What follows is an essay I just wrote for a Diocese of Arizona project which is collecting reflections from people who have been involved in various MDG projects over the past. Our diocesan MDG committee is going to publish these both in hope that other in the diocese might be inspired to get involved, and also so that local parish and mission committees might use them to guide their own decision making process. (I’ll try […]
A few years ago I traveled to Swaziland as part of an effort of my then parish (Trinity in Bethlehem PA) to support the work of Swazi Hospice at Home. You can read my travel diary and see pictures from the trip here. During the trip, especially during my journey to the southern parts of the country, there were hints that the government was beginning to prepare for a period of civil unrest. Around the […]
Just back from our Cinco de Mayo party at the Cathedral this afternoon. The various services of the Cathedral family joined forces at noon, with Mariachi's and Folk dancers to celebrate our Mexican American Heritage. The weather was unusually windy and cool – a real Spring this year in Phoenix – but we managed anyhow. Here's hoping that someone will share a movie of the dancers so you can get a better sense of what […]
There was some good reporting about the heroic ministry of the Episcopal bishop of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake on Friday. The Wall Street Journal talked about the “island of organization” in the midst of chaos that he had managed to create. Kendall Harmon points to this video from the WSJ this afternoon: http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf The Episcopal Cafe has this letter from the bishop calling for help to be delivered through Episcopal Relief and […]
There’s a helpful piece up on Craig’s blog that sketches out an answer to the question that I think will be on the mind of many this weekend as they sit in Church. If God does not will evil upon us, then how can God abide such horror such as we see today in Haiti? “Theologian David Bentley Hart offers the best answer I know in his book The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God […]
As you all know this morning Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake late yesterday afternoon. The reports are still spotty but they are uniformly grim. Many, probably tens of thousands of people have been killed and more are injured and in need of emergency assistance. The Episcopal Church, who’s largest diocese is in Haiti, has set up a special fund to channel aid to the country. “To donate to the Haiti Fund, visit http://www.er-d.org […]
The BBC has a report this morning on a growing sentiment in parts of the developing world that the climate change that they are witnessing is not due to the actions of humankind. They are a result of God’s judgement upon us. And as such, there is nothing we can change that will have any effect on the situation other than pray for help. From the end of the article: “Climate change is a global […]
This was the scene yesterday at the fourth of our five regular Sunday liturgies. I was at the first three and took some people out to lunch and had to miss this service, but I was there for the opening. I'm only fluent in one language – there were four in use during the service – so I really wasn't qualified to be at the altar. From Greta Huls account of the service: Members of […]
Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix is one of a number of Episcopal congregations in the central part of Arizona who, together with Central Arizona Habitat for Humanity, build two houses a year in the Phoenix metro region and one house in the developing world. For the Cathedral to be part of this, we need to pony up our share of the cost of the houses. Rather than use money that we spend on clean water projects, […]
I stumbled across this interview with Jon Trott while surfing the web this morning waiting for an appointment. Trott was one of the founders of the “Jesus People” which began in the sixties, achieved national recognition in the seventies (at least I remember reading about them) and today represents a network of people living in intentional Christian community in Chicago. The interview in Christianity Today is about the lessons he’s learned along the way as […]
