[ELD] Iowa flooding devastates communities, displaces thousands; ERD responds

[Matthew Davies]

Episcopal Life Daily
June 17, 2008

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

Today's Episcopal Life Daily includes:

* TOP STORIES - Iowa flooding devastates communities, displaces thousands;
ERD responds
* WORLD REPORT - ENGLAND: Archbishops of Canterbury, York respond to
blessing of gay priests' civil partnership
* EDUCATION - EDS begins search process for president and dean, announces
interim management team
* OPINION - 24-hour turnaround: Virginia Tech shootings transformed mother's
perspective on what tragedy means
* DAYBOOK - June 18, 2008: Today in Scripture, Prayer, History
* CATALYST - The Mystery of the Child

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TOP STORIES

Iowa flooding devastates communities, displaces thousands; ERD responds

[ERD] Episcopal Relief and Development (http://www.er-d.org) (ERD) is
providing emergency assistance to communities devastated by ongoing flooding
in Iowa. So far the flood waters are responsible for the deaths of five
people, the displacement of 38,000 others and have inflicted up to $1
billion in damage to Iowa's agricultural sector.

The damage to infrastructure is severe. Across eastern Iowa, the flooding
rivers have washed out railroad lines, halted barge traffic on the
Mississippi River and closed major roadways. Twenty-four counties have been
declared disaster areas to date.

More rain is expected in the region and officials fear that flood waters
will breech 27 levees along the Mississippi River in Iowa and Missouri later
this week.

Working with its partner the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, ERD is providing
emergency assistance to people who have been displaced from their homes.
Families will be given temporary shelter and provided with food, clothing,
first aid and other basic necessities.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_97952_ENG_HTM.htm

More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_ENG_HTM.htm

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WORLD REPORT

ENGLAND: Archbishops of Canterbury, York respond to blessing of gay priests'
civil partnership
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_97928_ENG_HTM.htm

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

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EDUCATION

EDS begins search process for president and dean, announces interim
management team
 
[Episcopal Divinity School] Brett Donham, chair of the Episcopal Divinity
School's board of trustees, has announced plans for the search process for a
new president and dean, and the interim management structure for the School
until a new president and dean is installed, filling the position left
vacant by the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, who announced his plans to resign
as EDS president and dean in March 2008.

The search committee, chaired by trustee Doug Beaven, is made up of
trustees, faculty, administrators, staff, students, and alumni/ae. According
to Donham, the committee is charged with "advising the board of trustees on
the selection of a new president who will provide the future leadership of
EDS in spiritual, academic, and administrative realms." The committee held
its first meeting on May 13 and has a two day retreat planned for June 30
and July 1 at which time the committee will begin to develop the position
description and profile of the ideal candidate, with the goal of advertising
the position later this summer. It is expected that the search process will
take 15 to 18 months. For a list of search committee members, visit the EDS
website and click on Search Process.

Regarding the transition period, Donham said, "After consultation with the
deans, the deans executive committee (DEC), and trustees, the board of
trustees at their May meeting made the decision to establish a Deans Council
made up of the Academic Dean [The Rev. Dr. Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook], the Dean
of Students and Community Life [The Rev. Karen Montagno], and the Dean of
Administration [The Rev. Dr. Ran Chase], which jointly will administer the
school during the interim period. They will meet monthly with me. This plan
began on June 1, 2008, coinciding with the start of Steven Charleston's
terminal vacation, and will continue until the new president and dean takes
office."

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/78650_97930_ENG_HTM.htm

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OPINION

24-hour turnaround

Virginia Tech shootings transformed mother's perspective on what tragedy
means

By Judi Folmsbee

[Episcopal Life] After reading the article "Virginia Tech anniversary" by
the Rev. Scott Russell, I found that my emotions of a year ago had
resurfaced. My personal turmoil had started the day before, exactly one year
ago. Let me explain.

On Sunday, April 15, 2007, my husband, Rick, and I received a phone call
from our son, Heath. He is a member of the Virginia National Guard, and he
had called to inform us that he had just received notification that he and
his fellow soldiers would be going to Iraq.

I immediately had that dull numbness that you get when you hear information
that isn't pleasant.

Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80050_97931_ENG_HTM.htm

More Opinion: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80050_ENG_HTM.htm

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DAYBOOK

On June 18, 2008, the Church calendar remembers Bernard Mizeki, catechist
and martyr in Rhodesia (c.1861-1896)

* 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 18, 1998, Frederick H. Borsch, former dean of
the Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP), was consecrated Bishop of
Los Angeles.

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CATALYST

"The Mystery of the Child" from Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., by Martin E.
Marty, 256 pages, hardcover, c. 2007, $24

[Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.] Much of today's literature on children
treats the child of any age as a problem or a set of problems to be solved,
effectively reducing the child to a complex of biological and chemical
factors, explainable in scientific terms, or to someone who is the object of
control by adults. In contrast, Martin Marty here presents the child as a
mystery who invokes wonder and elicits creative responses that affect the
care provided him or her. Drawing on literature as new as contemporary
poetry and as old as the Bible, The Mystery of the Child encourages the
thoughtful enjoyment of children instead of the imposition of adult will and
control. Indeed, Marty treats the impulse to control as a problem and
highlights qualities associated with children -- responsiveness,
receptivity, openness to wonder -- that can become sources of renewal for
adults. 

The Mystery of the Child represents a new tack for Martin Marty --
universally respected as a historian, theologian, and interpreter of
religion and culture -- but displays the same incisive, erudite quality
marking the fifty-plus books and thousands of articles that Marty has
previously written. His broad, thoughtful perspective will inspire readers
to think afresh about what it means to be a child and what it means to be a
caregiver. 

This book is sure to claim a wide readership -- parents, grandparents,
teachers, humanists, theologians, historians -- engaging anyone wanting to
explore more fully the profound realm of the child.

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