding bishops
urge in joint statement
 
[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson
have issued a joint statement calling for prayer and action for the
people of Sudan following a new wave of violence in Abyei that "has
threatened the resumption of widespread conflict in a nation just three
years removed from decades of civil war."

Acknowledging an urgent need for humanitarian assistance "in order to
assist those newly displaced from their homes who now suffer without
food, clean water, or shelter," the presiding bishops are asking that
donations be made to Episcopal Relief and Development or ELCA
International Disaster Response 

Full statement: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_97640_ENG_HTM.htm

- - - - -

Philippine human rights concerns raised by Presiding Bishop in Manila

By Fred Vergara and Peter Ng

[Episcopal News Service, Manila] Extra-judicial killings and human
rights abuses were some of the issues discussed by Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines
Kristie Kenney at a June 4 meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
Jefferts Schori is currently in the Philippines for her first official
visit to the Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP) and its
ecumenical partners. 

Accompanied by the Obispo Maximo of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente
(IFI), the Most Rev. Godofredo David, and Prime Bishop-elect Edward
Malecdan of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Jefferts Schori
underscored the need to press the issue of human rights abuses, that has
long been the concern of the Philippine Church, and to inquire what role
the U.S. Embassy plays in pursuing this concern.

"The Episcopal Church is concerned with the issue of violation of human
rights because it is part of our baptismal covenant as Christians to
'respect the dignity of every human being' and because it has been a
consistent concern of our sister churches and ecumenical partners in the
Philippines," Jefferts Schori said.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_97636_ENG_HTM.htm

- - - - -

Episcopal Relief and Development commemorates World Environment Day

[ERD] Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) commemorates World
Environment Day June 5. The slogan for 2008, "Kick the Habit! Towards a
Low Carbon Economy," is a call to action to safeguard the earth against
the destructive impact of climate change and to protect the health and
well-being of all people. 

By working to achieve Millennium Development Goal 7 -- ensure
environmental sustainability -- ERD has said it is committed to
protecting the earth's threatened ecosystem. The organization's programs
to alleviate hunger, create economic opportunities, promote health and
fight disease, and respond to disasters "are implemented with respect
for the earth and defend against environmental degradation while
alleviating the suffering caused by poverty," an ERD release said.

"Episcopal Relief and Development's programs strive to help individuals
to address and to counteract the devastating effects of climate change
at the local level," says Abagail Nelson, ERD's senior vice president of
programs. 

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_97634_ENG_HTM.htm

More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife

_____________________


DIOCESAN DIGEST

NORTH DAKOTA: Bishop Carol Gallagher to provide pastoral care in diocese
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_97642_ENG_HTM.htm

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA: Five bishop nominees announced; election set for
September 27
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_97628_ENG_HTM.htm

More Diocesan news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_ENG_HTM.htm

_____________________


WORLD REPORT

WEST INDIES: ERD responds to 'surprise' Tropical Storm Arthur in Belize
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_97639_ENG_HTM.htm

More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm

_____________________


MULTIMEDIA

Rochester Bishop Prince G. Singh

[Episcopal News Service] The Rt. Rev. Prince G. Singh speaks about the
Episcopal Diocese of Rochester. Singh was ordained and consecrated May
31 as the 8th bishop of Rochester.

Video: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81231_ENG_HTM.htm

More Multimedia: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80056_ENG_HTM.htm

_____________________


DAYBOOK

On June 6, 2008...

* Today in Scripture: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm
* Today in Prayer: Anglican Cycle of Prayer:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/index.cfm
* Today in History: On June 6, 1998, Jack Croneberger was elected bishop
coadjutor on the fourth ballot to succeed Bishop John Spong.

_____________________


CATALYST

"The Promise: God's Purpose and Plan for when Life Hurts" from
HarperCollins Publishers, by Fr. Jonathan Morris, 230 pages, hardcover,
c. 2008, $24.95

[HarperCollins Publishers] In his work as a priest and commentator
[...], Father Jonathan Morris has traveled to the troubled spots of the
world, meeting with Muslim youth during the rioting in Paris, sitting
down with populists at odds with the Church in Venezuela, and
investigating human trafficking in Germany. Now Father Jonathan peels
back the layers of questions that arise when someone asks, "Why me?" in
response to human suffering. With an accessible voice and calming
pastoral guidance, Father Jonathan leads readers through each step of
suffering-from doubt and anger to healing and acceptance. 

The Promise comprises three parts, each addressing a step in the process
of healing. Part 1, "God on Trial," speaks to doubts and anger that
arise when we suffer and poses tough questions such as "Does God even
care?" and "Why should we trust a God who allows innocent suffering?"
Part 2 takes the reader on a journey of finding emotional and spiritual
healing from suffering. In part 3 Father Jonathan introduces the five
"Principles for Freedom-Living." From living your personal vocation to a
step-by-step guide for sketching a plan for your spiritual life, the
freedom principles are practical and easily applied to everyday life.
Together these five principles have the power to transform what would
otherwise be useless suffering into a means of great sanctification and
personal fulfillment. While pulling back the layers of philosophy and
theology that surround human suffering, Father Jonathan offers not only
a deeply spiritual answer but also a practical one to this most
fundamental of human questions: Why do we suffer? 

The Promise not only addresses how to understand and live with
suffering, but also poses the toughest question regarding our
relationship to God: Why do we suffer under a benevolent God? Father
Jonathan delves into how we can heal from the spiritual, emotional, and
even physical scars left behind by suffering. The Promise offers five
principles for living a free life, or a life free of the fear that God
is not there for us, and offers comfort and hope to those experiencing
hard times. 

To order: Episcopal Books and Resources, online at
http://www.episcopalbookstore.org, or call 800-903-5544 -- or visit your
local Episcopal bookseller, http://www.episcopalbooksellers.org

More Catalyst: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/83842_ENG_HTM.htm