From The Episcopal News Service Great to think about in preparation for the Lenten Season: Four catalysts for spiritual growth identified in detailed study released by Forward Movement Posted 5 hours ago

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[Episcopal News Service] How can the Episcopal Church feed Episcopalians’ hunger for spiritual growth in the 21st century? Forward Movement surveyed 12,000 people from more than 200 Episcopal congregations for answers, producing a report released this week that provides a snapshot of the spiritual life of the church.

The extensive research was conducted through Forward Movement’s RenewalWorksministry, and the report’s findings include analysis of the varying degrees of spiritual vitality and cultures of discipleship found in Episcopal congregations.

“We have learned that there is great spiritual hunger among Episcopalians,” the Rev. Jay Sidebotham, director of RenewalWorks, said in a press release. “And we are discovering catalysts that can address that hunger. Basic spiritual practices such as daily prayer, scripture study, worship attendance, and serving the poor will lead to transformation.”

The research found that 55 percent of Episcopalians can be considered in the “growing” stage of their faith, on a spectrum from “exploring” to “Christ-centered.” Those in the “growing” stage have committed to their faith but may not yet feel that their life bears significant marks of their faith.

The report also emphasizes what churches can do to support Episcopalians’ spiritual journey from one stage to the next. Four key catalysts are

• engagement with scripture,
• the transforming power of the eucharist,
• a deeper prayer life
• and the heart of the congregation’s leader.

“If we want our congregations to be places where spiritual growth is happening, we need to teach and to nurture spiritual practices such as prayer, worship, study, and service,” the Rev. Scott Gunn, executive director of Forward Movement, said in the press release.

You can read the full press release here.

An infographic showing some of the key findings can be found here, and the full 17-page report can be accessed here.

Forward Movement is a publications and media ministry of the Episcopal Church known for its flagship devotional “Forward Day by Day.”

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Presiding Bishop speaks on Texas church shooting

'We pray for those who suffer and for those who have died'

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EPISCOPAL BISHOPS CHALLENGE IDOLATRY OF VIOLENCE

“One does not offer prayers in lieu of demonstrating political courage, but rather in preparation.”

Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a group of more than 70 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence in the United States, released the following statement on the shootings on Sunday in Sutherland Springs, Texas:

In the wake of the heartbreaking shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, we find ourselves both calling people to prayer, and wishing that the word did not come so readily to the lips of elected leaders who are quick to speak, but take no action on behalf of public safety.

In prayer, Christians commend the souls of the faithful departed to the mercy and love of God. We beseech our Creator to comfort the grieving and shield the vulnerable. Prayer is not an offering of vague good wishes. It is not a spiritual exercise that successfully completed exempts one from focusing on urgent issues of common concern. Prayer is not a dodge. In prayer we examine our own hearts and our own deeds to determine whether we are complicit in the evils we deplore. And if we are, we resolve to take action; we resolve to amend our lives.

As a nation, we must acknowledge that we idolize violence, and we must make amends. Violence of all kinds denigrates humankind; it stands against the will of God and the way of Jesus the Christ. The shooting in Sutherland Springs brings the issue of domestic violence, a common thread in many mass killings, into sharp relief. It is not only essential that we keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, but that we, as a society, reject ideologies of male dominance that permeate our culture and the history of our churches.

Each of us has a role to play in our repentance. Elected representatives bear the responsibility of passing legislation that protects our citizenry. If our representatives are not up to this responsibility, we must replace them.

In the meantime, however, we ask that in honor of our many murdered dead, elected leaders who behave as though successive episode of mass slaughter are simply the price our nation pays for freedom stop the reflexive and corrosive repetition of the phrase “thoughts and prayers.”

One does not offer prayers in lieu of demonstrating political courage, but rather in preparatio

Episcopal climate-talks delegation plans to continue church’s advocacy 'It's important for the church to be there," Presiding Bishop says

Pres. Bp. Curry's Message

(video)

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopalians from across the church are heading to Bonn, Germany, for the 23rd United Nations climate change conference, where they hope to continue the advocacy begun at the past two gatherings.

Officially known as the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Nov. 6-17 conference is an annual intergovernmental meeting to focus on global dialogue and action around the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Fiji is presiding over COP23 in Bonn with the support of the German government. More information on COP23 can be found here.

Previous meetings have produced the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the 2015 Paris Agreement, which serves as the basis for standards on climate action and lowering carbon emissions.

Appointed by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to represent him, the 11-member COP23 delegation will share Episcopal Church resolutions on climate change and information about the church and its ministries centered on ecojustice. Led by Diocese California Bishop Marc Andrus, the delegation will offer a spiritual presence through daily interfaith prayer and worship, and by encouraging active churchwide participation by Episcopalians through virtual participation and social media.

“Our goals are to build on the work done at previous conferences by urging member states to implement the Paris Agreement and pay particular attention to developing nations and the poor,” said the Rev. Canon Charles Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop for ministry beyond the Episcopal Church, in a press release.

Robertson said the delegation also hopes to “network within the accredited and public zones of the conference to spread the word about what the Episcopal Church is doing on climate issues.”

In addition, the delegation hopes its efforts will “raise awareness across the Episcopal Church of the importance of engaging on climate change as Christians,” according to Robertson, and “digitally engage Episcopalians in that work.”

Interested in the Book of Revelation and End Times? 
Here is a free course by an Episcopal theologian, The Rev. Dr. Michael Battle who shares a video course regarding The Book of Revelation.

  Follow this link to see the curriculum