The identical twins behind Welsh’s promotion push
LATEST RUGBY WORLD MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DEALS James cut short a three-month pre-season trial at Sale as he didn’t see a future for himself at the club, and instead went back to playing part-time rugby for Cardiff RFC.He sent his dvd to London Welsh and then out of the blue, with Welsh suffering an early season spate of injuries in the backs, he received a call from the club.“Keeping in touch with Rob I knew Welsh were having backs problems with injuries – they had four players out at one stage – and that’s when I first sent my dvd to them,” he said.“I literally got a call one Tuesday to get down here for the next day, so I packed my stuff and came and lived with Rob. I grasped the opportunity because I want to play full-time professional rugby.“It was hard coming in but I’ve never had a reception like this, all the boys and the coaches have been really friendly. It’s a real family community and everyone just welcomes you.“I feel sorry for Rob, though. When I turned up he got a lot of stick ‘you’re the worst twin’ and ‘the ugly one’.”His arrival once again reunited the Lewis brothers after a few seasons apart. Having played together at Ebbw Vale and Newport Gwent Dragons, as well as for Wales at U18, U19, U20 and Sevens [James also played Wales U6], Rob left for Neath and the Ospreys.The pair continued on their separate ways in 2009, with Rob joining Welsh and James heading to Championship rivals Coventry.They would enjoy contrasting fortunes as Welsh reached the Championship semi-finals, while James experienced relegation with Coventry.And as if that wasn’t enough, when the twins lined up against each other at Old Deer Park that season, it was Rob that took the family bragging rights as Welsh dished out a 51-13 defeat on Coventry. Rob (left) and James LewisFRESH FROM his two try haul which inspired London Welsh to a late bonus point at Worcester last weekend, James Lewis has now set his sights on helping the Dragons finish the regular season on a high when they face Nottingham at Old Deer Park on Saturday (2pm).The 23-year-old centre joined identical twin brother and scrum half Rob at Old Deer Park in November from Cardiff RFC after a pre-season trial at Sale.James crossed for a try on his debut for Welsh in a 34-9 win at Birmingham & Solihull in the Championship, and added to his tally last weekend at Sixways after coming on as a second half replacement.“They were so far ahead we had to run everything and throw the kitchen sink at them and that’s what we did and it paid off,” said James.“Every time we scored points I’d look at the scoreboard and look at the time to see how long we had left.“I reckon if we had another ten minutes we could have just caught them – we were chipping away and we weren’t that far off in the end.”The defeat leaves Welsh needing to beat Nottingham on Saturday and hoping the Cornish Pirates slip up at Doncaster if the Dragons are to finish third. But despite that defeat to the Championship leaders James believes Welsh can still take a lot from the game.“They’re the best team in the league and we know now that we can compete with them if we play with the intensity we showed in the second half,” he said,“We got caught off guard a bit in the first half and Andy Goode just kicked the ball endlessly and perfectly, and we couldn’t do anything about it.“But the second half we raised our game and showed we can live with them if we play to our structures and with a high intensity.”James has settled in well at London Welsh but while his arrival to join twin brother Rob may have caused a few double takes down at Old Deer Park, James doesn’t see what all the confusion is about.“At birth they said we were 98 per cent identical, but you can tell there’s a massive difference between us,” he said.“I’m thinner in the face he’s a bit rounder – the boys give him gip about that.”
The brothers had already made a name for themselves at underage for Wales, with James scoring an outstanding try in the U19 Six Nations Grand Slam decider against France in 2006, while Rob was Wales’ top scorer in the campaign.Both have also made a reputation for themselves on the sevens circuit and in February 2008 they became the first twins to represent Wales in senior rugby when they played in the IRB Sevens tournaments in Wellington and San Diego, alongside future London Welsh team-mates Aled Thomas and Lee Beach.
Cause for celebration: the Six Nations remains on terrestrial television (Photo Getty Images) With the huge announcement that the BBC and ITV were to share the broadcasting rights for the Six Nations, Head of Media and Sport at Capital Law, Sion Clwyd Roberts, dissects the deal and speculates where the next big rights deals will go LATEST RUGBY WORLD MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DEALS Tier B competitions are available to subscription broadcasters with a requirement to make the highlights available on terrestrial television – think Test match cricket, which is live and exclusive on Sky with highlights only on Channel 5. Conceivably therefore Sky (or BT Sport) could bid for exclusive Rugby World Cup live coverage with highlights on Channel 5, as long as the final was transmitted simultaneously on Sky and Channel 5 to meet the Tier A criteria for the final itself.Is the Sky the limit?Commercially, it would make sense for Sky to invest in acquiring the Rugby World Cup – Sky gaining exclusive rights to the Lions’ tour is testament to their ability to monetize rugby union coverage and reach a potential new audience of subscribers. It is a deal that World Rugby would be minded to do if the price is right, and the world’s rugby governing bodies would endorse close such a move, for the greater good of the game globally.Up for the Cup: Could a future World Cup semi-final be live on Sky? (Photo: Getty Images)The new Six Nations rights deal has highlighted the benefits to the organisers of being Tier B tournament. The tournament’s negotiators can play broadcasters against one another and thereby maximise revenues. Being a Tier A competition limits the market to free-to-air broadcasters only, for which there are only two real players – the BBC and ITV. In sporting parlance, the Six Nations’ committee played a blinder – managing to squeeze the maximum amount possible out of two free-to-air broadcasters, while maintaining viewer satisfaction, not disaffecting the core rugby audience and leveraging ITV into the game with the attraction of cashing in on the lucrative England home matches.My prediction is that Sky could hit back when the Rugby World Cup rights become available. Politicians will not want to upset the applecart by promoting the entire tournament into Tier A, which will disrupt the market. The rugby viewing public will be baffled as to quite how the jewel in the rugby crown may be lost to pay-TV companies, while football and tennis fans remain unaffected.Sion Clwyd Roberts is Head of Media and Sport at Cardiff and London based law firm, Capital Law www.capitallaw.co.uk If you heard a low rumbling noise last Thursday, it may well have been a collective sigh of relief from armchair rugby fans across the country. You’ve no doubt heard that the Six Nations is set to remain free-to-view, as BBC and ITV’s joint bid for the broadcasting rights was successful.The competition’s organisers had been openly courting subscription broadcasters Sky and BT Sport, leading to speculation that the much-loved competition would only be viewable to fans able to stump up increasingly high prices for premium TV sports packages.It took an unprecedented alliance between the two rival terrestrial broadcasters in rugby – BBC and ITV share the rights to the World Cup and the European Championships – to win the day. As a result, in a six-year deal, from 2016 onwards the 15 RBS Six Nations games will be split between BBC and ITV for the first time.You only need to think back to the emotional rollercoaster that was the final day of this year’s competition in March to see why this is such a heartening move – not just for avid rugby fans, but the millions of casual viewers drawn in by the drama each and every year.Well, if it works for Europe…Shared rights: Toulon won the inaugural Champions Cup in a game shown by BT Sport and Sky SportsWhile it may appear odd for rivals to jointly bid for these rights, in this new world order, it makes a lot of sense to both broadcasters. And rugby fans know that co-operation between rivals can lead to success – just look at the burgeoning Champions Cup.Firstly, it saves a considerable amount of money for the BBC, particularly in a week that has seen Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne raid a fifth of the BBC’s entire income (about £650m) to fund free television licences for those over 75. It also helps save face for a corporation who have owned the Six Nations broadcast rights for as long as most people can remember.However, arguably the biggest winners from this auction are ITV. They can now add the Six Nations to their Rugby World Cup coverage and claim to be the home of international rugby, targeting those key ABC1 viewers who aspire to relax in the Twickers’ West Car Park sipping champagne – it will be a delight to sell sponsorship and advertising for matches, all kindly promoted by the BBC.Changing channels: ITV will show Six Nations matches from the Aviva Stadium (Photo: Inpho)The World Cup: shiny but not a ‘crown jewel’ (legally speaking) Major sporting events in the UK are split into two tiers; Tier A and Tier B. The Tier A sporting events are known as the ‘crown jewels’; meaning that they must be shown live on terrestrial television channels like BBC or ITV. The Wimbledon tennis championship, the football World Cup, and the Olympic Games are all ‘crown jewels’. However, in terms of the Rugby World Cup, it is only the final that is protected.
Te’o is the tops Ben Te’o was in fantastic form for Leinster in their 19-16 win over the Ospreys. The Kiwi inside centre tested the Ospreys defence throughout with his powerful runs and slick offloads and was deservedly named Man of the Match.Ian Madigan and Fergus McFadden also deserve a special mention for creating a superb try for Dan Leavy, with Madigan making a break from a scrum in his own half and McFadden taking the ball on from halfway to the 22, opening up the defence for Leavy. Finishing touch: Peter Betham dives over for his try in Leicester’s win v Exeter. (Photo: Getty Images) Centre of attention: Ben Te’o had a great game at 12 for Leinster. (Photo: Inpho) Flying display Tom Homer produced a fantastic mid-air offload by to set up Semisa Rokoduguni’s try in Bath’s win over London Irish. Rhys Priestland and Matt Banahan made ground through the Exiles defence, Homer took the ball on and was heading for the right-hand corner when he was tackled, but as he flew horizontally towards the touchline he passed inside to Rokoduguni, who just had to stride over the line. It was a quite brilliant piece of work from the Bath full-back. Red-faced Scarlet Scarlets scrum-half Connor Lloyd had a win to celebrate after making his Pro12 debut off the bench against Treviso on Friday, but also made a mistake he won’t want to be reminded of too often.Receiving the ball from a lineout, the replacement scrum-half sent out a pass only to find Treviso No 8 Robert Barbieri had anticipated where the ball was going and was waiting to intercept it.The Italian international raced in for a try which put Treviso 15-14 up, but fortunately for Lloyd his Scarlets team fought back to win the game 24-15. Wonder wing Steffan Evans was the star of the show for the Scarlets in their 24-15 Guinness Pro12 win over Benetton Treviso, as he scored two tries and was named Man of the Match.It’s there! Steff Evans scores for the Scarlets in Italy. (Photo: Huw Evans Agency)For his first score, the 21-year-old wing he received the ball on the ten metre line and cut a beautiful diagonal line towards the posts, beating four defenders on the way to scoring under the sticks.That helped the Scarlets build up a 14-3 lead at half-time. Treviso then fought back and went 15-14 up before Dan Jones kicked a penalty to put the Welsh side back in front. Evans then stepped up again to score his second well-taken try, beating a huddle of defenders inside the 22 with good footwork. The win keeps the Scarlets in contention for a top-two finish. The SinnersCentre’s slip-up Scotland and Glasgow Warriors centre Mark Bennett made an uncharacteristic error in Sunday’s Guinness Pro12 clash with Cardiff Blues when he dropped the ball as he stooped to touch down for a try. Bennett was rounding off a fluent attacking move when the Warriors were already 10-0 up, but the try was quite rightly disallowed.Glasgow went on to win 27-20, but could have had a four-try bonus point if Bennett had been more careful. The Warriors are still eight points behind fourth-placed Ulster in the table and even though they have two games in hand, that bonus point would have been most welcome. Missing in action: Craig Willis pushed a vital kick wide for Newcastle Falcons. (Photo: Getty Images)Off targetThere were a few costly misses from goal-kickers in the Aviva Premiership this weekend, and none more important than Craig Willis’s conversion of Rob Vickers’ try in the last ten minutes of Newcastle Falcons’ 14-15 home defeat by Worcester Warriors on Friday.He sent the kick wide of the right-hand post, whereas if it had been on target the Falcons might have won the game against their fellow-strugglers.Fortunately for Newcastle their main rivals in the relegation battle, London Irish, lost too and didn’t even manage to grab a losing bonus point as Greig Tonks missed a conversion from wide on the right after Alex Lewington’s late try, making the final score Bath 25, London Irish 17.Jimmy Gopperth could have snatched a draw for Wasps at Gloucester but missed a drop-goal from the middle of the pitch, about 39m out, with the last kick of the game in their 13-10 defeat. Swift work Queensland Reds have sacked their coach Richard Graham after just two matches of the new Super Rugby season.Graham has been the Reds coach for three seasons and was reappointed last August after a re-structure, despite the fact Queensland had only won four games last season. To dismiss him now, so soon after the start of the new campaign, suggests the management board were split over the decision to reappoint him in the first place. Not great work by the powers that be at the Reds. TAGS: Highlight LATEST RUGBY WORLD MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DEALS True grit: Dave Kilcoyne forces his way over for one of his two tries. (Photo: Inpho)At the doubleA tip of the hat goes to Munster prop Dave Kilcoyne who scored a brace of tries in a match for the second time in three games. He scored a double against Glasgow on 19 February and was in the right place at the right time twice again in Munster’s 26-5 win over the Dragons this weekend.Considering Kilcoyne had only averaged one Pro12 try per season in each of his previous four campaigns with Munster, this represents something of a purple patch for the Ireland prop.Connacht also deserve some words of praise for notching up their third consecutive away with in the Guinness Pro12 – something they haven’t achieved since 2002-03. The 28-23 victory at Edinburgh keeps Connacht top of the table. Shark attack Will Addison scored a scorching try for Sale Sharks in their 29-23 win over Harlequins. A fine offload from Sam James gave Addison the ball on halfway and the wing sprinted 50 metres, fighting off two tacklers in his final strides, and score under the posts to put the Sharks 26-16 up. No excuse: Toby Booth’s whinge about the weather didn’t make much sense. (Photo: Getty Images)Blame game Bath have undoubtedly had a disappointing season in the Aviva Premiership and so were delighted to get their 25-17 win over London Irish, but the post-match comments by Bath’s first team coach Toby Booth were surprising.Booth, usually someone who talks a lot of sense, blamed the weather and pitch conditions for Bath’s poor season when he was speaking on TV after the game. “Today, since Exeter on the first day of the season, is the first time we have had some really positive, neutral conditions so we can show some of the stuff we used to show,” said Booth. Hmmm. I think you’ll find both teams play in the same conditions in any one match, so if Bath have been coping less well with those conditions then surely they need to look to themselves for solutions, not just continue under-performing until the weather dries up? The SaintsSunday best Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs produced a Sunday-best performance in the Aviva Premiership, with the Tigers hanging on for a 31-27 victory after leading 31-6 with half an hour to go.There were some magnificent tries, not least the one scored by Manu Tuilagi which featured marvellous approach play from Niki Goneva, Michael Fitzgerald and Peter Betham.Wing Betham scored a terrific individual try of his own and Adam Thompstone finished one which was created by a cleverly overthrown lineout close to the line on the right.Exeter played their part in a scintillating contest, with Ian Whitton also raced in for an eye-catching try. As the title races in the Aviva Premiership and the Guinness Pro12 hot up, who is in scorching form and who is getting their fingers burned? Cherry cheers: Matt Kvesic (centre) and Bill Meakes (right) thank the crowd. (Photo: Getty Images)Glorious Gloucester Wasps had only dropped three Aviva Premiership points in the last six rounds and were certainly the form side in the competition when they arrived at Kingsholm to play Gloucester on Saturday, but the Cherry and Whites ended their six-match winning run with a 13-10 victory.Bill Meakes, Jeremy Thrush and Matt Kvesic all shone for Gloucester. Meakes made 83 metres in attack – more than anyone else in this match – and beat six defenders, while Thrush and Kvesic were central to a magnificent performance from the home pack, with Kvesic out-playing George Smith at the breakdowns.
TAGS: Fiji LATEST RUGBY WORLD MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DEALS Whatever, it is vital to inform the legions of rugby sevens supporters who were converted thanks to the country’s heroics in Rio – according to World Rugby the Olympics generated almost 17 million new fans – that Fiji’s passion for the sport was sparked in Hong Kong over 40 years ago.For the latest Rugby World subscription offers, click here. And to download the digital edition, click here. Together as one: The Fiji stars come together to give thanks By Oliver PickupFiji men’s sensational success at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, in last summer’s inaugural rugby sevens competition, was undoubtedly one of the most absorbing sporting narratives of 2016. And the jubilant supporters of the impoverished, tiny Pacific island nation have Hong Kong to thank for inspiring their country to become giants in the discipline and earning a maiden Games podium finish.For exactly 40 years before the Rio 2016 triumph the first Hong Kong Sevens took place, and that 1976 edition, which Fiji participated in, triggered an unparalleled passion for the game which is evident on and off the pitch.In Rio, Fiji’s golden journey climaxed in a 43-7 demolition of Team GB and the manner of their final victory at the Deodoro Stadium in mid-August – which the side’s London-born coach Ben Ryan posits was the most-watched game of rugby in history – underlined their superiority, and increased their universal appeal. In full-on attack mode, Fiji breathtakingly bamboozled the British defence with telepathic offloads and unpredictable, unstoppable running angles, scoring sevens tries – including five in the dizzying 10-minute first half – to one.Heading for glory: Semi Kunatani attacks during the Olympic finalTom Mitchell, the defeated Team GB captain, calls it “the best performance I’ve ever seen on a sevens field, from any team”, and adds: “Sometimes you have to accept the opposition has played better, and on that day Fiji were sublime. We were gutted, but to lose to them, on top form, somehow lessened the blow. When Fiji perform like that, as they have done so often in the past, it makes sevens so exciting.”While their success generated thousands of new admirers – according to Ryan ‘Fiji’ was the most-searched term on Google for an hour after the final – few familiar with the country’s proud and glittering sevens heritage were surprised. After all, they were strong favourites going in to the tournament, having secured back-to-back HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series titles, and have hitherto amassed a record 16 Hong Kong Sevens titles. But how exactly did humble Fiji rise to become the dominant force in sevens?Firstly, it is hard to overstate how popular, and important, rugby sevens is in Fiji. The sport dominates both front and back pages of the two main newspapers, Fiji Sun and The Fiji Times. “For the Olympics, they published a daily, 20-page pull out about the sevens,” says Chris Cracknell, Ryan’s deputy and coach of the women’s side for Rio. “And there was a 72-page collector’s edition produced after the final.”Representing the country is not just a source of pride; it provides a gilt-edged opportunity to lift individual players, and their nearest and dearest, out of poverty. Young players dream of playing for Fiji, and the promise of relative wealth only serves to further motivate them. On the 40-minute drive from Suva to Pacific Harbour, where Cracknell and Ryan lived, the pair would count over 50 games of sevens being played by youths attempting to emulating their heroes.Mastermind: Ben Ryan speaks publiclyRegardless of whether players make the top grade or not, sevens remains a vital part of Fijian life, particularly in village communities; the daily games extend for hours, after sunset. Ryan, who stepped down after the Olympics and is now helping HSBC spread rugby sevens around the globe, reveals that he would often catch his players flinging the ball about in such matches when they were supposed to be resting after a tournament. “You can only admire that pure love of the game,” he says. “They can’t stop playing, they love it and it is a central part of the culture in the villages. You’ll see sevens everywhere, most of the time being played on uneven surfaces, and very rarely with an actual rugby ball.”Despite a perennial lack of investment and structured coaching – or perhaps because of it – Fijians are blessed with the key attributes for sevens: physique; speed; and jaw-dropping skill. Fiji’s love affair with rugby began in the early 1900s, though the sport was not introduced by the British – the Pacific nation’s colonial masters from 1874 until independence in 1970 – as one might assume, but a plumber from New Zealand named Paddy Sheehan.While working at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, the former Otago player, who would go on to be voted Fiji Rugby Union’s first chairman, established the Escott Shield, which is still played today. Indeed, it is 15-a-side rugby which is played in Fijian schools rather than sevens, a simpler, more expressive game reserved for playtimes, after lessons, and back home with friends and relatives.However, it was not until the Hong Kong Sevens began, in 1976, that Fijians truly fell head over heels for rugby – and specifically the abridged version of the game. Suddenly, and for the first time, their sportsmen had a rare chance to travel overseas, and showcase their sporting talent on a global stage. Following that inaugural edition, which Fiji participated in, the team’s manager, George Reade, saw the sport’s potential and, once home, immediately organised the country’s first sevens tournament, the Marist Sevens. With 16 titles, Olympic gold medallists Fiji have more Hong Kong wins than anyone else. Here is a look at what makes them so special. Fans favourite: Fiji are popular with spectators wherever they go“Before then, rugby sevens was not played in Fiji,” says local historian Culden Kamea. “What drove public interest was the Marist Sevens. Not only did it offer the biggest prize money domestically, it was also the tournament from which Fiji’s team to play in Hong Kong that particular year would be determined. And, truth be known, our local club sevens circuit was probably much tougher than Hong Kong.”In the early editions of the Hong Kong Sevens, which remains the pinnacle of the Sevens Series circuit, Fiji’s romantic reputation for swashbuckling rugby was formed. Theirs was a style which broke the mould and replaced it with a thrilling alternative, fuelled by attacking ambition, verve, and smiling mischief. Such an expansive approach came with risks attached, though. No matter to the neutral: entertainment was guaranteed when Fiji took to the pitch.After a modest showing in the first edition of the Hong Kong Sevens, a much-improved Fiji won three of the next four tournaments (1977, 1978 and 1980). They were champions again in 1984, though it wasn’t until 20-year-old Waisale Serevi was selected for the 1989 campaign that the Fijians entered their next golden period, which happily coincided with the birth of the country’s national television service.The king: Waisale Serevi evading tackles in his primeThe 5ft 7in playmaker, whose off-field humility belies the flamboyance he displayed on it, would become a giant of sevens. Moreover, he was Fiji’s first globally revered sports star; he is regarded as the game’s best-ever player and known universally as ‘The King’. “Without Hong Kong, there is no Serevi, no Fiji sevens,” he says. “Sevens suits Fijians so perfectly; we have the skills, the speed and the physique,” Serevi, whose country has now accrued five more titles than second-placed New Zealand, continues. “And rugby is the only way we can express ourselves. For the youth players, it is a great opportunity to make a name for yourself, and more importantly make a living, and help your family.”In his first Hong Kong outing, the impish, jinking Serevi was awarded the Leslie Williams Trophy, handed to the competition’s best performer, even though Fiji didn’t make the final. With him pulling the strings, Fiji won five more crowns in the next 11 editions. And he was twice named the player of the tournament when Fiji won the World Cup, at the same venue in 1997 and also in 2005 – the latter achieved a couple of months before his 37th birthday.For almost a decade, up until Ryan took a punt on Fiji four years ago – after his record-breaking tenure as England coach ended acrimoniously – the country had failed, for the most part, to perform to their usual high standards, though they still turned it on to win in Hong Kong in 2009, 2012 and 2013.The 45-year-old, now working with HSBC to promote Rugby Sevens having stepped away from Fiji following the Olympics, has been rightly lauded for maximising the team’s potential, with Rio the zenith. By dramatically improving the team’s discipline, game knowledge, fitness and diet, the Cambridge University graduate contrived to stud a velvet glove with deadly spikes. And winning the last two Hong Kong Sevens competitions propelled Fiji to Olympic gold.Celebration: Joeli Lutumailagi holds his hands aloft in Las VegasWith Welshman Gareth Baber taking charge in January as Ryan’s successor, the link and bond with Hong Kong remains strong; the 44-year-old former Bristol scrum-half has spent the last three seasons coaching the national team.“The key thing now is to maintain what Ben has done,” adds Serevi. “It should be an exciting year because of Gareth taking over. But 90 per cent of the things that made Fiji win the back-to-back World Series and the Olympics are still there.”On the eve of this year’s Hong Kong Sevens, the seventh round of the 10-stop season, the Fijians – yet to win a tournament this term, despite reaching three cup finals – sit third in the rankings. However, another victory at the sport’s mecca would be typical.
Wales win three on the bounce against South AfricaThere are many Welsh things that look disgusting but taste good. Cockles and lavabread being fine examples. Wales’ 22-20 victory over the Springboks – their third in a row againt South Africa – also falls into this category.Many argued over the validity of the fixture before it had even kicked off and the quality of the second-string teams was evident immediately. The number of handling errors was high, even when taking the conditions into consideration. With new combinations and numerous players out of position, disjointed attacking and defensive patterns were inevitable.It wasn’t until the arrival of Hadleigh Parkes, and his direct carries, that Wales were able to fix defenders and move the ball wide with any regularity. It is worth noting that the handling of the Welsh backs, whilst unstable, was superior to South Africa.Space invader: Gareth Anscombe leads the Wales attack (Getty Images)The South African back-line turned the ball over 15 times – compare that to Castres and Montpellier whose back-lines turned the ball over just five times each in the Top 14 final and you get an idea of just how disjointed things were for the Boks.It appears that many supporters have taken little joy from the game, but Warren Gatland certainly will. Gatland will be pleased that his second XV is better than South Africa’s, which is a big positive for squad depth, and he can also book flights to Japan for Ellis Jenkins and Tomos Williams.Tomos Williams has arrivedCardiff Blues supporters have long been aware of Tomos Williams’s ability – he has kept Lloyd Williams on the bench at Cardiff Arms Park all season – but after his performance against South Africa, the wider public will also be aware.Tomos Williams is the perfect blend of the old and new school scrum-half. His pass is immaculate, but he can also mix it up with back-row forwards – as his try proved. It’s as if Dwayne Peel’s mother went out on a night out with Mike Phillips’s dad and they got on really, really well.Crossing the line: Tomos Williams scores a try on his Test debut for Wales (Getty Images)Williams’s cut-out passes, straight to the Welsh centres, were rare examples of passing fluidity from Wales and his double chargedown was pure Mike Phillips.Social media went into meltdown when Williams took his eye off the ball briefly at the base of the ruck, but don’t let it taint what was an immaculate performance. With Rhys Webb packing his bags for Toulon, the Welsh No 9 shirt is anyone’s and it could well be Williams’s come the World Cup.Related: Q&A with Cardiff Blues scrum-half Tomos WilliamsWhere was the ‘latch’?The ‘latch’ is the term given to the supporting player/players who attach to the ball-carrier and help drive them forward into and through contact. It is vital in modern rugby, especially with double tackles becoming the norm, but it is often one of the first things to disappear when squads consist of players who are unfamiliar with each other’s carrying lines. And it was evidently absent in the first half against South Africa. Stop sign: Ross Moriarty is halted by the Springboks defence (Getty Images)On numerous occasions, Wales sent single carriers into contact without a single latch in sight. It resulted in some usually very consistent ball-carriers being smashed backwards in the tackle. Being driven backwards isn’t just an issue of rugby vanity; it means the ruck cleanout becomes far more difficult, as your players have to run backwards to enter through the ‘gate’, whereas the defending team are now running forwards.Isolated carriers may not have cost Wales the game in Washington, but that won’t be the case in Argentina. Needs addressing.Ellis Jenkins the instant captainMost instant things are crap. Adding hot water to coffee or powdered mash leads to a very unsatisfactory experience. That is unless it’s Ellis Jenkins.With rain and temperatures of 25 degrees, the hot water was added to the Cardiff Blues openside and boom, you’ve got a Test performance and a Test captain in seconds.Leading figure: Ellis Jenkins excelled as Wales captain (Huw Evans Agency)It was a remarkable example of composure, where all around him people were not only losing their heads but also their feet and the ball. When mistakes were made, and there were many, Jenkins cleaned them up.This match may have been of little importance to the rugby public, but to Jenkins it was pivotal. Wales is awash with quality opensides and it is his leadership that may separate him from the rest when the big decisions are made during the next 12 months.When you take TV coverage for grantedWe’ve all done it. Sat in a pub slagging off a TV broadcaster for their rugby coverage. We all have our favourite broadcasters and often take them for granted. It is not until you see poor broadcasting that you appreciate what you once had.Channel 4’s coverage of the Wales v Boks game made what was a hard watch in rugby terms, a near impossible watch in production terms. At times it felt like Salvador Dali was behind the camera given the weird angles.New ground: The Test was played at RFK Stadium in Washington DC (Huw Evans Agency)And whilst I’m certain that all of the commentators and summarisers were in the same location, the difference in sound levels made it seem like some were in Washington DC and others were 3,000 miles away in Washington State. Paul Williams provides his reflections on Wales’ 22-20 win over South Africa in Washington DC Thumbs up: George North celebrates Wales’ win over South Africa in the US (Huw Evans Agency) 
LATEST RUGBY WORLD MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION DEALS In fairness, many of the mistakes weren’t down to Channel 4, as the broadcast was seemingly outsourced. But that isn’t the rugby public’s concern and it certainly won’t be who they blame. Channel 4 have a lot of work to do to avoid their coverage having the same reputation as Elton Jantjies’s hairdresser.Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Rector Pittsburgh, PA [Diocese of Lexington] The standing, nominating, and transition committees of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington on May 21 announced a slate of five candidates for seventh bishop of the diocese:The Rev. Ronald Abrams, rector, St. James Parish, Wilmington, North Carolina (Diocese of East Carolina);The Very Rev. Douglas Hahn, rector, St. Thomas, Columbus, Georgia, and Diocesan Convocation Dean (Diocese of Atlanta);The Rt. Rev. Santosh Marray, bishop assisting, Diocese of East Carolina;The Rev. LaRae Rutenbar, interim rector, St. Peter’s, Rome, Georgia (resident Diocese of Western Michigan); andThe Rev. Nigel Taber-Hamilton, rector, St. Augustine’s-in-the-Woods, Freeland, Washington (Diocese of Olympia).All candidates will be in the Diocese of Lexington for public gatherings, known as “walkabouts,” from July 31-Aug. 4, 2012.The election of the seventh bishop of Lexington is scheduled for Aug. 18 at Christ Church Cathedral, Lexington.Pending the required consents from a majority of diocesan standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction in the Episcopal Church, the consecration or investiture of the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Lexington will be held Dec. 15, 2012 at Christ Church Cathedral.Information about the candidates is available at http://diolex.org/bishop7/candidates. A website with information about the search process and transition is at http://diolex.org/bishop7.The sixth bishop of Lexington, the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, announced in May 2011 that he would be resigning his position as bishop of Lexington to become chief operating officer of the Episcopal Church beginning in September 2011. Sauls was elected as the sixth bishop of Lexington in 2000. Episcopal Migration Ministries’ Virtual Prayer Vigil for World Refugee Day Facebook Live Prayer Vigil June 20 @ 7 p.m. ET Rector Bath, NC Tags Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Hires Reverend Kevin W. VanHook, II as Executive Director Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Assistant/Associate Rector Morristown, NJ The Church Pension Fund Invests $20 Million in Impact Investment Fund Designed to Preserve Workforce Housing Communities Nationwide Church Pension Group Family Ministry Coordinator Baton Rouge, LA Assistant/Associate Rector Washington, DC Missioner for Disaster Resilience Sacramento, CA Rector Knoxville, TN The Church Investment Group Commends the Taskforce on the Theology of Money on its report, The Theology of Money and Investing as Doing Theology Church Investment Group Bishop Diocesan Springfield, IL Priest Associate or Director of Adult Ministries Greenville, SC In-person Retreat: Thanksgiving Trinity Retreat Center (West Cornwall, CT) Nov. 24-28 Seminary of the Southwest announces appointment of two new full time faculty members Seminary of the Southwest An Evening with Aliya Cycon Playing the Oud Lancaster, PA (and streaming online) July 3 @ 7 p.m. ET Rector Shreveport, LA Episcopal Church releases new prayer book translations into Spanish and French, solicits feedback Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs Submit an Event Listing Canon for Family Ministry Jackson, MS Associate Rector Columbus, GA Virtual Celebration of the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center Zoom Conversation June 19 @ 12 p.m. ET This Summer’s Anti-Racism Training Online Course (Diocese of New Jersey) June 18-July 16 TryTank Experimental Lab and York St. John University of England Launch Survey to Study the Impact of Covid-19 on the Episcopal Church TryTank Experimental Lab Associate Rector for Family Ministries Anchorage, AK AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to PrintFriendlyPrintFriendlyShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailShare to MoreAddThis Featured Jobs & Calls Bishop Elections Press Release Service Rector Washington, DC New Berrigan Book With Episcopal Roots Cascade Books 
Curate (Associate & Priest-in-Charge) Traverse City, MI Director of Administration & Finance Atlanta, GA Curate Diocese of Nebraska Cathedral Dean Boise, ID Rector Collierville, TN Rector Belleville, IL Rector/Priest in Charge (PT) Lisbon, ME Rector Hopkinsville, KY Posted May 21, 2012 Rector Albany, NY Ya no son extranjeros: Un diálogo acerca de inmigración Una conversación de Zoom June 22 @ 7 p.m. ET Lexington diocese announces slate of five nominees for next bishop Director of Music Morristown, NJ Priest-in-Charge Lebanon, OH Rector Smithfield, NC Youth Minister Lorton, VA Rector Martinsville, VA Course Director Jerusalem, Israel Submit a Press Release Rector and Chaplain Eugene, OR Join the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in Celebrating the Pauli Murray Feast Online Worship Service June 27 Rector Tampa, FL Associate Priest for Pastoral Care New York, NY Virtual Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course Online Course Aug. 9-13 Featured Events Remember Holy Land Christians on Jerusalem Sunday, June 20 American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem Rector (FT or PT) Indian River, MI An Evening with Presiding Bishop Curry and Iconographer Kelly Latimore Episcopal Migration Ministries via Zoom June 23 @ 6 p.m. ET Assistant/Associate Priest Scottsdale, AZ Inaugural Diocesan Feast Day Celebrating Juneteenth San Francisco, CA (and livestream) June 19 @ 2 p.m. PT Submit a Job Listing
An Evening with Presiding Bishop Curry and Iconographer Kelly Latimore Episcopal Migration Ministries via Zoom June 23 @ 6 p.m. ET Director of Administration & Finance Atlanta, GA Episcopal Church releases new prayer book translations into Spanish and French, solicits feedback Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to PrintFriendlyPrintFriendlyShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailShare to MoreAddThis Tags Featured Jobs & Calls Assistant/Associate Rector Washington, DC Director of Music Morristown, NJ Father Ron Smith says: December 14, 2013 at 2:32 am Where are the representatives of the so-called GAFCON Churches? And why have they absented themselves from this important inter-Anglican Meeting? Could it be that GAFCON has now considered itself not part of the Anglican Communion’s ‘Instruments of Unity? And is so, what will IASCUFO do about this situation – in terms of challenge to GAFCON? An Evening with Aliya Cycon Playing the Oud Lancaster, PA (and streaming online) July 3 @ 7 p.m. ET Course Director Jerusalem, Israel Rector Pittsburgh, PA This Summer’s Anti-Racism Training Online Course (Diocese of New Jersey) June 18-July 16 Rector and Chaplain Eugene, OR Join the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in Celebrating the Pauli Murray Feast Online Worship Service June 27 Rector (FT or PT) Indian River, MI Ya no son extranjeros: Un diálogo acerca de inmigración Una conversación de Zoom June 22 @ 7 p.m. ET Canon for Family Ministry Jackson, MS Press Release Service Priest-in-Charge Lebanon, OH Posted Dec 12, 2013 In-person Retreat: Thanksgiving Trinity Retreat Center (West Cornwall, CT) Nov. 24-28 Associate Priest for Pastoral Care New York, NY Rector Shreveport, LA Rector Bath, NC Family Ministry Coordinator Baton Rouge, LA Youth Minister Lorton, VA Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Hires Reverend Kevin W. VanHook, II as Executive Director Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Missioner for Disaster Resilience Sacramento, CA Associate Rector for Family Ministries Anchorage, AK Submit an Event Listing The Church Pension Fund Invests $20 Million in Impact Investment Fund Designed to Preserve Workforce Housing Communities Nationwide Church Pension Group Featured Events Submit a Job Listing Rector Washington, DC Virtual Celebration of the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center Zoom Conversation June 19 @ 12 p.m. ET The Church Investment Group Commends the Taskforce on the Theology of Money on its report, The Theology of Money and Investing as Doing Theology Church Investment Group [Anglican Communion News Service] Gathering in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, as the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO), at the invitation of the Rt Revd Dr Howard Gregory, Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, we have been acutely aware of the season of Advent and the promise of Isaiah and John the Baptist that God is doing a new thing: ‘A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots’ (Isaiah 11.1); and ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’ (Matthew 3.2). We have been enlivened and enriched by our anticipation of the coming of the Christ and in our receiving from one another.We give thanks for the life of Nelson Mandela, whose death occurred while we were in Jamaica, a land which, like many others, was inspired by his courageous leadership. As we consider the obligations of leadership in church and society, we see in him a model of how to pursue peace and reconciliation with justice.Encouraged by reports of the 15th Anglican Consultative Council in Auckland, New Zealand, and the 10th World Council of Churches Assembly in Busan, Korea, we welcome the new energy for ecumenical relations and in our life together within the Anglican Communion. We also look forward to what God will do through new leadership in the world Church, asking God’s blessing on the ministry of the Most Revd Justin Welby as 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, Pope Tawadros II as Patriarch of Alexandria and Pope Francis as Bishop of Rome.Meeting in the context of daily prayer and the Eucharist, we have valued the shaping of our discussions by our Bible studies on the Epistle to the Ephesians. We have been emboldened by Christ’s breaking down of the dividing wall (2.14) and the Church’s calling to make known ‘the wisdom of God in its rich variety’ (3.10). We have been challenged to steadfastness and maturity and to pursuing our calling to build up the body of Christ in love (4.14–16).To this end we commend engagement with the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Faith and Order Paper The Church: Towards a Common Vision. The fruit of twenty years of consultation among Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Roman Catholic churches, it offers a high degree of common understanding of the theology of the Church. We welcome this publication overseen by the Revd Canon Dr John Gibaut, Director of Faith and Order for the WCC and himself a member of IASCUFO, and believe it offers a rich resource for the understanding of our common mission as Christians.We also received reports of ecumenical dialogues including the draft text of the final report of the Anglican-Methodist International Commission (AMICUM) and various local initiatives. We rejoice at the re-convening of the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission after 12 years and note its agreed statement on Christology which has been sent for consideration by the churches of the Anglican Communion.In successive meetings, we have returned to the theology of the human person, known as theological anthropology, exploring what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God in the language of Genesis 1. 26–27. In the face of the challenges and opportunities offered by globalisation, migration and developments in the human and natural sciences, we are seeking to articulate a coherent theological understanding of the human person and human society to support our theological work and toengage our churches in a serious study of what it means to be human in the 21st century.Continuing our efforts to deepen our common life within the Anglican Communion, we recalled the importance of our lived communion for our prophetic engagement as reconciled reconcilers in the world. Focusing on the inter-connectedness of mission, ecclesiology and life in the Spirit, we have committed to on-going work which will seek to addressthe global situation and the tensions and divisions within our Anglican family and to witness to the advent of God’s reign in our midst. On-going work will explore the foundational role of the Holy Spirit in our common life. We recognise the need to discern and embrace new and life-giving interventions of the Holy Spirit in our Communion worldwide during the past half-century, with particular reference to the churches in the southern continents.Reflecting on the discussions and resolutions of ACC-15, IASCUFO has focussed on the need to strengthen Communion relationships in the 21st Century and has again noted the importance of the Instruments of Communion as signs and servants of our common life. We believe face-to-face encounters are essential for the well-being of our Communion and that the Lambeth Conference, in particular, constitutes a crucial part of our life together in taking common counsel and in expressing our common identity.Daunting as our task is, we take heart from the repeated exhortation of Scripture, ‘Do not be afraid… for nothing will be impossible with God’ (Luke 1.30,37). Therefore we place our confidence and trust in the One who makes all things possible.‘Now to him, who by the power at work in us, is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever, Amen.’ (Ephesians 3.20–21Present at the Jamaica meetingThe Most Revd Bernard Ntahoturi, Primate of the Anglican Church of Burundi, and Chair of the CommissionThe Revd Canon Professor Paul Avis, Church of EnglandThe Revd Sonal Christian, Church of North IndiaThe Revd Canon Dr John Gibaut, World Council of ChurchesThe Rt Revd Dr Howard Gregory, The Church in the Province of the West IndiesThe Revd Dr Katherine Grieb, The Episcopal ChurchThe Revd Canon Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Church in WalesThe Rt Revd Victoria Matthews, Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and PolynesiaThe Revd Dr Charlotte Methuen, Scottish Episcopal Church/Church of EnglandThe Revd Canon Dr Simon Oliver, Church of EnglandThe Rt Revd Prof. Stephen Pickard, Anglican Church of AustraliaProf. Andrew Pierce, Church of IrelandThe Revd Canon Dr Michael Nai Chiu Poon, Church of the Province of South East AsiaThe Revd Dr Jeremiah Guen Seok Yang, The Anglican Church of KoreaThe Revd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Director for Unity, Faith and OrderMr Neil Vigers, Anglican Communion OfficeThe Revd Canon Joanna Udal, Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary for Anglican Communion AffairsUnable to be presentThe Rt Revd Dr Georges Titre Ande, Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du CongoThe Rt Revd Dr Dapo Asaju, The Church of NigeriaThe Rt Revd Kumara Illangasinghe, Church of Ceylon, Sri LankaThe Revd Canon Clement Janda, The Episcopal Church of the SudanThe Revd Dr Edison Kalengyo, The Church of the Province of UgandaThe Rt Revd William Mchombo, The Church of the Province of Central AfricaThe Rt Revd Hector (Tito) Zavala, Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America (Anglican Communion) Rector Knoxville, TN Anglican Communion, Curate Diocese of Nebraska Rector Smithfield, NC Rector Belleville, IL Rector Martinsville, VA Rector Collierville, TN Curate (Associate & Priest-in-Charge) Traverse City, MI Episcopal Migration Ministries’ Virtual Prayer Vigil for World Refugee Day Facebook Live Prayer Vigil June 20 @ 7 p.m. ET Priest Associate or Director of Adult Ministries Greenville, SC Rector/Priest in Charge (PT) Lisbon, ME Communiqué of 2013 IASCUFO meeting TryTank Experimental Lab and York St. John University of England Launch Survey to Study the Impact of Covid-19 on the Episcopal Church TryTank Experimental Lab Rector Hopkinsville, KY Inaugural Diocesan Feast Day Celebrating Juneteenth San Francisco, CA (and livestream) June 19 @ 2 p.m. PT Seminary of the Southwest announces appointment of two new full time faculty members Seminary of the Southwest Remember Holy Land Christians on Jerusalem Sunday, June 20 American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem New Berrigan Book With Episcopal Roots Cascade Books Comments are closed. Virtual Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course Online Course Aug. 9-13 Submit a Press Release Assistant/Associate Priest Scottsdale, AZ Associate Rector Columbus, GA Bishop Diocesan Springfield, IL Ecumenical & Interreligious Cathedral Dean Boise, ID Comments (1) Rector Tampa, FL Assistant/Associate Rector Morristown, NJ Rector Albany, NY 
Comments (1) Family Ministry Coordinator Baton Rouge, LA TryTank Experimental Lab and York St. John University of England Launch Survey to Study the Impact of Covid-19 on the Episcopal Church TryTank Experimental Lab Curate Diocese of Nebraska Curate (Associate & Priest-in-Charge) Traverse City, MI Lent Comments are closed. Missioner for Disaster Resilience Sacramento, CA Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Hires Reverend Kevin W. VanHook, II as Executive Director Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York An Evening with Presiding Bishop Curry and Iconographer Kelly Latimore Episcopal Migration Ministries via Zoom June 23 @ 6 p.m. ET Rector Collierville, TN April 10, 2014 at 6:18 pm I do sports, but for inviting love into your solitude, I really like the knitters’ idea. Submit a Press Release Join the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in Celebrating the Pauli Murray Feast Online Worship Service June 27 Submit a Job Listing Episcopal Church releases new prayer book translations into Spanish and French, solicits feedback Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs Featured Jobs & Calls New Berrigan Book With Episcopal Roots Cascade Books Associate Priest for Pastoral Care New York, NY Bishop Diocesan Springfield, IL An Evening with Aliya Cycon Playing the Oud Lancaster, PA (and streaming online) July 3 @ 7 p.m. ET By Pat McCaughanPosted Apr 10, 2014 Press Release Service The Church Pension Fund Invests $20 Million in Impact Investment Fund Designed to Preserve Workforce Housing Communities Nationwide Church Pension Group Rector Hopkinsville, KY Inaugural Diocesan Feast Day Celebrating Juneteenth San Francisco, CA (and livestream) June 19 @ 2 p.m. PT ‘Life becomes simple’ with lasting Lenten practices Assistant/Associate Priest Scottsdale, AZ Assistant/Associate Rector Washington, DC Rector Martinsville, VA Seminary of the Southwest announces appointment of two new full time faculty members Seminary of the Southwest In-person Retreat: Thanksgiving Trinity Retreat Center (West Cornwall, CT) Nov. 24-28 Lawrence DiCostanzo says: Hikers rest and reflect upon reaching the 40-foot Eaton Canyon waterfall in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, California. Photo: Pat McCaughan/Episcopal News Service[Episcopal News Service] The season of Lent may rapidly be coming to a close but some creative Lenten spiritual practices seem sure to linger on.Like the ‘Fat-Tuesday’-inspired “Skinny Tuesdays” running club at Trinity Cathedral in Miami in the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida.After the traditional Fat Tuesday pancake suppers “we figured everyone was going to need a skinny Tuesday,” joked the Rev. Grey Maggiano, assistant priest and a serious runner. “People enjoy it, it’s a neat way to have a diverse group of people gather.”The ‘Skinny Tuesdays’ running group walks/runs about three miles weekly from Trinity Cathedral in Miami to Miami Beach and hopes to make Skinny Tuesdays a regular gathering. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Grey MaggianoAltogether, about 50 people have joined in the runs at one time or another during Lent, with about a dozen participating regularly. “We meet on the cathedral steps at 6:15 p.m., stretch for 15 minutes, talk and catch up, pray and then we take off,” said Maggiano.Participants are aged from 7 to 70; some do a two-mile walk, others a three-mile run along the Venetian Causeway from Miami to Miami Beach and back again. “We run along the water the whole way.”The physical exertion helps clear out the clutter of the day, Maggiano added. “The rhythm and pacing of running has always given me something else to focus on so I can distract my mind … and that little corner opens up where I connect directly to God and pray as I’m running and life becomes simple. You focus on two things, God and the road and nothing else matters for that two-hour stretch,” he said.It also has been a helpful spiritual practice because “Miami, like most cities, is so built up, we can forget how close we are to nature.“Watching fish jump out of the water, and running by palm trees and reminding yourself that this once all was nature that we’ve taken over, is an important reflection for our call as Christians in this community,” he said. “To remember, that not only are we serving God and each other but we’re also serving this creation that surrounds us.”The group has even attracted some runners who aren’t members.“The thing that’s exciting for me as a priest is the people showing up and the conversations being had on the margins with folks about their lives and their kids and their spiritual lives and everything else.“Now, one young runner wants to become an acolyte and to get more involved at the cathedral,” added Maggiano, 33. “Last week he brought a friend, so he and the friend raced while their moms walked and talked together. It’s exciting to see new people becoming familiar with the cathedral and the Episcopal Church through something as simple as running.”Hiking in Los AngelesSimilarly, nature lovers from St. Luke’s Church in Monrovia, and Transfiguration Church in Arcadia, California who joined a Lenten “Wilderness Wondering/Wandering” Saturday morning meditation and hiking group want to extend it beyond Easter.“Hiking is such a wonderful time to meditate, as well as focusing on health,” according to the Rev. Neil Tadken, St. Luke’s priest-in-charge, who is considering establishing hiking as a regular weekly time with parishioners.Andy Dagis (in the foreground) follows the Rev. Neil Tadken along semi-rugged terrain during the weekly Lenten ‘Wilderness Wondering/Wandering’ on April 5. Photo: Pat McCaughan/Episcopal News ServiceThe hikers meet at the church and carpool to the hike location; the weekly treks are moderately paced, “and we’re learning what works and what doesn’t,” Tadken said. He selects the hiking paths in consultation with others and by checking hikespeak.com, a guide to California hiking trails.Their first outing, a 5-mile jaunt along the Sam Merrill Trail to Echo Mountain in the San Gabriel Mountains, offered both physical and spiritual connections with that week’s gospel, “the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness where he is shown all the kingdoms of the world,” he said.“We could see as far as from Camarillo to Palm Springs to Catalina Island” a sweeping panoramic 150-plus mile view of the Southern California landscape, according to Andy Dagis, an avid hiker and church member.Wearing hiking boots, shorts and an Illinois sweatshirt, Dagis, a statistician for City of Hope and former Sierra Club member, also was along April 5 on a 3.5-mile hike to the 40-foot Eaton Canyon waterfall in the San Gabriel Mountains.“Is the high road easier?” he mused as the group brushed past wild rosemary bushes, California pine and oak trees, navigating slippery rocks while crossing small flowing streams, up hill and down, alongside a winding creek, in semi-rugged terrain.Much of the journey was single file, solitary, except for periodic stops to reflect on the next day’s Old Testament lesson, Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of the dry bones, prompting hikers to review the past and reflect on the future.“When in your life have you felt all dried up?” Tadken asked hikers, in response to the Scripture. “What helped you renew your faith? If we say the future is nothing more than what the past has always been, then we can’t call something new into being.”Yoga Nidra in Seattle: becoming still, still, stillFor yoga instructors Wendy Townsend and Brenna Kramer, teaching ‘Yoga Nidra’ at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, was to offer stillness and centering as a response to the way “our society is so driven to go, go, go, do, do, do and it leads you into a very deep place.”Citing a Thomas Merton definition of Lent as “seeing our own true self in Christ, in the desert, in meditation” Townsend added that: “I think our own true self is sometimes hard to connect with because we’re so outer-focused.”Participants have gathered in the dimly lit cathedral for the five-week series and during the hour-long class focused on “a starry night, a mountaintop, images that help you let go of your shopping list and what you have to do tomorrow, and go to your center,” she said.“I like to talk about my favorite Bible quote, 1 Cor. 3:16, do you not know your body is a temple and that God dwells within you,” she said.The cathedral backdrop aids “the sense of being in a holy place. It’s a wonderful place to practice yoga,” added Townsend, 71, a 14-year instructor.Yoga “is not a competitive sport. It’s an individual experience. We invite people to close their eyes and go inside and find this being that they are. It brings you into a reflective awareness and I think people long for that,” she said.Similarly, “coming out from a deep sense of reflection enables you to better live your life because you are coming from a deeper place,” she added. “We get very superficial and we’re getting it all done but I don’t know that we come from the deeper place of being connected.”North Carolina: passing the Lent BatonPassing the Lent baton has been a fun – and virtual way – to observe the season at Church of the Nativity in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to the Rev. Stephanie Allen, rector.“It’s an idea of using Instagram and sharing the pictures of our lives and where we see God at work in our everyday normal lives outside of Sunday mornings,” Allen told ENS recently.Imagine spending an entire day snapping camera phone selfies – Lent- and faith-focused ones – and then sharing six to eight of them, said Allen who took the first slot on Ash Wednesday and included bread as one of her images.“Somebody brought me some bread as a little thank you gift and so I took a photo of it with my phone. You know, bread, bread of life, it took me to all kinds of places.”Others have taken photos of their journals, daily Lenten readings, plants, candles, and people interactions.For Allen, it’s become a spiritual discipline in that it helps remind us “that God is there, if we pay attention and if we take the time to really open our eyes … and you realize that’s really what we ought to be doing all the time.”She admits to being an Instagram newbie until the Lent baton happened, “but there is a lot of potential for sharing … your image of the world and how you see it,” she said. “Everybody is an artist with their camera phone” and the wider community has also joined in.Parishioner Mike Belmares, who facilitated the Lent baton, got the idea after seeing the popularity of the RDU Baton where “people in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, were signing up to take the baton to show parts of their lives, where they hang out, go jogging, eat. It has a two- to three-month wait list so he decided to adapt it to the church.With a signup genius phone app, all participants have to do is “see it, snap it, share it,” he said. Nativity lends its account user name and password for a day, to participants.“Lent is kind of this forgotten season, yet so pivotal to our faith,” he added. “It isn’t just about weeping and gnashing your teeth, or about your sins. It is a procession up to Easter. The idea was to kind of give life to a somewhat forgotten season, and to find fun ways to do it.”He aims to continue the practice. “It is a matter of taking the message outside the brick and mortar of our congregations,” he said. “It’s about sharing faith. And I love the Episcopal Church and I think it has a lot to offer.”The enthusiasm has caught on and “we’ve had other folks in our diocese jump on board. That was really neat to see. Folks we’ve never known have gotten involved from other congregations and it’s become a way for people to share their faith.”“We just wanted to engage people and to share, that’s all. There is more power in all our hands than some of our hands.”Seattle and the Ministry of ‘Worsted Wool’While it’s true that Jonie Pritchard and Barbara Erickson are serial knitters, this year they invited others to enrich their faith during Lent by knitting baby blankets for a local pediatric clinic for the underserved.It has also functioned as a kind of virtual ministry, in that the participants corresponded via the Internet, exchanging patterns – called ‘Jonie’s pattern’ – and e-mails, but worked in the solitude of their homes.For Pritchard, performing the knit one, purl one, simple basket weave stitch is in itself a spiritual exercise, which she augmented “by praying as we’re knitting,” she told ENS recently. “We are bringing a new child into the world and this is a special thank you God for the ability to knit or crochet.”Soft pastel worsted wool yarn is used and “we should have a big basket full of baby blankets to be blessed the Sunday after Easter.”Along with six other members of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, they participated in the ministry, dubbed the Ministry of Worsted Wool by Erickson.“It dawned on me that the blankets we make are out of worsted wool yarn. So I decided to call it the ministry of worsted wool, and then I found a little lamb on Google and that’s become our little symbol,” Erickson said.“It just felt like it was the right thing to do for the season,” she told ENS recently.“We just knit, and I give away a lot of my knitted products. So, whenever I knit something it’s done with that spiritual intention.”Knitting, for Erickson, “has a spiritual aspect. It’s a calming thing … To me, no matter what’s going on in the world if I just go and sit and knit I’m at peace.”Added Pritchard, 76: “It’s a labor of love. I do this all year long but this time I have blocked out the other blankets I have requests for and am just doing this during Lent specifically with the idea in mind that St. Mark’s Cathedral will be knitting a bunch of blankets for the clinic.“And I picture these little babies be there, and I pray it [the blanket] will comfort the new baby, and be of comfort to the mother, that the baby will be blessed by God and will turn to God. It’s all done with love and to the glory of God.”— The Rev. Pat McCaughan is a correspondent for the Episcopal News Service. She is based in Los Angeles. Submit an Event Listing
Associate Rector Columbus, GA Course Director Jerusalem, Israel Rector Washington, DC Rector Pittsburgh, PA Virtual Celebration of the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center Zoom Conversation June 19 @ 12 p.m. ET Rector/Priest in Charge (PT) Lisbon, ME Director of Music Morristown, NJ Assistant/Associate Rector Morristown, NJ Director of Administration & Finance Atlanta, GA Rector Bath, NC Priest-in-Charge Lebanon, OH Rector (FT or PT) Indian River, MI Associate Rector for Family Ministries Anchorage, AK Rector Albany, NY Virtual Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency Course Online Course Aug. 9-13 Ya no son extranjeros: Un diálogo acerca de inmigración Una conversación de Zoom June 22 @ 7 p.m. ET Tags This Summer’s Anti-Racism Training Online Course (Diocese of New Jersey) June 18-July 16 Rector and Chaplain Eugene, OR Youth Minister Lorton, VA Episcopal Migration Ministries’ Virtual Prayer Vigil for World Refugee Day Facebook Live Prayer Vigil June 20 @ 7 p.m. ET The Church Investment Group Commends the Taskforce on the Theology of Money on its report, The Theology of Money and Investing as Doing Theology Church Investment Group Priest Associate or Director of Adult Ministries Greenville, SC Rector Knoxville, TN Rector Smithfield, NC Rector Belleville, IL Rector Tampa, FL Canon for Family Ministry Jackson, MS Cathedral Dean Boise, ID AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to PrintFriendlyPrintFriendlyShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailShare to MoreAddThis Featured Events Rector Shreveport, LA Remember Holy Land Christians on Jerusalem Sunday, June 20 American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem 
Mark Setzer says: Tags AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to PrintFriendlyPrintFriendlyShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailShare to MoreAddThis The Rev. Michael Barlowe, executive officer of General Convention, makes a point during a June 23 news conference while, from left, Neva Rae Fox, Episcopal Church public affairs officer, House of Deputies President the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori listen. Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg/Episcopal News Service[Episcopal News Service –Salt Lake City] Bishops and deputies – and a host of other Episcopalians – are gathering here in preparation for the official June 25 start of the nine-day gathering at the Salt Palace Convention Center.The two houses face a packed agenda, as is common during General Convention, this time made more crucial by electing Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s successor. Among the questions facing bishops and deputies are what structural and other changes The Episcopal Church needs at all levels to support mission and ministry in this century, how the church ought to respond to the growing acceptance of same-sex marriage, what statements it ought to make and what actions it ought to urge on a host of national and international policy issues, as well as other questions about the church’s common life such as liturgy and clergy discipline. Summaries of many of those proposals are below.“We’re increasingly focused outside of ourselves rather than on our members alone,” Jefferts Schori said during a June 23 news conference. “We think we are a people meant to participate in transforming this world towards something that looks more like something God had in mind when God created it, and it’s a long way from that vision of wholeness so we’ve got plenty of work to do.”To that end, House of Deputies President the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings noted that convention is about to convene in the wake of the killing of nine black people at a Charleston, South Carolina, church. Those murders have “electrified people of faith and all people of good will,” Jennings told the news conference. “I believe that God is calling us to dismantle the systems of racism and privilege that are inextricably bound up in the history of the United States and of our church, which was founded, as you know, in the early days of the republic.”Convention is a place, Jennings said, where “Episcopalians have the ability not only to proclaim that black lives matter, but also to take concrete action toward ending racism and achieving God’s dream of … racial reconciliation and ending injustice.”The 78th meeting of The Episcopal Church is taking place at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The downtown convention center covers 515,000 square feet of space. Photo: Salt Palace Convention CenterGeneral Convention itself will seem different to veteran bishops, deputies and observers in some significant ways. Jefferts Schori and Jennings have reformed and redefined convention’s legislative committees to be more closely aligned with the framework of the Anglican Communion’s Five Marks of Mission. (A list of how the committees break down along those lines is here).Aligning the work of The Episcopal Church with those goals, Jefferts Schori and Jennings have said, makes sense because the list “has shaped our mission work in the current triennium, and we trust that it will continue to shape our engagement in God’s mission in the next triennium.”A media hub, operated by the Episcopal Digital Network and the Office of Public Engagement and Mission Communication, will allow all people to follow the convention’s proceedings. It will include live streams of sessions from the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, daily worship and daily media briefings, as well as information about the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society’s work. Episcopal News Service’s headlines will feed into the site.Convention is attempting to go as paperless as possible, replacing each bishops’ and deputies’ binder of paper copies of pending actions – a binder that often grew to a very weighty size – with digital systems to make the Salt Lake City gathering a “convention of screens.” Much of the legislative work for both houses will be displayed electronically on tablets or on projection screens. Each deputy and bishop, along with the first clergy alternate and first lay alternate, will be provided an iPad for use during General Convention as their “virtual binder.” More information is here.Others following convention can watch the progress of legislative resolutions here, a page that also includes each house’s daily agendas, calendars for each day and journals (a list of messages sent between the houses informing the other of actions taken). Complete orders of service for convention’s daily Eucharists are also included on both the iPads, thus eliminating the need to print hundreds of worship booklets daily.The Rev. Michael Barlowe, executive officer of General Convention, said this staff has taken seriously the learning curve for bishops and deputies, adding that Apple itself does not provide instruction manual for the iPad because use of the device is thought to be so intuitive. “I think it’s going to be easy. We’re all in this together as learners,” he said during the news conference. “From my experience, when it’s a new thing and none of us are experts the Spirit finds a new opening.”More information is here.In addition, a free app is available here for anyone with an Android or IOS 7 or later smartphone or tablet. The app contains schedules, maps, vendor information, daily orders of worship services and other useful materials. The app can also be used on a computer.While convention may not officially begin until June 25, a session of legislative committee meetings during the evening of June 23 informally begins the work of the triennial gathering. On June 24 there will be two more legislative meeting sessions and the 12 hours in between will feature a General Convention presentation by Jefferts Schori and Jennings, plus a scheduled three-hour session with the four bishops nominated to be the 27th presiding bishop. The complete draft convention schedule is here.The major work facing General Convention includes:The election of the 27th presiding bishopThe House of Bishops will gather to elect the next presiding bishop June 27 at St. Mark’s Cathedral, just down the street from the Salt Palace Convention Center. Photo: St. Mark’s CathedralThe 78th meeting of General Convention will elect one of four men to succeed Jefferts Schori, whose nine-year term ends Nov. 1.The Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop will submit the names ofThe Rt. Rev. Thomas Breidenthal, 64, Diocese of Southern OhioThe Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, 62, Diocese of North CarolinaThe Rt. Rev. Ian Douglas, 56, Diocese of ConnecticutThe Rt. Rev. Dabney Smith, 61, Diocese of Southwest Floridato the General Convention during a joint session on June 26, the day before the election.There will be no additional nominees from the floor during convention, according to the committee.Election details, and information about the run-up to the election, are here.The presiding bishop-elect will preach at the convention’s closing Eucharist on July 3, and Jefferts Schori will preside.The structure of the churchOf the almost 400 resolutions submitted to General Convention in 2012, more than 90 related to structural reform. The majority of those resolutions were synthesized into Resolution C095, which both bishops and deputies passed unanimously. The resolution called for a committee to develop a plan for “reforming the church’s structures, governance, and administration.” The Task Force for Reimagining the Episcopal Church was the result. The task force spent approximately two years and several hundred thousand dollars engaging, throughout The Episcopal Church, a broadly consultative process of dialogue about structure and its relationship to mission.In its report the task force proposed nine resolutions that call for clarified and strengthened oversight by the presiding bishop of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and its staff; a unicameral General Convention; a smaller Executive Council; elimination of most of the church’s 14 standing commissions and a process for appointing interim task forces as needed; a study of clergy formation and compensation (including pension); a new process for discernment, formation, search, and election of bishops; discernment with neighboring dioceses for potential collaboration when it comes time to call a new bishop; a lower and participation-mandated diocesan budget asking; and the development of a network of people who can “become skilled in creating, nurturing, and developing spaces and moments for spiritual encounters that transform lives and unjust structures.”TREC is not the only committee proposing structural-change resolutions to this meeting of convention. The Standing Commission on the Structure of the Church has proposed a number of changes. Those resolutions are here and its report to the church is here.Most of the resolutions related to changing the structure of The Episcopal Church to date are here.The Episcopal Church’s theology of marriageThe General Convention Task Force on Marriage, the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, and, to date, five dioceses and one deputy are urging convention toward greater clarity in its understanding of the availability of the sacramental rite of marriage to both different- and same-sex couples.Nine existing resolutions and other related ones that might arise have been assigned to the General Convention’s Special Legislative Committee on Marriage, formally a bishop committee meeting alongside a deputy committee but voting separately. The resolutions assigned to that committee are here.Formulating the 2016-2018 triennial budgetThe Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F) has already begun work on the draft 2016-2018 triennium budget that Executive Council passed in January.The 78th General Convention will meet a few short blocks from Temple Square, the center block of Salt Lake City and the location of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ largest temple. The temple is an international symbol of the church, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City. Temple Square is also includes the Tabernacle, home to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Photo/www.ldstemples.orgThe total income in council’s draft budget is $120,470,577 and the total projected expenses are $120,468,248. In addition to diocesan payments, the revenue side includes income from other sources such as $28.2 million from a 5 percent draw on the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society’s unrestricted assets, nearly $10 million in rental income from the Episcopal Church Center, $2.1 million from Episcopal Migration Ministries’ refugee loan collection program, $2 million to be raised by the development office and $1.2 million in General Convention income, along with other smaller sources.PB&F will hold a revenue hearing at 7:30 p.m. MDT July 26 in Grand Ballroom A,B,C of the Hilton Salt Lake City Center. The committee returns to the location at the same time July 27 for a hearing on spending.PB&F will use the comments it receives, council’s draft budget and any legislation passed by or being considered by General Convention to create a final budget proposal. That budget must be presented to a joint session of the Houses of Bishops and Deputies no later than the third day before convention’s scheduled adjournment. According to the draft convention schedule, that presentation is set to take place at 2:15 p.m. MDT on July 1.Province IX financial sustainability The Province IX dioceses in Latin American and the Caribbean adopted self-sustainability as a focus in 2012. General Convention via Resolution A015 will be asked to continue its support of financial sustainability in the province.The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society has been working with the seven dioceses – the Dominican Republic, Ecuador Central, Ecuador Litoral, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras and Puerto Rico – on a comprehensive approach to financial sustainability driven by the individual needs of each diocese.Fossil fuels divestmentA discussion on whether The Episcopal Church should move its investments from companies engaged in the extraction of fossil fuels and industries that use large amounts of fossil fuels is expected to continue at convention.Resolution C013 from the Diocese of California is calling on the Executive Council’s Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Church Pension Fund, in consultation with experts in the fields of economics and investing, ethics, renewable energy development, to assess whether the benefit of a divestment strategy would be in compliance with the church’s values. Convention’s Environmental Stewardship and Creation Care Legislative Committee, one of the new committees Jefferts Schori and Jennings created, will consider the resolution and make a recommendation to the whole of convention.Title IV revisionsThe Standing Commission on Constitutions and Canons has proposed 25 resolutions it says are primarily meant to fine tune the church’s canons of clergy discipline known as Title IV. Those changes would clarify the duties of Title IV officials and “promot[e] a more efficient, pastoral, and accountable process for all parties affected by Title IV,” according to the commission’s report to the church.The current version of Title IV was enacted by General Convention in 2009, and it created an entirely new process for handling clergy discipline. The commission in 2013 asked for feedback on how the process was working. The general complaints it received, the commission said, were that the process takes too long and costs too much money; that church officials are often uncertain of their authority and duties; and that respondents are often permitted to disrupt and delay the process, causing significant additional pastoral harm to complainants and those injured by clergy misconduct while congregations remain in limbo in regards to resolution or closure.The commission said it found that in most cases, the problems described resulted from inadequate training in the Title IV process rather than the process itself. Thus, it is proposing that convention allocate $339,220 for online and offline education materials, and another $224,820 to have them translated into Spanish and Creole. It also proposes establishing a panel of process experts to answer questions.“It is our hope that with better training and more resources, the system will work more efficiently and pastorally, as it was designed to do,” the commission said.International policy, peace and justice, global mission and the Anglican CommunionTwo resolutions will challenge convention to commit to the ongoing support and development of the Episcopal Church’s Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) and Episcopal Volunteers in Mission (EVIM) programs. (Full story here)Peace, justice and security in the Holy Land are the focus of several resolutions, some calling for deeper investment in Middle East partnerships, especially with the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and its social institutions in healthcare and education, and others suggesting a strategy of divestment from companies involved in certain kinds of business with the Israeli government.Several dozen international visitors – representing many of the Anglican Communion’s 38 provinces – and ecumenical and interreligious partners will attend General Convention as invited guests to gain a deeper understanding of The Episcopal Church’s polity and legislative processes and to celebrate and explore the opportunities for common mission.– Matthew Davies, the Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg and Lynette Wilson of the Episcopal News Service contributed to this story. Rector Smithfield, NC June 24, 2015 at 3:06 pm The best of luck to The Rt.Rev. Ian Douglas, I am praying that you will be elected. Rector Martinsville, VA Comments (5) Virtual Celebration of the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center Zoom Conversation June 19 @ 12 p.m. ET Rector and Chaplain Eugene, OR Rector Pittsburgh, PA Associate Rector for Family Ministries Anchorage, AK June 26, 2015 at 8:29 pm Indeed as reflected in the statements of the candidates, Bishop Michael Curry voiced the most Visionary Leadership so desperately needed in our chaotic world of today. The national Episcopal Church must progress to a Spiritual Leadership role which Bishop Curry expressed with wisdom and in a heartfelt inclusive direction beyond U.S. neighborhoods and borders. Curate Diocese of Nebraska Youth Minister Lorton, VA Director of Administration & Finance Atlanta, GA Rector Hopkinsville, KY Episcopal Church releases new prayer book translations into Spanish and French, solicits feedback Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs Curate (Associate & Priest-in-Charge) Traverse City, MI Featured Jobs & Calls Press Release Service Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Hires Reverend Kevin W. VanHook, II as Executive Director Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York An Evening with Presiding Bishop Curry and Iconographer Kelly Latimore Episcopal Migration Ministries via Zoom June 23 @ 6 p.m. ET Rector Knoxville, TN Rector Belleville, IL Assistant/Associate Rector Morristown, NJ Join the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in Celebrating the Pauli Murray Feast Online Worship Service June 27 July 1, 2015 at 2:38 pm Gay marriage may be coming more socially accepted in general, but does that make it right? They need to have protection in the civil since, but not under the church. God gave us the Holy Scriptures where it says that marriage is between a man and a woman. In-person Retreat: Thanksgiving Trinity Retreat Center (West Cornwall, CT) Nov. 24-28 An Evening with Aliya Cycon Playing the Oud: Crossing continents and cultures with the most beautiful instrument you’ve never heard Lancaster, PA (and streaming online) July 3 This Summer’s Anti-Racism Training Online Course (Diocese of New Jersey) June 18-July 16 Director of Music Morristown, NJ Featured Events Episcopal Migration Ministries’ Virtual Prayer Vigil for World Refugee Day Facebook Live Prayer Vigil June 20 @ 7 p.m. ET Rector Washington, DC June 26, 2015 at 7:19 pm Please pass to The Very Reverend R. Dale Custer (Southern Virginia)Father Dale+,You are in our thoughts and prayers. God’s Peace as you navigate the 78th General Convention.Donald Ray Gardner Rector/Priest in Charge (PT) Lisbon, ME Marcia Ann Waters says: Rector Tampa, FL 
Cathedral Dean Boise, ID Comments are closed. Associate Priest for Pastoral Care New York, NY Bishop Diocesan Springfield, IL Remember Holy Land Christians on Jerusalem Sunday, June 20 American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem Robert G Havranek Jr says: New Berrigan Book With Episcopal Roots Cascade Books Rector (FT or PT) Indian River, MI Family Ministry Coordinator Baton Rouge, LA Submit a Job Listing Submit a Press Release The Church Pension Fund Invests $20 Million in Impact Investment Fund Designed to Preserve Workforce Housing Communities Nationwide Church Pension Group Erna Lund says: Inaugural Diocesan Feast Day Celebrating Juneteenth San Francisco, CA (and livestream) June 19 @ 2 p.m. PT General Convention 2015 By ENS StaffPosted Jun 23, 2015 Rector Bath, NC Seminary of the Southwest announces appointment of two new full time faculty members Seminary of the Southwest Assistant/Associate Rector Washington, DC Rector Collierville, TN The Church Investment Group Commends the Taskforce on the Theology of Money on its report, The Theology of Money and Investing as Doing Theology Church Investment Group Priest-in-Charge Lebanon, OH A guide to navigating the 78th General Convention’s agenda Rector Shreveport, LA Don Gardner says: TryTank Experimental Lab and York St. John University of England Launch Survey to Study the Impact of Covid-19 on the Episcopal Church TryTank Experimental Lab June 23, 2015 at 9:06 pm Good luck to you Bishop Curry. I hope you get it. May the blessing of God be upon you, BishopCurry. Associate Rector Columbus, GA Submit an Event Listing Course Director Jerusalem, Israel Canon for Family Ministry Jackson, MS Rector Albany, NY Assistant/Associate Priest Scottsdale, AZ Missioner for Disaster Resilience Sacramento, CA Ya no son extranjeros: Un diálogo acerca de inmigración Una conversación de Zoom June 22 @ 7 p.m. ET General Convention, Priest Associate or Director of Adult Ministries Greenville, SC
Video: ‘Standing Rock is proclaiming the good news to the whole creation’ Associate Priest for Pastoral Care New York, NY September 26, 2016 at 9:48 pm Thank you, Michael Curry. You make me proud to be an Episcopalian. You preach on the side of the angels. You remind us that if we love God, then we must love all of the created world. God bless the courageous people of Standing Rock. You serve on the front lines of the Jesus Movement. [Episcopal News Service – Cannon Ball, North Dakota] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, preaching Sept. 25 at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, assured the people of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation that they are not alone in their attempt to be heard about an oil pipeline slated to run under their water supply, over their treaty land and through some of their burial places.“Standing Rock is proclaiming the good news to the whole creation,” Curry said, echoing Mark’s version of Jesus commissioning his disciples to preach the gospel to all of creation. “Water is part of that creation. The land is part of that creation. None of us own it, none of us made it. It is God’s.”– The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service. Submit an Event Listing Remember Holy Land Christians on Jerusalem Sunday, June 20 American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem Tags Rector Bath, NC New Berrigan Book With Episcopal Roots Cascade Books The Church Pension Fund Invests $20 Million in Impact Investment Fund Designed to Preserve Workforce Housing Communities Nationwide Church Pension Group Rector Belleville, IL Indigenous Ministries, An Evening with Presiding Bishop Curry and Iconographer Kelly Latimore Episcopal Migration Ministries via Zoom June 23 @ 6 p.m. ET Rector Shreveport, LA In-person Retreat: Thanksgiving Trinity Retreat Center (West Cornwall, CT) Nov. 24-28 Curate (Associate & Priest-in-Charge) Traverse City, MI Episcopal Migration Ministries’ Virtual Prayer Vigil for World Refugee Day Facebook Live Prayer Vigil June 20 @ 7 p.m. ET Assistant/Associate Rector Washington, DC Submit a Job Listing Inaugural Diocesan Feast Day Celebrating Juneteenth San Francisco, CA (and livestream) June 19 @ 2 p.m. PT This Summer’s Anti-Racism Training Online Course (Diocese of New Jersey) June 18-July 16 Comments (2) Standing Rock, Assistant/Associate Priest Scottsdale, AZ Rector Hopkinsville, KY Pam Nugent says: Rector/Priest in Charge (PT) Lisbon, ME Rev. Stephen C Holton says: Submit a Press Release The Church Investment Group Commends the Taskforce on the Theology of Money on its report, The Theology of Money and Investing as Doing Theology Church Investment Group Virtual Celebration of the Jerusalem Princess Basma Center Zoom Conversation June 19 @ 12 p.m. ET By Mary Frances SchjonbergPosted Sep 25, 2016 Rector and Chaplain Eugene, OR Ya no son extranjeros: Un diálogo acerca de inmigración Una conversación de Zoom June 22 @ 7 p.m. ET Seminary of the Southwest announces appointment of two new full time faculty members Seminary of the Southwest Advocacy Peace & Justice, Video 
Priest-in-Charge Lebanon, OH Director of Administration & Finance Atlanta, GA Rector Pittsburgh, PA Curate Diocese of Nebraska Director of Music Morristown, NJ Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Priest Associate or Director of Adult Ministries Greenville, SC Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Hires Reverend Kevin W. VanHook, II as Executive Director Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York Join the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in Celebrating the Pauli Murray Feast Online Worship Service June 27 Rector Tampa, FL Bishop Diocesan Springfield, IL AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to PrintFriendlyPrintFriendlyShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to EmailEmailShare to MoreAddThis Associate Rector for Family Ministries Anchorage, AK Canon for Family Ministry Jackson, MS Family Ministry Coordinator Baton Rouge, LA Rector Washington, DC Featured Jobs & Calls Dakota Access Pipeline, Rector Martinsville, VA Rector Collierville, TN Rector (FT or PT) Indian River, MI Comments are closed. Press Release Service September 26, 2016 at 11:36 am Perhaps that single garment of destiny, of Dr. King, that the PB quoted earlier at Standing Rock, was an Indian blanket, the best and most lasting and warmest of blankets. It can warm us all as we snuggle together Assistant/Associate Rector Morristown, NJ Featured Events Youth Minister Lorton, VA TryTank Experimental Lab and York St. John University of England Launch Survey to Study the Impact of Covid-19 on the Episcopal Church TryTank Experimental Lab Associate Rector Columbus, GA Rector Knoxville, TN Rector Smithfield, NC Missioner for Disaster Resilience Sacramento, CA Cathedral Dean Boise, ID Course Director Jerusalem, Israel Rector Albany, NY 