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October 30, 2006
"If you thought this was your grandfather's church...
The other day I received a phone call from a local TEC minister. She informed me about a sweet lady in the Washington Regional Hospital who was on the way to a Rehab and preferred that I visit with her. The minister asked me if I could stop in and see her.
I found the patient and her son in her room. “Are you the priest from St. Paul's?” asked her son. His mother recognized me as I said that I was from St.Gabriel's UEC. Her eyes lit up and then she told me, "Well, I’d like to be part of your Episcopal/Anglican church. The lady presiding bishop elect of the Episcopal Church said in an interview, 'If you thought this was your grandfather's church, forget it.' Yes this is my grandfather's church, but I will have to let go as it is not the church that I am proud to belong to anymore."
At times I wondered about our national church bearing the name Episcopal - sadly how pejorative it has become, because of clergy leadership that have hijacked the name to compromise with the values of contemporary society. For many of our members both alive and dead, yes this was their grandfather’s church - a unique tradition that laid the foundation for this great nation and guided its faithful in the faith of our fathers. Sadly enough, they do not care if it’s your grandfather’s church or not. Either way, they are assured of their salary and pension.
But do know we care for you. You need not be ashamed to be an Episcopalian—the church that once was your grandfathers’ and grandmothers.’
Someone had pointed out that our denomination should have been careful in selecting our name ‘United Episcopal Church’. It was intentional that our founding bishop chose this name. It was to UNITE all the Episcopalians and Anglicans who saw these changes transpire three decades ago, when the, then ECUSA, was changing the content of the prayer book.
If what is said above expresses the struggle within the church, what follows is an example of the struggle that the church has to face from our own public authorities, even if the intention is to do good to the community. While promoting one of our community outreach programs, Angel Food Ministry, I tried to call the local school administration so that they could approve sending the information to the school families. The administrator looked at it and said, “We cannot promote a church or a fundraiser.” I had to insist with him that this is an outreach and not a fundraiser and would benefit families by offering grocery relief. Anything to do with a church, even if it’s a benefit to the community and not religious in nature, doesn’t get fair treatment.
Interesting times that we are living in--very unlike our grandparent’s times.
Posted by frleo at 7:35 AM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2006
Jingoistic response to an Arkansas Believer
Got this email from one of our parish members and also listed here: if what is said is true, apparently there are some websites claiming its veracity, then those responsible are required to be more sensitive to the ethos of the viewers, their Christian faith and belief and reconsider their propoganda and their resonse to the individual concerned.
My name is Jim Neugent. I wrote to ABC (on-line) concerning a program called "THE PRACTICE." In last nights episode, one of the lawyer's mothers decided she is gay and wanted her son to go to court and help her get a marriage license so she could marry her 'partner.' I sent the following letter to ABC yesterday and really did not expect a reply, but I did get one.My original message was:
ABC is obsessed with the subject of homosexuality. I will no longer
watch any of your attempts to convince the world that homosexuality is OK. ' THE PRACTICE' can be a fairly good show, but last night's program was so typical of your agenda. You picked the 'dufus' of the office to be the one who was against the idea of his mother being gay, and made him look like a whiner because he had convictions. This type of mentality calls people like me a "gay basher." Read the first chapter of Romans (that's in the Bible) and see what the apostle Paul had to say about it.... He, God and Jesus were all 'gay bashers'. What if she'd fallen in love with her cocker spaniel? Is that an alternative life style? (By the way, the Bible speaks against that, too.)
--Jim Neugent
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Here is ABC's reply from the ABC on-line webmaster:How about getting your nose out of the Bible (which is ONLY a book of stories compiled by MANY different writers hundreds of years ago) and read the declaration of independence (what our nation is built on), where it says "All Men are Created equal," and try treating them that way for a change! Or better yet, try thinking for yourself and stop using an archaic book of stories as your lame crutch for your existence. You are in the minority in this country, and your boycott will not affect us or our freedom of statement .
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(My note:if the above is true true then it is to be condemned. That's JINGOISM It is an arrogant attitude that we have the wherewithal and therefore we can say it all. That's BTW. Now back to Jim Neugent's correspondence)Jim Neugent's second response ! To ABC:
Thanks for your reply. >From your harsh reply, evidently I hit a
nerve. I will share it with all with whom I come in contact. Hopefully,
the Arkansas Democrat Newspaper will include it in one of their columns
and I will be praying for you.
- -Jim Neugent
How far can liberalism infringe on the rights of conscientious followers of their faith!
Posted by frleo at 7:20 PM | Comments (0)
D.O.A.P
Assasination is not new to human history. Sadly enough history has been punctuated by many a great leaders falling to the bullets of an assasin. Gandhi, whom we cannot forget, in the words of Albert Einstein, 'The most human creature that ever walked the earth' known for his non-violence in bringing down the British Empire succumbs to the bullets of a violent gunman, a fanatic. Our own, former President John F. Kennedy, was gunned down in his motorcade. The list goes on.
The movie, "Death Of A President," could be considered as a vent of those who hate America and hate what we stand for. Ironically, the movie is released in English and Arabic. It is kind of a sado-masochism, which utilises the current world scenario and reaps the harvest of terrorism. Without engaging ourselves into the rationale for war or the conduct of the war, a violent inspiration carries within it a potency for realization.
Maybe its time we reconsidered what we are subscribing to through movies such as D.O.A.P. Not denying how positively inspirational the medium of Cinema has been--love, romance, courage, valour, patriotism and the like that uplift the human spirit. Strangely enough, movies such as D.O.A.P, are certainly not inspiring and enlightening as the distributors of the movie claim. Noah cowan describes such a volatile experimentation thus:
This is easily the most dangerous and breathtakingly original film I have encountered this year. Director Gabriel Range’s 2003 project The Day Britain Stopped – which asked what might happen if Britain’s transportation grid was suddenly halted – was his first experiment with this style...But it’s a long leap from Britain’s trains to a gunned-down Commander-in-Chief.
If money and marketing is the ultimate goal of free speach, then it subscribes and tantamounts to the killing of a leader while he is still alive, leaving him into the hands of the vultures that only love to torment the world based on their hideous and fanatical idiosyncracies. While we cherish freedom of speech, let us not give up protecting our values that have nurtured us. Checkout what a British review had to say on the movie.
Poetic licence and imagination are fine as long as they do not cross limits. Creativity is excellent, but when that spark of imagination lands on the minds of terrorists and is mimicked, then we have tragedies like September 11. Where does poetic licence stop and where does moral responsibility begin, let alone who dunit?
Posted by frleo at 8:14 AM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2006
ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING ! GO FOR IT !
“One Night with the King,” an epic based on the book of Esther from the Bible, focuses on the salvation of the Jews through the courage and intersession of one young woman in Israel, Hadessah who changes her name to Esther so that she is not recognized as a Jew. A powerful message of faith is conveyed—that God does hear the cries of His people even through insignificant intermediaries and it takes courage to discern and embrace His will, as Hadesah did.
Magnificent palaces and courtyards, breathtaking waterfalls and vast sandy deserts and typical street scenes compose a picturesque scenario of the Old Testament Israel. The film, shot in India, uses the fine Indian silks and elegant colorful apparels and draperies representative of the Biblical times. This quintessential Biblical story is depicted fairly close to the actual, but for a few poetic licenses, that add flavor and effect to the dramatization of the same.
In the dialogue, while the grandiose language of the royalties is maintained, the main character of Esther, at times, depicts linguistic expressions of a contemporary young American girl.
Against the backdrop of the impending battle and the imminent annihilation of the Jews, and a search for “the queen to be,” a sweet romance between Esther, a simple, yet genuine soul and the majestic King Xerxes, is beautifully woven. In the climax scene, even in the midst of betrayal and treachery, the recognition of true love surpasses everything—the Kingdom, the edict, the thirst for the annihilation of the Jews, tradition and protocol, the King recognizes his true love and spouse.
It certainly does uplift your faith and confidence in God Almighty, who is also passionately loving each one of us!
Posted by frleo at 12:23 PM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2006
Ecclesiastical Congress
The Ecclesiastical Congress convened at St. James' Anglican Church in Kansas City MO, under the auspices of the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite. This also saw the coming together of HCC Western Rite under Bishop Michael Wright and his counterpart in South Africa Bishop Bonzano. I represented the UECNA and was asked to speak on 'Evangelism and Church Growth.'
The Congress began with Matins and Mass. Archbishop Michael Writer, gave the Keynote address calling for reconciliation and unity. Reaffirming his faith in the Affirmation of St. Louis, he insisted on the four principles, a consciousness that we are part of the Body of Christ, Sound Doctrine, the Structure of the Church (Bishop, Priests, Deacons and Laity) and the Disciplined Christian Life. The acting Metropolitan Bishop Thomas Kleppinger presented "Church Music Demonstration" how one could be resourceful should a church not have an organist or an organ. This was followed by "Church Music Applied" by Peter Wipple.
The afternoon session opened with an address from Bishop Samuel Banzano of South Africa. Their search and desire was to belong to the true orthodox Anglican family. John Getz, an attorney and member of St. James, presented a session on the "Canons" and Lynn Baxter presented "Legal and Church Accounting". I followed with my presentation on Evangelism and Church Growth. The evening was conclunded with Solemn Even Song and Benediction conducted by James Gordon and myself.
The following day opened with Matins and Eucharist presided by Bishop Arthur Rushlow. Bishop David Seeland presented his talk on the Ministry to the Sick. This was followed by Fr. Oren Cyphers devoting a dedicating his presentation on the Acolytes, who are important part of the liturgical ceremony. Bishop Hank King gave a presentation on the "Holy Oils", followed by a short presentation by Mary Elizabeth Gemmill on the concept of a "Parish Nurse" - if there are retired nurses among us in the parish how they could be lifesavers for the church. The evening had the college of bishops meeting, acknowledging Chamber's Succession as the source of all our episcopates and the need to enter into intercommunion.
One of the attendees that I was curious about was a young lady attending College in Kansas City. I wondered what she thought about the Congress and Anglicanism. She said there should be more soul searching in terms of catechism, studying the curriculum in the context of the scriptures. Her input was very important as she was the youngest among those present. The congress concluded with Evening Prayer and Hymn Sing.
Kudos to the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite for organizing this congress in a time when we need to stand together on the principles of Anglicanism that has guided our church in the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church for all these years
Posted by frleo at 8:33 AM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2006
Jesus' prayer for unity
Wish everone in the continuing movements were on fire with this prayer of Jesus: Father may they be one as you and I are one. I write this note on the Ecclesiastical Congress of the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite in Kansas City, KS.
I see a great willingness and good will among the attendees who want to realize the wish and prayer of Jesus for us all. Actually, people are baffled as to why this has not been realized. Who should realize? Perhaps the leadership. Wish they would! Will post more on the proceedings of the day sometime later.
If there have been misgivings in the past among certain continuing churches, it is time to forgive and let God's Spirit heal the wounds. If we hang to the past hurt, what good is it?
May the Lord lead us all to this unity in working for His kingdom!
Posted by frleo at 6:34 AM | Comments (0)
October 5, 2006
The Amish Greatness
The Amish folks have risen great in the hearts of us all. After suffering the gruesome slaughter of their children, their willingness to forgive the killer and reach out to his family is very humane indeed! In a world where violence has become so common, forgiveness from the victim's family is not so common. It reminds us of Christ's words: Father forgive them, they know not what they do. Their own imitation of Christ has made an indelible impression of their greatness and their generous forgiveness.
While we pray for God's comfort to the bereaving family as they rest their children in the everlasting peace, we salute their Christian witnessing and the courage in the midst of great suffering.
On another note, while we may argue about gun control, we are forced to accept the reality of insanity unleashed by the assailants and their targeting the most vulnerable of our population, the school children. These children had absolutely no defense. Their future, their dreams, and their hopes have been grounded in their silencing.
Who knows if sanity will always prevail in the mind of those who possess guns? Ironically, while we are attempting to protect the nation from the onslaught of the terrorists, the violent people within our own fold attack and kill.
Appreciation for life, be it one's own or another's, is essential and crucial for our human existence. That's what our religious conviction teaches us. While irrationality dictates otherwise, it is good to question our conscience time and again and modify our conduct after the precepts of our Christian belief that calls for respect of life.
Posted by frleo at 8:33 PM | Comments (0)