Worship God with us

Episcopal News

Episcopal Church lays off 14 as presiding bishop marks ‘major milestone’ in churchwide realignment

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe announced staff cuts and the reorganization of several church departments on Feb. ...... as part of an anticipated structural realignment that eventually will reduce churchwide positions from about 14... to 11... and save an estimated $....1... million a year in personnel costs. The announcement, including news that 14 current employees’ positions were eliminated, follows Rowe’s presentations earlier this week to Executive Council outlining the ways he hopes to reorient churchwide operations to prioritize serving dioceses and congregations. The plans were announced to continuing staff in a memo and an afternoon Zoom meeting before the public release. In his Feb. ...... letter to the church, Rowe said these changes “will position us to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ more effectively in the world we see emerging.” The staff cuts involved “difficult decisions,” he said, though the realignment is “the first major milestone” toward strengthening church ministries at the local level. “To realize this vision, we will have to change some of our core staff priorities. In some areas, we will pivot to focusing on investing in strong diocesan programs and initiatives and making them available to the entire church,” Rowe said. “In other areas, we will be trying some experiments to see what might work in today’s church, learning from what we try, and building on what succeeds.” The lengthy announcement covered a wide range of changes in staffing, departmental organization and support for ongoing ministries. The church remains committed to church planting, Rowe said, though those efforts will be reorganized in ways he did not specify. Changes also are planned in how the church promotes evangelism and Christian formation, including through “an active partnership with Forward Movement.” And the offices of Transition Ministry and Pastoral Development will become part of a newly formed “leadership development department.” “I want to be clear that none of these changes indicate a lack of commitment to the ministries that are being reorganized,” Rowe said. “On the contrary, the data we collected over the past months from staff, Executive Council and bishops indicate that these areas of ministry are high priorities, and we want to devote resources and time to new models and opportunities to achieve our priorities.” Executive Council, the church’s governing body between meetings of General Convention, first proposed a “strategic adaptive realignment of our institutional structures” in a June ............ resolution. The realignment also aims to achieve a financial goal identified by the ...1st General Convention in June .........4, when it adopted the .........5-...7 churchwide budget plan. That $14... million spending plan called for nearly $....6 million in personnel savings over three years. The cost reductions to be achieved by Rowe’s staff realignment will not take full effect until the .........6 budget year, but the $....1... million in annual savings are expected to exceed the goal set by General Convention. “This estimate also includes rough projected costs for positions that we know we will need to add in the coming months,” the church said in a separate FAQ document posted online with Rowe’s letter. “In some areas, we will pivot to focusing on investing in strong diocesan programs and initiatives and making them available to the entire church. In other areas, we will be trying some experiments to see what might work in today’s church, learning from what we try and building on what succeeds. Both of these new ways of working will require resources beyond the savings required by the triennial budget.” Rowe further emphasized in his letter that the goal of the realignment isn’t solely cost savings. “By identifying priorities for our work as a staff and restructuring the staff to support dioceses more fully, we believe that we can help The Episcopal Church make an even stronger and more effective witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Rowe said. The announcement did not specify which positions would be eliminated or in which departments. Instead, it provided a numerical snapshot of the staff reductions: Sixteen employees volunteered this month to participate in a retirement incentive program, offered to those who were at least 65. Fourteen additional employees were told Feb. ...... that their positions had been eliminated, and they were offered “a generous severance package and substantial outplacement program to support them as they discern their next vocational steps.” An additional 1... vacant positions will not be filled. When asked by Episcopal News Service about the departments affected by the staff cuts, a church spokesperson responded that the development, formation, pastoral development, transition ministry and church planting departments are being phased out. The restructured operations will continue to serve those ministry areas in other ways. Of the remaining churchwide staff, 17 will be invited to participate in a new employee-development program. “This is one way we hope to develop talent throughout the organization to build capacity for leadership in the years ahead,” Rowe said. He also announced three changes to his senior leadership team: Rebecca Blachly, director of the Washington, D.C.-based Office of Governmental Relations, will take on a broader role as chief of public policy witness. She will oversee global partnership, ecumenical and interreligious relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries, which laid off ...... of its ...... employees in January after President Donald Trump suspended the federal refugee resettlement program. The Rev. Charles Robertson, who previously served as canon to the presiding bishop for ministry beyond The Episcopal Church, will remain on the staff as canon and senior advisor to the presiding bishop. His priorities will include engagement with theological seminaries, assistance to the Diocese of Haiti, partnerships across the Anglican Communion and fundraising. Rowe also concluded that the canonical role of chief operating officer does not need to be filled. Jane Cisluycis, who had been serving as acting chief operating officer, will continue fulfilling many of her existing responsibilities in a newly created position, senior director of operations. In his presentations to Executive Council, Rowe identified several ways that this realignment [.....................]

Episcopalians cleaning up again after floods hit parts of Kentucky, West Virginia

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia are helping to clean up the damage and assess losses after flooding hit the region for the third time in four years. Heavy flooding also occurred in .........1 and ............. The Diocese of Lexington, which covers eastern Kentucky, has been the site of flooding before. Southeastern Kentucky experienced catastrophic flood waters in ............, but flooding was higher in some places this year than in ............, the Rev. Becca Kello, the diocese’s canon missioner, told Episcopal News Service. “The floods rose a little bit slower this time, so people knew more what they needed to do,” she said, helping to account for significantly fewer deaths than the 4... who died in ............. Flooding also occurred in a different part of the diocese this year, Kello said, with Pike County among the hardest hit. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Feb. 1... announced that the death toll in that state from rain, subsequent flood waters, and then freezing temperatures and snow stands at 14 people. Three people died in West Virginia when a truck they were in was swept off the road and into a nearby river. The Rev. Rob Musick is a chaplain at the University of Pikeville as well as priest-in-charge of St. James in nearby Prestonburg, Kentucky. He told ENS that while the downtown area of Pikeville was spared – thanks in large measure to a project that moved the river years ago – surrounding areas were devastated. “Water in some areas was over the tops of buildings,” he said. “It’s a total loss for some communities.” One student, who lives about an hour away in West Virginia, had water up to the roof of her house. He noted that during his time at the university, the region experienced significant flooding in ......1..., .........1, ............ and again this year. With the university closed, he is leading students in cleaning out houses so people can begin to assess their losses and make plans to rebuild. Pike County is part of Kentucky Appalachia, which has suffered from poverty for generations, he said, so the option of rebuilding somewhere else isn’t available to them. Those who lived in now-destroyed mobile homes often had no flood or renters’ insurance so have lost everything without any means to replace it, he said. Luckily, Kello said, churches across the diocese appeared to be spared, although the priority for diocesan leaders has been checking on the safety of parishioners. Many people live in the valleys between Kentucky’s “hills and hollers,” she said, which puts them at greater risk as water rushes downhill. The Diocese of West Virginia, which includes the entire state, has determined that all its churches were spared but still is awaiting word on the status of the Highland Educational Project, the Rev. Jordan Trumble, canon for communications and congregational development, told ENS. The project has been an outreach ministry of the diocese for more than 7... years, she said, serving one of the poorest counties in the United States. It not only provides direct services to area residents but also hosts mission groups from across the country and is the site for a summer reading camp for children. Bishop Matthew Cowden has reported that roads in McDowell County, where the project is located, all are washed out. The diocese is working on a plan to collect and deliver supplies when the roads are open, Trumble said. In addition, several parishes are taking up their own collection of supplies for affected areas in McDowell County and surrounding areas. Some stores in that area have been flooded, and those that are open are quickly running out of supplies, she said. Like eastern Kentucky, West Virginia is mountainous, with towns built at the foot of the hills. That means, Trumble said, that when rain falls and rivers rise, people always are at risk. And this winter has been an especially wet one, with January snow followed by recent rains, and then more snow. The Ven. Josh Saxe, archdeacon for community resilience and disaster response ministries, is leading the diocese’s recovery efforts, Trumble said, adding that previous work in helping church communities develop resiliency in the face of natural disasters has paid off this week. The diocese also has been working with Episcopal Relief ............... Development to help provide funds to affected areas, and it also is collecting money through its website. “We are continuing to assess needs and plan for long-term recovery in these areas,” Trumble said. Lexington’s Kello said that residents of these areas understand what it’s like to live there, but life has become much harder with what she called mega-climate events occurring more often. “People are capable of navigating floods,” she said, “but not these kinds of floods.” — Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

7 times Episcopal and Anglican leaders spoke against Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine

[Episcopal News Service] Russia............17...s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor Ukraine is three years old this month, and Russian aggression dates back more than a decade to ......14, when Russia  sent troops into the Ukrainian region of Crimea and said it was annexing the territory in violation of international law. Russia............17...s three-year war on Ukraine has been devastating for the people of Ukraine, who have lived under constant threat of Russian bombardment and, in eastern regions, of Russian occupation. .....................The large-scale destruction and interruption of power and water supplies throughout the country will likely worsen the living conditions for millions of Ukrainians through a third winter of war,...............1... the United Nations said in an October .........4 update. It also has been deadly for both sides. Ukraine reported a death toll of 4...,......... soldiers as of December .........4. On the Russian side, 17...,......... troops had been killed as of early January, according to one estimate. Verifying such estimates has been a challenge for independent observers and news outlets covering the war. The Trump administration recently began what it said were negotiations with Russia to end the war, without including Ukraine in those talks, and President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Ukraine was to blame for Russia............17...s war. Since Russia............17...s initial invasion of Ukraine on Feb. ...4, ............ — and even before that attack — The Episcopal Church and its leaders have spoken out several times to condemn the Russian aggression and offer support for the Ukrainian people. Here are seven examples. January ............: Executive Council adopts statement .....................Executive Council expresses grave concern about the escalation of tensions and military buildup along the border of Russia and Ukraine, and denounces any invasion which would cause great suffering and harm. ..................... Executive Council condemns the illegal annexation of Crimea in ......14 and laments the harms caused to that population and to all Ukrainians................1... March ............: House of Bishops condemns Russian invasion “We are gathered at a moment of profound jeopardy to the principles of international law and peace. As we meet and pray together as a House of Bishops, Ukraine — an independent, sovereign nation that has posed no threat to others beyond its borders — has been invaded by military forces of Russia, without provocation and without justification.” March ............: Presiding Bishop Michael Curry supports Ukraine “[Ukrainians] have a right to defend their freedom and to protect it, and the rest of the world’s got to do whatever it can not to precipitate a worse war that will engulf the whole world, but to do everything possible to stand for human rights and decency. That’s not utopian thinking,” Curry, then the church............17...s presiding bishop, told Episcopal News Service. March ............: Anglican Primates............17... Meeting backs Ukraine in communiqué  .....................We are particularly aware of the humanitarian crisis and other catastrophic effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We call for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. We know, from our experience in the different parts of the world we are from, that conflict causes lasting damage. The longer a war goes on, the longer it takes to heal shattered relationships and bring about reconciliation................1... July ............: ......th General Convention adopts Ukraine resolution .....................Resolved, that the ......th General Convention of The Episcopal Church condemn the aggression launched by the Russian Federation on the sovereign and independent nation of Ukraine on February ...4, ............... and be it further resolved that this convention call on the leaders of the Russian Federation and its supporters to cease their aggression and enter immediately into good-faith negotiations in which Ukraine’s sovereignty and security are assured and call those among the nations of the world who may have the capacity to influence the choices made by those directing this war urgently to do so................1... February ............: Episcopal Church issues statement after year of war .....................Thousands of people have died, with many more being injured or displaced as a result of this war. We lament the loss of life and the human suffering this conflict has caused................1... June .........4: ...1st General Convention adopts Ukraine resolution General Convention called .....................for the Russian Federation to end its attacks in Ukraine, and for a just peace to be negotiated respecting all of Ukraine’s pre-......14 territory as recognized by international law................1...

Archbishop of York sends prayers for Pope Francis’ recovery

[The Catholic Diocese of Westminster] Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has written to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, expressing his prayers, along with those of many faithful Anglicans, for the health of Pope Francis during his period of hospitalization. The text of Cottrell............17...s letter follows. My dear brother in Christ, I wanted to be in touch, given the continued news about the Pope............17...s health. This comes to assure you and the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church, of my prayers and those many faithful Anglicans for the health of Pope Francis during this period of hospitalization... we are praying for a good and swift recovery, for his comfort and peace, and also for all those who tend to him and minister to him. I was present in Rome at the recent Ecumenical Vespers, over which His Holiness presided, and he reminded those in S. Paul............17...s Outside the Walls that hope lies at the heart of the Gospel, the ecumenical endeavor, and this Jubilee year. And so we continue to pray that His Holiness might be nourished by the hope of the Gospel and know the love and healing of Our Lord Jesus Christ in these days and the days ahead. This comes with my warm fraternal greetings. As ever, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell Archbishop of York

Church of England General Synod commits to greater youth representation

[Church of England] The General Synod of the Church of England has voted to strengthen the role of young adults in shaping the church’s future, passing a motion to embed their voices more systematically in national decision-making. The motion, brought by the National Society for Education, will establish a group of up to ......... young adults, ages 1...-...5, from across all dioceses. These young people will contribute directly to Synod’s discussions through surveys, reports and presentations. Up to five representatives from the group will attend each Synod session, ensuring that young adults’ perspectives are heard in a structured and sustained way. The initiative also seeks to encourage more young adults to stand for election to Synod in the future. The decision builds on previous commitments made in July ............, when Synod called for greater engagement with children and young people. Following that resolution, initial funding was secured through the Archbishops’ Council to support this work. This latest step affirms the church’s commitment to becoming .....................younger and more diverse,...............1... embedding young adults’ voices at the heart of its governance. Kenson Li, who moved the motion on behalf of the National Society, said, “This motion is really about encouraging everyone to be intentional about listening and learning from our younger brothers and sisters wherever we encounter them. But it is first and foremost an encouragement to the young people outside this chamber... with this motion we are saying to them: we need you, we need your voice, we want to be challenged about the assumptions we make here in your absence, and most importantly, we need to hear your voice because we cannot understand the church’s mission without you. “We hope that this space will enable each participant to deepen their Christian discipleship, a space for sharing spiritual gifts... it is about creating cross-cultural encounters and journeying together. This is why we will be intentional in including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, ethnic minority groups, those who are disabled, those who are neurodiverse, and those from LGBTQIA+ communities. “I hope that through this process, more young people will see themselves as belonging here in this chamber, and that a change of culture and perception will mean more of them will be elected to Synod in their own right in the next quinquennium.” The bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt. Rev. Jonathan Frost, who chairs the National Society, added, “We must create space … where profoundly different, unheard or unrepresented voices can emerge beyond our cherished echo chambers. “We need their voices now... to be the whole body of Christ, discerning Christ’s way for us together, not just in the future, but today. “The proposal being co-created will provide a structured, supportive and safeguarded way for young people to express their views, navigate the complexities of synods, and, I trust and pray, become those who will serve in synod in the years ahead. “As a diocesan bishop, I’m already making a note of those I should encourage to step forward, and I will be asking my fellow bishops to do the same!” The group of young adults will meet regularly, with at least one in-person gathering per year and additional online meetings. Their contributions to Synod will be carefully planned in collaboration with the Business Committee, ensuring a well-structured and meaningful engagement with national discussions. The initiative will be overseen by the National Society for Education, working in partnership with national church teams to ensure safeguarding, leadership development and structured engagement. The newly formed group will be drawn from across all dioceses, with up to ......... participants meeting each term to discuss issues affecting the church. Up to five young adult representatives from the group will contribute to Synod sessions, ensuring their perspectives inform key debates and decisions. An amendment brought by Clare Williams of Norwich was carried, which added encouragement to link the new plans to opportunities for those under the age of 1... to have their voices heard. The motion was passed overwhelmingly by a show of hands. The Church of England remains committed to fostering a .....................younger and more diverse...............1... church and hopes the initiative will encourage more young adults to stand for election to Synod in future years.

Southwestern Virginia Bishop Mark Bourlakas to resign, become assistant bishop in Virginia

[Episcopal News Service] The Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas, who has been bishop of the Roanoke-based Diocese of Southwestern Virginia since ......1..., has announced that he is leaving to become an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Virginia. Virginia Bishop E. Mark Stevenson announced that Bourlakas would begin work on June 1 and will have an office in The Falls Church, west of Arlington. The diocese’s headquarters is in Richmond. Stevenson also said Bourlakas will join him and Assistant Bishop Gayle Harris in providing general support across the diocese but more specifically would work with the diocese’s Office of Congregational Vitality. Bourlakas said he has met with Southwestern Virginia’s chancellor and diocesan staff, as well as with the members of the Standing Committee. That body will be responsible for overseeing the diocese after the bishop leaves and for preparing for the election of Bourlakas’ successor. He also said he had several conversations with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who in a statement called Bourlakas “a valued colleague in the House of Bishops” and noted that the diocese “is poised to go from strength to strength in this time of transition and discernment.”