Episcopal Church

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams suggested Monday that the Episcopal Church might have to accept a different role within the worldwide Anglican Communion amid U.S. leaders' decision to lift a de facto ban on gay bishops and to consider rites of blessing for same-sex unions. Williams outlined his concerns in a statement to leaders throughout the communion, saying "very serious anxieties have already been expressed" among the 77 million Anglicans. The Episcopal Church, the U.S.

Re "Liberal in a national pulpit," May 27 This article helps explain why the Episcopal Church's membership has declined over the last 50 years - by a whopping 40%. The Very Rev. Gary Hall, the dean of the Episcopal Washington National Cathedral since late last year, is to be admired for his strong convictions. He clearly is a unique person with his own sense of right and wrong. But just because his message comes from a pulpit doesn't mean it is right. There are equally compelling counter-messages, coming from other pulpits, every Sunday morning.

At St. James Anglican Church in Newport Beach, the Rev. Richard Crocker told parishioners Sunday to await the "good news of a God who's with us," an upbeat message despite a recent legal ruling that could strip the congregation of its property because of its break with the Episcopal Church. At St. John's Cathedral near downtown Los Angeles, whose congregation has remained within the Episcopal fold, the Very Rev. Canon Mark R.

The Rev. John J. Hunter, who last fall was abruptly reassigned from First African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest black church in Los Angeles, has been fired from his post at a San Francisco church. "I hereby immediately relieve you of the pastoral charge of Bethel AME Church," Bishop Larry T. Kirkland wrote in a letter to Hunter dated Friday. "You will have no further contact with that congregation in an official capacity. " Hunter could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Episcopal Church has approved a liturgy that will allow priests to bless same-sex couples, making the church the biggest in the United States to endorse such a rite. Starting on Dec. 2, the first Sunday of Advent, priests whose bishops give the OK will be allowed to bless the unions of gay and lesbian couples, whether same-sex marriage is legal in that state or not. (It's currently legal in six states, as well as in Washington, D.C.) The church's two voting bodies approved the rite by nearly an 80% majority Tuesday at the Episcopal General Convention in Indianapolis.

A growing and affluent congregation here has severed ties with the Episcopal Church, citing displeasure with what it views as the weakened moral stance of the 2.4-million-member denomination. The congregation, one of the area's fastest-growing, is the second to take such a step since the denomination's General Convention met in Phoenix in July. The church's rector, the Rev.

Re "Episcopal unit may quit U.S. church," Jan. 28 Bishop John-David Schofield of the San Joaquin Diocese claims that the Episcopal Church no longer believes the Bible, and others who agree with him claim that the Episcopal Church has abandoned the traditional Christian faith. Schofield is wrong about this. Each Sunday, Episcopalians say together out loud, "Thanks be to God" when the Scripture is read and declared to be "the word of the Lord." Each Sunday, Episcopalians recite the Nicene Creed of their own free will, and at the conclusion of the Eucharistic prayer, which recounts the history of salvation that climaxes in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Episcopalians say "Amen."

St. Wilfred of York Episcopal Church will present the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at 7 tonight. A $3 donation will be requested. The church is at 18631 Chapel Lane, Huntington Beach. Information: (714) 962-7512. The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Dana Point will present a "Saturday Popcorn Review" at 7:30 tonight at a private home.

Two of the most prominent and largest Episcopal parishes in the state voted overwhelmingly to leave the Episcopal Church and join fellow Anglican conservatives forming a rival denomination in the U.S. Truro Church in Fairfax and the Falls Church in Falls Church plan to place themselves under the leadership of Anglican Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who has called the growing acceptance of gay relationships a "satanic attack" on the church.

The Episcopal Church gave final approval Wednesday to the ordination of an openly gay bishop in Los Angeles, putting a face behind a policy that has divided the church and caused some of its more conservative members to break away. Mary Glasspool is the first openly gay bishop approved since 2003, when the election of a gay man as bishop of New Hampshire caused such an uproar that the U.S. church, under pressure from other members of the global Anglican Communion, imposed a moratorium on such elevations.

Supporters of gay marriage are exultant that the Washington National Cathedral has announced that it will perform same-sex weddings.  It's not really a surprise. The Episcopal Church to which the cathedral belongs approved a rite for same-sex blessings in 2012 and same-sex marriage is legal in the District of Columbia. So why all the breathless coverage of the announcement? It has to do with the “national” in the popular name of the church (which is officially called the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul)

Pasadena-area community leaders staged a peace and unity rally Sunday afternoon to denounce recent violence that claimed the life of longtime youth sports leader and community activist Victor McClinton, among others. About 250 people gathered on the steps of All Saints Episcopal Church near City Hall to hear city leaders, clergy members and law enforcement officials discuss ways to stem the violence. "It was a call for peace and for the community to come together in light of some of the recent gang violence and shootings that have occurred," said William Boyer, a Pasadena public information officer.

The pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest black pulpit in Los Angeles, has been reassigned after a controversial eight years that included a sexual harassment lawsuit, a federal tax investigation and questionable use of church credit cards. Pastor John J. Hunter was moved to Bethel AME San Francisco by Bishop T. Larry Kirkland. Neither Kirkland nor Hunter could be reached for comment Friday. Kirkland appointed the San Francisco church's pastor, the Rev. J. Edgar Boyd, to take the helm in Los Angeles.

The Episcopal Church has approved a liturgy that will allow priests to bless same-sex couples, making the church the biggest in the United States to endorse such a rite. Starting on Dec. 2, the first Sunday of Advent, priests whose bishops give the OK will be allowed to bless the unions of gay and lesbian couples, whether same-sex marriage is legal in that state or not. (It's currently legal in six states, as well as in Washington, D.C.) The church's two voting bodies approved the rite by nearly an 80% majority Tuesday at the Episcopal General Convention in Indianapolis.

Sixteen years after allowing gays and lesbians to become priests, the Episcopal Church appears poised to introduce a rite that would specifically bless the unions of same-sex couples. If the liturgy is approved, which is expected, Episcopalians will become the first major denomination to endorse such a ritual for homosexual couples. On its face, the blessing seems similar to that of a marriage rite -- including “I do,” “we have gathered together today” and an exchange of rings.

The congregation was quiet — teary-eyed but smiling — as Bill Coburn, in a eulogy to his wife of 62 years, spoke of the passions of his beloved Marian. Travel. Walt Disney's Dopey. Elephants, both real and miniature. Reruns of "The Golden Girls. " Her church. And roses. Marian Stanton Coburn loved roses so much she planted 65 rosebushes in the North Hollywood home where she had lived since 1930. On a chilly, sunny Saturday last month, Bill Coburn managed a small smile as, true to her wishes, his wife's ashes were buried beneath roses in a memorial garden outside St. David's Anglican Church.

Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori became the first woman to lead any church in the global Anglican Communion when she was elected as the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Her election came 30 years after the Episcopalians approved the ordination of women. The selection seemed likely to provoke controversy, since most other Anglican communities do not allow female bishops.

Episcopal Bishop J. Jon Bruno, head of the six-county Los Angeles diocese, has been diagnosed with leukemia and is undergoing aggressive treatment to fight the disease. The 65-year-old bishop said in an open letter that he had been suffering from what he thought was a bout of pneumonia since March. He underwent further tests after treatment failed to cure the "nagging problem. " Doctors at Good Samaritan Hospital discovered that Bruno had acute monocytic leukemia, a form of blood cancer.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams announced Friday that he would step down at year's end after a decade of leading the worldwide Anglican Communion at a time of continued controversy over the role of women and gays and lesbians in the church. Williams, 61, said it had been a privilege to serve as head of a communion that includes the Episcopal Church in the United States. But he has decided to take up a position as master of Magdalene College at Cambridge University, a return to the world of academia in which many say the bookish cleric has always felt most at home.