Week Ending 2/22/21

All of this week's news are updates to previous stories.

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Fort Worth Appeal

Loyal Fort Worth Episcopalians had pinned their hopes to recover diocesan property and endowments on the U.S. Supreme Court after the Texas Supreme Court awarded everything to the schismatic group in Fort Worth.  The U.S. Supreme Court discussed the appeal last week and on Monday issued a brief notice that they had decided not to hear the case. There was no indication that any justice dissented or wanted to hear the case.  This leaves the Fort Worth Episcopalians with nowhere to go.  Four parishes participating in the Episcopal Church in  Fort Worth also stand to lose their buildings.  That is one-quarter of the active parishes in the continuing loyal diocese.  You can read various statements in response to the denial of certiorari in the stories by the Living Church, the Episcopal Cafe, and the Episcopal News Service.  Update has followed the legal battles since they began in 2008. Last week Update carried the notice that the justices had scheduled the case for a conference.

Baltimore Church Gives First Reparation Grants

Memorial Episcopal Church in Baltimore voted to raise and distribute $500,000 in grants to black organizations as a form of reparations after becoming aware of the parish's history in support of and participation in the ownership of slaves.  The parish has recently awarded the first $30,000 of grants, including one to Black Women Build.  The group buys abandoned houses and then sets women to work on restoring and repairing them, eventually being able to purchase one of the repaired homes.  The CBS affiliate in Baltimore featured the efforts this last week. 

And the Feeding Continues . . .

Local media have featured the efforts of two more Episcopal parishes to feed the hungry.  This week there were stories on the efforts of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Macon, Georgia, which is sponsoring a free food giveaway, and the other is St. Paul's in Louisville, Kentucky where the parish runs  community food collection every week for the local food shelf.   Update has been regularly noting efforts such as these.  The most recent previous notice is here. 

Construction Finally Begins on New Zealand Cathedral

Ten years ago, an earthquake destroyed much of Christchurch, New Zealand, with heavy damage to the Anglican Cathedral.  That building was considered a national treasure and a major controversy arose over whether it should be restored, or razed and rebuilt.  Finally in 2017, the decision was made to restore/rebuild the building to be as much as possible like the destroyed building. Not until 2020 did the diocese have the money to begin rebuilding, and now construction is finally under way.  Great cathedrals are not built in a day, and the completion date is now projected to be six years down the road.  Meanwhile the diocese continues to be served by a unique temporary cathedral constructed from cardboard. For more on the rebuilding go here.  Update has covered the earthquake, the rebuilding controversy and most recently, the letting of contracts for the rebuilding.

GAFCON Continues Building Alternate Anglican Communion 

GAFCON, the ultra-conservative group currently chaired by the ACNA Archbishop, but which claims to be in the Anglican Communion is continuing its process of setting up alternative jurisdictions matching those in the Anglican Communion Provinces.  The latest is the Anglican Convocation in Europe, which will be headed by Andrew Lines, who has been serving as a GAFCON missionary Bishop in England and Europe.  Update has noted the formation of other alternative jurisdictions including ones in Brazil, New Zealand, and and have taken first steps in Australia.