Ya no son extranjeros: Un diálogo acerca de inmigración Una conversación de Zoom June 22 @ 7 p.m. ET Tags Rector/Priest in Charge (PT) Lisbon, ME The Church Investment Group Commends the Taskforce on the Theology of Money on its report, The Theology of Money and Investing as Doing Theology Church Investment Group Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Hires Reverend Kevin W. VanHook, II as Executive Director Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Curate Diocese of Nebraska Episcopal Migration Ministries’ Virtual Prayer Vigil for World Refugee Day Facebook Live Prayer Vigil June 20 @ 7 p.m. ET Same-Sex Marriage By André ForgetPosted Jul 11, 2016 Submit an Event Listing Remember Holy Land Christians on Jerusalem Sunday, June 20 American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem Rector Bath, NC New Berrigan Book With Episcopal Roots Cascade Books Virtual Celebration of the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center Zoom Conversation June 19 @ 12 p.m. ET Featured Jobs & Calls (L to R) Chris Ambidge, Bishop Linda Nicholls, Stephen Martin and Dean Iain Luke discuss the proposed change to the marriage canon during a media briefing July 8. Photo: Art Babych[Anglican Journal] A July 11 media panel featuring a diverse group of experts urged Anglicans not to assume the question of whether or not the church will choose to allow the solemnization of same-sex marriages is already decided.Following a February communiqué from the House of Bishops saying the vote was not likely to pass with the required two-thirds majority in the Order of Bishops, many Anglicans have prepared themselves for the fallout of a “no” vote.But Bishop Linda Nicholls, coadjutor of the Diocese of Huron and convener of the Commission on the Marriage Canon, cautioned Anglicans against prejudging the decision.“I would never want our church to come with a kind of cynicism that says that the decision is already made, so why bother,” she said. “I’ve seen surprises at every General Synod I’ve been at, so I’m just waiting to see what’s going to happen this time.”The panel was held following the first of three General Synod plenary sessions dedicated to the proposed change to the marriage canon (church law) allowing same-sex marriage. It included Chris Ambidge, who works with Integrity, the Canadian church’s LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning) caucus; Stephen Martin, a theology professor at the King’s University in Edmonton; and Dean Iain Luke, of the Diocese of Athabasca.While panelists represented a variety of theological perspectives, they arrived at surprisingly similar conclusions about the importance of the synod process, and its limitations.“We come [to synod] to encounter one another, to be accountable to one another, and — particularly on controversial matters — to be in the same room when the conversation is happening,” Luke said, noting that even if everyone already knew how the vote would go, it would still be important to show up.“Our relationship with one another and our communion with one another is expressed in our presence, even if it is not expressed in agreement.”But he added that given the deep divisions that exist within the Canadian Anglican church on matters of doctrine, the church should look at new ways of framing its decision-making process that do not inevitably lead to a binary of winners and losers.It was a position Ambidge agreed with.“I don’t think the Westminster parliamentary system is serving us well for things other than budgets,” he said. “For things that hit us not in the head or the heart but the soul, I think we need to learn a whole lot from the Indigenous people, because Westminster is really not helping us at all.”Nicholls voiced similar concerns when asked whether there was anything she would change about the work of the Commission on the Marriage Canon.She explained that the commission had been given a fairly strict mandate by General Synod 2013, and therefore had legal limitations on what it could and could not do, and how quickly it had to be done.For example, the commission was required to, among other things, perform a broad consultation with the Anglican church and its ecumenical partners, craft a rationale for changing the marriage canon and draft a resolution to send to General Synod 2016.She said these constraints hobbled the commission’s ability to do a thorough consultation, especially with Indigenous Anglicans.“Indigenous communities work at a very different pace,” she explained. “What we had to do was approach it through asking the Indigenous bishops. But we heard some criticism that we did not consult with elders — but my goodness, I mean, that would have been a very long process to do that and to do that well.”Luke also felt that the way the legislation was written hindered the commission from doing its work properly, in particular around the question of even-handedness.“I think if we had given a similar amount of time and resources to the theological rationale for not changing the marriage canon, we could be having a much more genuine and mutual conversation here and now,” he said. Submit a Job Listing Inaugural Diocesan Feast Day Celebrating Juneteenth San Francisco, CA (and livestream) June 19 @ 2 p.m. PT Press Release Service Assistant/Associate Rector Morristown, NJ Bishop Diocesan Springfield, IL Director of Music Morristown, NJ Associate Rector Columbus, GA Canada: Don’t prejudge same-sex marriage vote, says commission chair Rector and Chaplain Eugene, OR AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to PrintFriendlyPrintFriendlyShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailShare to MoreAddThis Submit a Press Release Human Sexuality, Rector Martinsville, VA Assistant/Associate Priest Scottsdale, AZ Assistant/Associate Rector Washington, DC Rector Washington, DC Family Ministry Coordinator Baton Rouge, LA Course Director Jerusalem, Israel Rector (FT or PT) Indian River, MI Cathedral Dean Boise, ID Featured Events Priest Associate or Director of Adult Ministries Greenville, SC This Summer’s Anti-Racism Training Online Course (Diocese of New Jersey) June 18-July 16 TryTank Experimental Lab and York St. John University of England Launch Survey to Study the Impact of Covid-19 on the Episcopal Church TryTank Experimental Lab Director of Administration & Finance Atlanta, GA Curate (Associate & Priest-in-Charge) Traverse City, MI Anglican Communion, Rector Shreveport, LA Rector Hopkinsville, KY Seminary of the Southwest announces appointment of two new full time faculty members Seminary of the Southwest Rector Belleville, IL Rector Albany, NY Missioner for Disaster Resilience Sacramento, CA Rector Knoxville, TN Associate Priest for Pastoral Care New York, NY Rector Smithfield, NC Youth Minister Lorton, VA Rector Collierville, TN Rector Tampa, FL The Church Pension Fund Invests $20 Million in Impact Investment Fund Designed to Preserve Workforce Housing Communities Nationwide Church Pension Group Join the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in Celebrating the Pauli Murray Feast Online Worship Service June 27 In-person Retreat: Thanksgiving Trinity Retreat Center (West Cornwall, CT) Nov. 24-28 An Evening with Presiding Bishop Curry and Iconographer Kelly Latimore Episcopal Migration Ministries via Zoom June 23 @ 6 p.m. ET Rector Pittsburgh, PA Priest-in-Charge Lebanon, OH Associate Rector for Family Ministries Anchorage, AK Canon for Family Ministry Jackson, MS read more