News sundries

I've had a whole list of updates sitting in my proverbial inbox for several weeks. Frankly, I have trouble motivating myself to post about the (alternately tedious and frustrating) developments in the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church. You, dear reader, might like to know this stuff if you haven't followed it, so here goes...

• Ruth Gledhill, of the Times of London, has written An innocent's guide to things Anglican in the US, in which she describes the many and varied conservative groups at work in the US.
• There is progress in the development of a Covenant for the Anglican Communion. Lots of divergent view on this. Many people say that a Covenant is antithetical to Anglicanism, and others wish we had one now. Archbishop Rowan Williams says the Covenant, if one is developed, will take 5-10 years. +Rowan has announced the design group that will work on this Covenant. In England, an Evangelical group issued a proposed Covenant, and Inclusive Church issued a harsh response.
• David Roseberry, rector of Christ Church, Plano, which was one of the largest congregations in the Episcopal Church before it left the church, has written a letter about his experience at Lambeth Palace and cultural differences between the Church of England and the Episcopal Church. It's a helpful perspective, especially as some push for things to be done quickly and others say things are already going too fast.
• Our Presiding Bishop continues to gladden my heart. Here's the latest -- she prefers to be called Katharine, rather than a title laden with honorifics. Here's why.
• This is getting pretty old, but the BBC Thought for the Day on 21 November was by the Bishop of Southwark. He writes that we need to view gay people "as a blessing, not a problem." Amen.
• Meanwhile, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria won't even shake the hands of gay people.
• Speaking of less-than-ideal behavior, the churches in Virginia which are leaving have been trumpeting their ancient roots. Nearly every press release points out that George Washington was a member, etc. Turns it it might not be that simple -- they are old parishes, but not that old.
• Tired of "bad news" about our church? Here's a video of some good news.