[ELD] Executive Council to meet June 13-15 in Albuquerque, New Mexico / New print advertisement available

[Matthew Davies]

Episcopal Life Daily
June 11, 2008

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

Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:

* TOP STORY - Executive Council to meet June 13-15 in Albuquerque, New
Mexico
* TOP STORY - New print advertisement available
* DIOCESAN DIGEST - CALIFORNIA: California bishop urges all couples to
seek civil union first, then church blessing
* DIOCESAN DIGEST - PENNSYLVANIA: Witnesses say bishop negligent in
caring for abuse victim
* DIOCESAN DIGEST - SOUTHERN OHIO: Ground Broken for New Trend in
Nursing Care
* PEOPLE - Margaret Bullitt-Jonas receives EDS's 2008 Distinguished
Alumni Award
* WEEKS AHEAD - Upcoming special events and services
* SPIRITUAL REFLECTION - Fifth Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 6 - Year A
[RCL]
* DAYBOOK - June 12: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - C. S. Lewis as Philosopher

_____________________


TOP STORIES

Executive Council to meet June 13-15 in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Public narrative experiential training follows meeting

By Mary Frances Schjonberg

[Episcopal News Service] Continuing preparation of a proposed 2010-2012
budget for the Episcopal Church
(http://episcopalchurch.org/13299_19849_ENG_HTM.htm) is high on the
Executive Council's agenda for its June 13-15 gathering in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, seat of the Diocese of the Rio Grande
(http://www.dioceserg.org).

Council will also consider requests from its Committee on Indigenous
Ministries
(http://episcopalchurch.org/gc/ccab/ccab_21595_343031_ENG_HTM.htm)
(ECCIM) and Navajoland Area Mission (http://episcopal-navajo.org) to
reverse a five-percent reduction made in the 2008 budget allocation to
the church's Domestic Partnership block grant program. The reduction
amounted to about $67,000 less than what Navajoland, the dioceses of
Alaska (http://home.gci.net/~episcopalak), North Dakota
(http://www.episcopal-nd.org), South Dakota (http://www.diocesesd.org),
the Indigenous Theological Training Institute
(http://episcopalchurch.org/6057_91653_ENG_HTM.htm?menu=menu81302) and
ECCIM's New Opportunities grant program
(http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/New_Opps_Guidlines.pdf)
expected to receive.

At its last meeting in February, the Executive Council approved a
revised 2008 Episcopal Church budget that included reductions to several
programs, including the Domestic Partnership program. More information
about the process as it related to the program is available here
(http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_96729_ENG_HTM.htm).

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_97768_ENG_HTM.htm

- - - - -

New print advertisement available

[Episcopal News Service] A new print advertisement in the Episcopal
Church's new "Put Your Faith to Work" series is now available for public
media placements beginning with a June 13 insertion in USA Today.

Building on a theme of "Rolling up your sleeves," the new ad carries a
link to an online visitors website, http://www.putyourfaithtowork.org,
where the new ad is also posted for viewing.

Congregations and dioceses are welcome to fund local placements of the
ads. Copies may be requested free of charge by writing to
info at episcopalchurch.org, or phoning 800-334-7626, extension 6136. 

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_97767_ENG_HTM.htm

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

_____________________


DIOCESAN DIGEST

CALIFORNIA: California bishop urges all couples to seek civil union
first, then church blessing
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_97769_ENG_HTM.htm

PENNSYLVANIA: Witnesses say bishop negligent in caring for abuse victim
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_97745_ENG_HTM.htm

SOUTHERN OHIO: Ground Broken for New Trend in Nursing Care
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_97770_ENG_HTM.htm

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

_____________________


PEOPLE

Margaret Bullitt-Jonas receives EDS's 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award

[Episcopal Divinity School] During Alumni/ae Days this spring, Episcopal
Divinity School honored the work of Margaret Bullitt-Jonas '88 by
presenting her with the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award at the Alumni/ae
Dinner and Awards Presentation on May 1.

The annual award is presented to an alumnus or alumnae of Episcopal
Divinity School, and its predecessor schools, Episcopal Theological
School and Philadelphia Divinity School, who through their work and
ministry carries out the EDS mission to bring "justice, compassion, and
reconciliation to all." Bullitt-Jonas was recognized as "a leader in the
spiritual renewal of the Episcopal Church," said Jayne Oasin '00, who
presented the award along with Dan Weir '72. "Through her teaching,
writing, and sharing she has helped to center our community in a life of
faith and prayer." Bullitt-Jonas was also recognized for her steadfast
work concerning environmental issues. Oasin continued, "She is a leader
in the movement for environmental justice. Her witness to this core
human concern has been a powerful sign of hope for many who hold the
Earth sacred."

Bullitt-Jonas received a Ph.D in 1984, and entered Episcopal Divinity
School, where she earned an M.Div degree and was ordained in the
Episcopal Church. She served for 15 years as a parish priest in the
Boston area and in 2004 began serving at Grace Episcopal Church in
Amherst, Massachusetts. Since 1986 she has led retreats and conferences
around the country for diocesan, clergy, and parish groups, as well as
for religious communities, women's groups, and young adults. From
1992-2005, she served as a lecturer in Pastoral Theology at EDS, where
she taught courses on prayer, spiritual formation, addiction, and
environmental ministry. Bullitt-Jonas is a graduate of the Spiritual
Guidance program of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation (1988),
and a member of Spiritual Directors International. For several years she
served as a chaplain to the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_97772_ENG_HTM.htm

More People: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81831_ENG_HTM.htm

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WEEKS AHEAD

A round-up of upcoming special events, services, concerts and diocesan
conventions taking place throughout the Episcopal Church is available at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/78650_1669_ENG_HTM.htm

_____________________


SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 6 - Year A [RCL]
Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) and Psalm 116: 1, 10-17 or Exodus 19:2-8a and
Psalm 100; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)

By Frank Hegedus
 
[Sermons That Work] "Jesus went about all the cities and villages." --
Matthew 9:35 
Scripture is replete with images and stories of journey. We could site,
for example, the epic journey of Abraham and Sarah from Ur in
present-day Iraq -- the center of ancient civilization -- to what was to
become the promised land of Israel. Later, the Israelites escape from
slavery in Egypt, trekking for many years through "the wilderness of
Sinai" on their return to a promised homeland, which likely none of them
had ever seen. And in the New Testament, Paul makes his way across the
Mediterranean world, spreading the good news of the gospel and
proclaiming, in the profound words of our second reading today, "that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 

It sometimes must seem as if the people of the Bible cannot sit still.
They are always on the road. But these are not tourists or sightseers on
holiday. There is purpose behind each journey recounted in scripture.
Each crossing comes with promise and proclamation. "If you obey my voice
and keep my covenant," the Lord tells the Israelites in our first
reading, "you shall be my treasured possession...a priestly kingdom and
a holy nation." The journey will have a purpose. It will be worth the
effort. Israel must only keep "all these words" that the Lord has
commanded. In response to the Lord's challenge, the people proclaim --
perhaps a bit too enthusiastically -- "Everything that the Lord has
spoken we will do." As the Israelites were to discover -- and as we
ourselves know only too well -- that is often easier said than done. 

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82478_97733_ENG_HTM.htm

More Spiritual Reflections:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/82457_ENG_HTM.htm

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DAYBOOK

On June 12, 2008, the Church remembers Enmegahbowh, priest and
missionary (c.1844-1902).

* 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 12, 1458, The College of Saint Mary
Magdalene was founded at Oxford University in England by William of
Waynflete, bishop of Winchester.

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CATALYST

"C. S. Lewis as Philosopher" from InterVarsity Press, edited by David
Baggett, Gary R. Habermas and Jerry L. Walls, 268 pages, paperback, c.
2008, $23

[InterVarsity Press] What did C. S. Lewis think about truth, goodness
and beauty? Here are fifteen essays that explore three major
philosophical themes from the writings of Lewis. David J. Baggett, Gary
R. Habermas and Jerry L. Walls edit this overview of Lewis's
philosophical thinking on arguments for Christianity, the character of
God, theodicy, moral goodness, heaven and hell, a theory of literature,
and the place of the imagination.

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