Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Sermons from General Convention, June 28-30

A  round-up of sermons from the past few days at General Convention:
 

June 28 sermon by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori 
 
June 29 sermon by Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
Click here for text

June 30 sermon by the Rev. Kimberly Jackson
Click here for text

Click here to visit the  Media Hub to watch live streaming video of all worship services and legislative sessions during the 78th General Convention.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Sermons from General Convention, June 25-27

A Sunday morning round-up of sermons from the past week at General Convention:
 
June 25 sermon by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
Click here for text and click here for video
 
June 26 sermon by the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, President of the House of Deputies
Click here for text and click here for video


June 27 sermon by Rev. Cathlena A. Plummer of Navajoland
Click here for text and click here for video


Click here to visit the  Media Hub to watch live streaming video of today's UTO Ingathering and Eucharist at 10:00 am MDT/11:00 am CST and all worship services and legislative sessions during the 78th General Convention.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Bishop Michael Bruce Curry from North Carolina Elected 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church



Bishop Michael Bruce Curry
from North Carolina
Elected 27th Presiding Bishop
of The Episcopal Church

Media Release

The Episcopal Church 
Office of Public Affairs 

The Rt. Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, was elected the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church on the first ballot on June 27. Bishop Curry, 62, is the first African-American to be elected Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. The election occurred during the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church. Of the 174 votes tallied, Bishop Curry received 121 (89 needed to elect).
Following his election by the House of Bishops, Bishop Curry’s election was overwhelmingly confirmed by the House of Deputies, 800 for, 12 against.


Meet Presiding Bishop-Elect Curry
Bishop Curry was ordained Bishop of North Carolina on June 17, 2000.

His experience includes:

1988-2000: Rector, St. James' Episcopal Church, Baltimore, Maryland
1982-1988: Rector, St. Simon of Cyrene Episcopal Church, Lincoln Heights, Ohio
1982-1988: Chaplain, Bethany School
1978-1982: Rector, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Winston Salem, North Carolina

He has served on a number of Episcopal Church Committees, a Commissions, Agencies, and Boards:

• Chair, Board of Directors, Episcopal Relief & Development (current)
• Board of Trustees, Saint Augustine's University (current)
• North Carolina Council of Churches (current)
• Moral Monday movement (current)
• Chair, Advisory Committee, Office of Black Ministries (current)
• Bishop Visitor, Community of the Transfiguration (current)
• TREC/Task Force for Reimagining the Episcopal Church
• General Convention Committees: Evangelism, Global Mission
• Standing Commission on World Mission
• Union of Black Episcopalians
• Institute of Christian and Black Studies of Baltimore
• Ecumenical Clergy on the Square, Revival and Citizens on Patrol (Baltimore)
• Jubilee Ministry, St. James' Afterschool Academy, Baltimore
• Board, Episcopal Social Ministries, Diocese of Maryland
• Chair and Co-Chair, convention Planning Team, Diocese of Maryland
• Commission on Ministry, Dioceses of Maryland, Southern Ohio and North Carolina
• General Board of Examining Chaplains
• Board and Faculty, College of Preachers
• Coordinator, The Racism Steering Committee, Diocese of Southern Ohio
• Board, Winston-Salem Urban League

He holds a Bachelors of Arts, with High Honors from Hobart and William Smith College; a Masters of Divinity from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale; Continuing Studies at The College of Preachers, Princeton Theological Seminary, Wake Forest University, The Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary's Seminary and Institute of Jewish Christian Studies; and D.D., honors causa, from Sewanee The University of the South,  Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, Virginia Theological Seminary, and The Episcopal Divinity School

An author, his publications include:
• Songs My Grandmother Sang (Morehouse Publishing, Spring 2015)
• Crazy Christians: a Call to Follow Jesus (Morehouse Publishing, 2013)
• "Some Strange Things Are Happening in Charlotte", opinion, (The Huffington Post, Sept. 4, 2012)
• "Stay in the City", sermon (The African American Pulpit, Judson Press, 1999 issue)
• "Abyssinian Annals," a weekly column( The Baltimore Times)
• Essay ("Joy", Forward Movement, 1995)
• Article Series (Episcopal Life, September 1993- May 1994)
• "Servant Woman" and "There's Power in the Word " , sermons ( Sermons that Work 11, Forward Movement Publications)

Married to Sharon, they are the parents of two adult children.

27th Presiding Bishop elected


Bishop Johnson with the newly-elected 27th Presiding Bishop, Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina. "I look forward to working with the Presiding Bishop-elect as partners for the mission of the Church," he says. Click here for the story from Episcopal News Service.





A note from Bishop Johnson


While we have been gathered in General Convention, many momentous decisions and events have occurred in the world about us. The decisions of the Supreme Court with regard to marriage equality and health care availability are among these. As Episcopalians across the Diocese of West Tennessee, we will find that for many, these decisions are times of great celebration. For others, these decisions will challenge traditional and political ways of belief and understanding. As bishop, I am mindful of this reality and yet confident of the living faith in God's love that we all share as followers of Christ. The call to stay connected to one another in this common heritage is the truth behind our belief that "We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord."  So on a day when we will "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep," let us continue to see the face of Christ in each person we meet today and pray that they will see Christ's face when they look into our eyes. + Don

Friday, June 26, 2015

Checking out the exhibitors


Immanuel visited the Kaleidescope Institute (featuring our own Mrs. Jeannie Johnson and the Rev. Canon John Burruss) and Education for Ministry in the exhibit hall today.

VIP at the HOB

Immanuel assists our Presiding Bishop as she chairs a House of Bishops' meeting.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Day 1



Don't tell the Bishop, but I'm hoping to catch a ride in his brief case on the way to the Salt Palace. I understand that today the nominees for Presiding Bishop will be speaking for three hours! I hope that's not three hours each.

Click here to watch video of the Presiding Bishop nominees and see Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori's presentation to General Convention.