Week Ending 6-6-22

 St. Augustine University Plans HBCU Urban Access Hub

The Episcopal affiliated St. Augustine University in Raleigh, NC was long a pioneer in education for African Americans.  Its president has announced a new initiative which is designed to bring the its education to urban youth in cities not served by a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). The University has identified urban areas as a place where black youth are attending college at a lower rate than other youth. Its first hub will be in the Detroit area and involves arrangements with two area community colleges. The urban access program will help black youth attending local community colleges to seamlessly transition to St. Augustine's complete their baccalaureate. This is part of a large HBCU Urban Access Hub proposal. 

Chicago Abuse Law Suit Settlement  Involves Bishop Knudsen

Retired Bishop Chilton Knudsen, who has been serving in Chicago while the bishop-elect, Paula Clark recovered from a stroke, has found herself under scrutiny for actions taken over three decades ago when she was on the staff of Chicago's then-bishop, Frank Griswold.  The Diocese has just made a $750,000 settlement in a case of sexual abuse committed by a priest in the diocese on a minor boy.  Knudsen met with the victim in 1990 but delayed several weeks in reporting the matter to the police. At that point clergy were not required by state law to report such offenses.  In the time before Bishop Griswold could get the priest into a treatment program, the priest molested another boy.  The police only became active when a parent reported the abuse.

Continuing Stories

Presiding Bishop Sends Objection of Election to Review Committee

Update reported last week that a formal objection had been filed to the election process used in the recent Diocese of Florida election for a coadjutor bishop.  The Presiding Bishop's office has announced that the objection will be sent to a review committee on July 1.  The timing was picked because of the press of business during June as members of the review committee prepare for General Convention.  This timing also required a later date be set for consecration of Charles Holt as bishop, assuming the election is eventually ruled valid. 

TEC Participates in Successful Stockholder Action Against Gun Maker

The Episcopal Church has made its support of gun control and concern about gun violence clear in a number of ways.  The most recent action was to support a successful stockholders' resolution that will require the Connecticut firearms maker Sturm Ruger & Company to create a report assessing how its product impacts human rights.  The resolution declared that a 2019 report on company gun safety measures ""failed to put forward meaningful solutions to address gun violence,"  thus requiring further study.  The vote was taken just days after the school shooting in Uvalde. The Episcopal Church invested in the gun company as part of a strategy approved in 2018 to use stockholding as a means of leveraging greater responsibility from gun manufacturers. 

Dis-invite of Same-Sex Spouses to Lambeth Back in News

When in 2019 the Archbishop of Canterbury announced that same-sex spouses of bishops were not being included in the spousal invitation to Lambeth, he aroused some criticism.  It was defended as necessary to get bishops opposed to same-sex marriage to come.  The exclusion of those spouses is back in the news with comments of regret from the leader of the Canadian Church's bishops and the announcement that Bishop Singh of Rochester will not attend because of the exclusion. The Canadian Archbishop, Linda Nickells heads a church with one bishop with a same-sex spouse.  Singh is staying home in support of LGBTQA bishops.  Nicholls thins several Canadian bishops may make the same decision as Singh.   The heads of 3 African countries are boycotting for the opposite reason - i.e. that Anglican Communion provinces who are inclusive of LGBTQA people were invited and are coming. 

More on the Methodist Split

Update has carried several pieces (most recent is here) on the decision of those opposed to LBGTQA inclusion in the United Methodist Church to set up a new conservative body.  Individual congregations are now making decisions about joining that body.  The Christian Post reports that 70 congregations representing about 9% of the congregations in the North Georgia Conference have decided to join the conservative body. They represent about 3% of the Conference's members.  In Arkansas 35 congregation and about 100 in Florida are also pursuing a discernment process that my result in their leaving.