Bishop James Kelsey, RIP

No connection to Rhode Island that I know of, but let us pray for our sisters and brothers in Northern Michigan in what will be a difficult time. Keep Bishop Kelsey's family and the Diocese of Northen Michigan in your prayers.

ENS] Bishop James Kelsey of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan was killed in a road accident at around 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 3, while returning to Marquette from a parish visitation, Jane Cisluycis, diocesan operations coordinator confirmed.

Kelsey was traveling alone, but it is unclear at this time whether any other vehicles were involved in the incident.

"The Episcopal Church has today lost one of its bright lights," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said."We will be less without the easy grace of Bishop James Kelsey -- Jim to most of us -- and we shall miss his humor, insight, and passion for the ministry of all. He gave us much. We pray for the repose of his soul, and for his family. We pray also for the Diocese of Northern Michigan. All of us have lost a friend. May he rest in peace and rise in glory."

Born in 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland, Kelsey graduated from Ithaca College in 1974, and from General Theological Seminary in New York City in 1977. In 1985, Kelsey moved with his family to Oklahoma, where he served for four years as canon missioner for Cluster Ministries. In 1989, he was called to the Diocese of Northern Michigan, where he served for 10 years as ministry development coordinator before being elected bishop in 1999.

Kelsey will be remembered as a welcoming and open person who always endeavored to include others, Cisluycis said. "It is hard to imagine the hole he will leave behind," she said.

Time to rearrange the furniture?

Our church buildings in the Diocese are from earlier generations. There have been no new Episcopal Church buildings in the current generation, and very few congregations have even undertaken a significant renovation of the church space (other than polishing what's already there). Yet, if we look at church history, we can see that the interior of our worship spaces have evolved greatly. Previous generations were willing to rethink the way they inhabited sacred space.

Perhaps it's time for us too. Here's a slideshow from St. Paul's Chapel in New York City. It's well worth watching. It's about the issues that surrounded a re-ordering of worship space, including pastoral and theological matters.

Watch the slideshow. And then ask yourself some questions. What does your church space say about your understanding of community and of ministry? What would someone understand about your congregation from your space, if they had never been to your church before? Why do get new furniture at home, but not at church? Why do we expect our malls to stay fresh looking, but not our churches?

(Thanks to Karen Fraioli+ for alerting me to this slideshow. By the way, if you want to see some great re-ordered worship space, visit Karen and Church of the Epiphany in Providence.)

Lambeth Conference invitations

By now you may have heard that the invitations have been issued to the Lambeth Conference, to be held in the summer of 2008 in England. This meeting, held every 10 years or so, is an opportunity for bishops from throughout the Anglican Communion to gather for prayer, fellowship, and discussion.

Some people had expected that due to present controversies in the church, bishops from the US and Canada might not be invited. As Lambeth Palace announced a couple of days ago, nearly all bishops have been invited, including Bishop Wolf. (She'll be making her second trip there, having attended the 1998 meeting -- among the first group of women bishops at the Conference.) Many commentators are unhappy because Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire and Bishop Martyn Minns of CANA are not invited as of yet.

You can read up on all the news here. Or you can simply enjoy this pictorial representation of the situation, courtesy of Dave Walker and the CartoonChurch blog.

Successor to the U2charist?

What's next for the church, after the terribly trendy U2charist runs its course? Sarah Dylan Breuer isn't sure, but she does hold forth with "10 rejected alternative worship themes." At least we know what's not coming next.

Anglican Communion Sunday

Today is Anglican Communion Sunday, which is observed on the Sunday after the Ascension (or at some other convenient time, in case you missed it). I encourage you to have a look at the Anglican Communion website today. Do some reading or exploring.

For your reading pleasure (or something), here is the sermon I preached today at St. Matthew's, Westminster in London.

A teaser:

St. John speaks of the consummation of history, but I think this might apply well to a more imminent coming of Jesus. If we invite him, we can receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, into our lives. In the sacraments, and in our mundane lives, we can see Jesus revealed, whether in bread or in the face of a stranger.

This invitation is not for some, it is not for a chosen view. Hear the vision: "Let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift." Every minute we spend on discord and division within the church is a moment we could be inviting God into our own lives and offering God's love to a world that is thirsty for hope, for meaning, and for reconciliation.

Thirty-something elected bishop

From ENS:

The Rev. Sean W. Rowe was elected May 19 on the first ballot to be the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania. Rowe, 32, is rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Franklin, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Northwestern PA.

Rowe was elected on the first ballot from a slate of four candidates. He was elected with 64 lay votes and 29 clergy votes. An election on that ballot required 51 votes of 101 cast in the lay order and 24 of 47 votes cast in the clergy order. The election took place at Cathedral of Saint Paul in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Under the canons the Episcopal Church (III.11.4), a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction and diocesan Standing Committees must consent to Rowe’s election and ordination as bishop.

If consented, Rowe will be the youngest member of the House of Bishops. The consecration is scheduled for September 8.

PB: An exciting time to be an Episcopalian

Watch Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as she addresses the Church Club in New York City. Here's a teaser from ENS:

"This is one of the most exciting times in history to be an Episcopalian and an Anglican, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said during a May 9 presentation to the Church Club of New York, a 120-year-old layperson's group.

"The Communion is moving, in what some people see as seismic kinds of ways, but it's moving. It's not a dead and dormant thing," she said to applause.

While many tell her she has a "challenging job," Jefferts Schori answered: "I don't think that's a bad thing. I think we are meant to be challenged in the varieties of work and ministry in which we are engaged. If we're not challenged, we're likely bored, and that's not healthy for anyone."

Watch her whole speech.

U2charist slideshow

The Boston Globe has a nice slideshow from a recent U2charist in Massachusetts. If you haven't been able to get to a U2charist, this is a glimpse of why they're so appealing to many people.

Enjoy the show.

NY Times: Religion is alive and well on college campuses

Few young people at your congregation? It's not because of lack of interest. Here's an article from yesterday's NY Times:

Peter J. Gomes has been at Harvard University for 37 years, and says he remembers when religious people on campus felt under siege. To be seen as religious often meant being dismissed as not very bright, he said.

Peter J. Gomes, the Harvard preacher, said of the university, "There is probably more active religious life now than there has been in 100 years."

No longer. At Harvard these days, said Professor Gomes, the university preacher, "There is probably more active religious life now than there has been in 100 years."

Across the country, on secular campuses as varied as Colgate University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of California, Berkeley, chaplains, professors and administrators say students are drawn to religion and spirituality with more fervor than at any time they can remember.

More students are enrolling in religion courses, even majoring in religion; more are living in dormitories or houses where matters of faith and spirituality are a part of daily conversation; and discussion groups are being created for students to grapple with questions like what happens after death, dozens of university officials said in interviews.

Read the whole article (free registration required).

Going and coming to church

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.