In a communique issued at the end of the consultation, participants affirmed the diversity of their ethnicities and nationalities as a “celebration of God’s image” compelling them to “protect human dignity and assert human rights in faithfulness to our God.”

Addressing the socio-political realities of Asia, the communique stated: “God’s justice is about the victims, the helpless and the hurt. Touching their lives in solidarity and accompaniment is the true measure of Christian discipleship. Ensuring the fullness of life together and collectively with them is the true mark of Christian stewardship.”

Organized by the WCC’s Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) and the Christian Conference of Asia, the consultation was held from 3 to 6 June.

The consultation brought together fifty participants from Asia, Europe and North America representing churches, ecumenical councils, specialized ministries, peace activists and academia, contributing reflections on the theme of the WCC’s upcoming assembly.

The theme of the WCC assembly is “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”. The assembly is set to take place in Busan, Republic of Korea, 30 October to 8 November.

“Our lament on Asian realities must be turned to affirmation of every effort and endeavour by all religions and ideologies to work tirelessly and sacrificially to make a more just and compassionate world and a friendlier, brighter tomorrow in Asia,” read the communique.

It concluded, “We must triumph over militarism and militarization and move from militarized economies to peace economies.” The communique urged the churches to be the “agents of justice and peace”.

Asia’s human security challenges

At the consultation, Bishop Duleep de Chickera from Sri Lanka said, “To know what justice is, we need to know what injustice is. And to know what justice is we need to experience the plight of the victims”.

He said that in order to establish the “reign of God” as Jesus preached, we have to rethink human relationships and obligations that can challenge the unjust structures in our societies.

At the consultation there was discussion of the role of Japan for human security in Asia. Prof. Kaseda Yoshinori, a presenter from Japan and a political scientist from the University of Kitakyushu, said, “Powerful countries such as United States, Japan and South Korea play with double standards”.

He added that the approach these countries have towards North Korea is not helpful in protecting human security and sustainable peace in the Northeast Asia.

At the consultation, representatives of the WCC member churches in Korea and the National Council of Churches in Korea’s committee for peace and reunification in the Korean Peninsula discussed the proposal for a public issue statement. They made suggestions for the content of the statement from the perspectives of the Korean churches.

The public issues statement on “peace, reconciliation and reunification of the Korean peninsula” was proposed by the CCIA and was mandated by the WCC Central Committee meeting in Greece, 2012. It will be presented at the WCC assembly in Busan.

Dr Mathews George Chunakara, director of the CCIA, said that several speakers at the consultation expressed the need for lifting economic sanctions against North Korea.

He added that participants’ suggestion for the statement was to highlight “steps to realize peace in Northeast Asia by ending economic, financial and commercial sanctions against North Korea and turning from the armistice agreement to a peace treaty, effectively ending today’s de facto war”.

Read full text of the communiqué from Hong Kong consultation

Canon Grace Kaiso shared these views in an interview on 5 June, following his presentation at the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) 10th Assembly, currently underway in Kampala, Uganda.

Kaiso from the Church of Uganda, a member church of the World Council of Churches (WCC), explained that it was Archbishop Janani Luwum’s criticism of arbitrary killings and disappearances which resulted into his arrest and his assassination at the hands of Idi Amin regime in 1977.

Histories like these, as well as the establishment of the AACC in 1963 which also took place in Uganda, are affirmations of churches’ struggles for justice in the country, according to Kaiso.

Yet, the issue of dignity is a challenge for the African churches.

“We have suffered from massive dehumanization in Africa,” said Kaiso. “Unfortunately our image is constituted by the leaders of impunity like Idi Amin, corruption and conflicts. Therefore, dignity is a pertinent element in our struggles for lasting peace in the African region.”

His reflections pointed towards the theme of the AACC’s assembly “God of life, lead Africa to peace, justice and dignity”. The AACC is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a regional ecumenical organization.

“The dignity of a person is closely attached to the dignity of the Creator. Therefore churches in Uganda  have to live up to the challenge of ensuring the dignity of its people who are faced by a scarred image created by wars, religious intolerance, disease and poverty,” said Kaiso.

Uganda is predominantly Christian, with Islam as the second major religion. People of both faiths have suffered from political instability and economic disparities, Kaiso reported.

“Uganda has a lot of potential for growth and progress. If we harness human capacities as churches, and continue working with our rich faith traditions, we can built a stable and thriving country,” he said.

Kaiso, an ordained minister of the Anglican church and general secretary of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, thinks that churches should move from “diagnosis to the healing of communities”.

He pointed out that the realities of churches in Uganda include inequalities, HIV and AIDS, threats of globalization, environmental issues and the welfare of women and children. He said that the “prophetic role” of the churches in Uganda is to engage with the political powers in addressing these issues.

Kaiso added that churches can play their “prophetic role” only with a strong engagement of women and youth in the communities. He said that women are the “wheels of the churches”; without their time, contributions and commitment, churches cannot achieve their vision for justice, peace and dignity.

There are still issues to be addressed when it comes to the leadership position of women and youth in the churches, yet they are in the forefront of Christian witness in Uganda, said Kaiso.

The AACC’s theme is inspired by the theme of the WCC’s upcoming assembly “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”. The WCC gathering is set to take place from 30 October to 8 November in Busan, Republic of Korea.

The Historical Society of the Episcopal Church (HSEC) held its annual meeting 10-11 June 2013 in San Antonio, Texas.

On Monday night the Society’s members re-elected the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Prichard (President), the Rev. Dr. Marilyn McCord Adams (Vice President), Dr. J. Michael Utzinger (Secretary); and Mr. George DeFilippi (Treasurer), as well as electing three members to its Board of Directors for their first terms: Dr. David Contosta, Professor of History at Chestnut Hill College (Philadelphia, PA); Ms. Nancy Hurn, archivist of the General Synod Archives of the Anglican Church of Canada; and the Very Rev. Dr. Sylvia A. Sweeney, the Dean and President of Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont (CA).

The Rev. Will Wauters delivered the keynote address to the Society. A graduate of Stanford University and Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Wauters has served churches in East Los Angeles, San Francisco, Jersey City and Trenton in New Jersey and currently serves at Santa Fe Episcopal Church in San Antonio. For seven years he was Chaplain and taught Religion and Ethics at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. In San Antonio The Rev. Wauters also teaches at Haven for Hope, a transformational center for the homeless, and is a Chaplain with the Bexar County Detention Ministries. His address, entitled “The Borderland Cultures Encounter the Church and a Church Gave Birth to a New Chicano Culture,” described how the Church of the Epiphany in East Los Angeles, the oldest standing Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, opened its doors in a new way to the revolutionary times of the 1960′s in the barrio and how both the Church and Los Angeles culture and history were transformed by one another.

Each year the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church also recognizes and supports scholarship that furthers historical understanding of the Anglican Communion.  The Nelson R. Burr Prize  recognizes the article published in the Society’s quarterly journal, Anglican and Episcopal History, that best exemplifies excellence and innovative scholarship in the field of Anglican and Episcopal history.  This year Dr. Edward Bond, chair of the Publications Committee and editor of the Society’s journal announced  John Wall and Zola Packman as winners of the Burr Prize for their article entitled “Worship at Trinity Chapel,” which appeared in the June 2012 issue of the society’s journal.  The selection committee commented  that Wall and Packman’s work proved “a beautifully researched and written portrayal of the importance of prayer book worship in the 17th century.”

The HSEC’s Grants and Research Committee, chaired by the Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend, announced that the Society would support four individuals for the next year.  Katherine Sawyer Robinson will receive a research grant for her dissertation, entitled “Networks of Nonconformity: A Prosopographical Examination of Early English Presbyterianism;” David Ney will receive a research grant for his dissertation entitled “Divine Oracles and Modern Science: Newtonianism, Hutchinsonianism, and the Old Testament. Filmmaker Margo Guernsey will receive a grant to support continuing research of her latest project, a documentary on the life of Pauli Murray, lawyer, civil and women’s rights activist, and Episcopal priest. And Daniel Loss will receive a grant to further his research on the controversy regarding liturgical reform in the 1960s and beyond to explore the public and cultural role of the Church of England, even among avowed non-believers.

Further information about the Society, as well as its publications and grants can be found on the Society’s website: http://www.hsec.us

Conocida a nivel mundial por UTO [su sigla en inglés], las subvenciones de la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias se les otorgan a proyectos que abordan necesidades humanas y ayudan a mitigar la pobreza, tanto nacional como internacionalmente.

Las asignaciones fueron desde $2.000 para la Diócesis de Mississippi hasta $162.817 para la Diócesis de la República Dominicana

Se recibieron, en total, 86 solicitudes de subvenciones. La asignación de las subvenciones de 2013 se concentraron en dos (de las cinco) Marcas Anglicanas de la Misión: Responder a las necesidades humanas con amoroso servicio y procurar transformar las estructuras sociales injustas, enfrentar la violencia de cualquier clase y buscar la paz y la reconciliación.

“Las subvenciones representaron muchas necesidades de nuestro mundo”, comentó Barbi Tinder, presidente de la Junta de la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias “Las primeras 15 subvenciones calificadas abordaban la enseñanza de la horticultura y de la preparación creativa de alimentos, sufragaban el continuo suministro de agua potable, proporcionaban [fondos] para la obtención de madera para calentarse durante los meses de invierno y para múltiples necesidades infantiles; creando construcciones que edificaban la comunidad.”

La lista completa de subvenciones puede encontrarse aquí.

Los fondos de asignaciones de la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias se derivan de recolecciones/fondos/contribuciones recibidas a través de las ofrendas de las conocidas y fácilmente reconocibles cajitas azules de la UTO.

Este año, el Comité de Subvenciones llevó a cabo toda su labor electrónicamente, asumiendo por consiguiente una política de conservación ambiental, proceso este iniciado por Sarita Redd —que era la presidente cuando falleció repentinamente en enero— y por Tinder.

“Como resultado del empeño inicial del Comité de Subvenciones de crear el nuevo proceso de asignación, y la participación de toda la Junta [directiva] en poner en práctica las medidas necesarias [para ello], la Junta de la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias puede ahora anunciar que su impacto medioambiental se ha reducido dramáticamente”, explicó Tinder. “El año pasado la Junta calculó que aproximadamente se habían gastado 10.000 hojas de papel en el proceso de concesión de fondos; este año el único papel que se usó fueron las 86 cartas oficiales a los solicitantes de subvenciones con 86 sobres, y 48 certificados impresos para presentarlos a los recipiendarios de las subvenciones cuyas solicitudes fueron atendidas. ¡Un total de 134 hojas de papel y 86 sobres! ¡Una reducción enorme en la utilización de árboles!”.

La Ofrenda Unida de Gracias crea el Premio John Hines
La Junta de la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias creó un Subvención Especial Trienal que aborda los problemas de justicia social.

Llamado así por el 22º. Obispo Primado de la Iglesia Episcopal, el Premio a la Justicia Social John E. Hines se presentará después de cada Convención General trienal.

Un hito de cada Convención General es la Eucaristía de la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias, en la cual cada diócesis hace donaciones. Durante este oficio, las ofrendas de bandeja se le entregan a la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias. Esta ofrenda se usará ahora para financiar una solicitud de subvención que presente un proyecto de base, innovador y creativo, que responda a importantes problemas de justicia social y a la manera de cambiar estructuras injustas en una comunidad.

En la Eucaristía de la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias de la Convención General de 2012 se recaudaron $34.280,91. El primer Premio de Justicia Social John Hines se le ha otorgado a una solicitud de subvención titulada Five Smooth Stones [Cinco piedras lisas] una película infantil creada por niños de la iglesia episcopal de San Antonio [St. Anthony’s] en Winder, Georgia (Diócesis de Atlanta) para abordar el problema del acoso escolar. La subvención se usará para financiar la publicación inicial de la película sobre el acoso escolar y la guía de estudio que le acompaña, así como para su distribución, mercadotecnia y venta con el propósito de transmitir un mensaje educativo en contra del acoso escolar.

“El Premio de Justicia Social John Hines ha sido creado para honrar la historia de la relación entre el Obispo Primado y las Mujeres Episcopales, relación permanente apoyada por la Junta de la Ofrenda Unida de Gracias”, explicó Tinder.

Known worldwide as UTO, the United Thank Offering grants are awarded for projects that address human needs and help alleviate poverty, both domestically and internationally.

The awards ranged from $2000 to the Diocese of Mississippi to $162,817 to the Diocese of the Dominican Republic.

A total of 86 grant applications were received. The awarding of the 2013 grants focused on two (of the five) Anglican Marks of Mission: To respond to human need by loving service; and to seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.

“Grants represented many needs in our world,” commented Barbi Tinder, United Thank Offering Board President. “The top 15 rated grants addressed the teaching of gardening and creative food preparation; providing for continuing clean water; providing wood for warmth during cold months; providing for many forms of special needs for children; creating buildings that built community.”

The complete list of grants is located here.

The United Thank Offering award funds are derived from the Ingatherings/funds/contributions received through offerings from the well-known and easily recognizable UTO Blue Box.

This year, the Grants Committee conducted all of its work electronically, thereby “going green,” a process initiated by Sarita Redd, who was president when she died suddenly in January, and Tinder.

“As a result of the Grants Committee’s initial effort in creating the new granting process, and the participation of the entire Board in implementing the needed steps, the United Thank Offering Board can now state that the footprint of the Board in terms of environmental impact has been dramatically reduced,” explained Tinder.  “Last year the board estimated approximately 10,000 sheets of paper were used in the granting process; this year the only paper to be used will be 86 official letters to grant applicants with 86 envelopes, and 48 printed award certificates to be presented to grant recipients whose applications were funded!  A total of 134 pieces of paper and 86 envelopes! An enormous reduction of use of trees!”

United Thank Offering Creates John Hines Award
The United Thank Offering Board created a special Triennial Award that addresses issues of social justice.

Named for the 22nd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the John E. Hines Social Justice Award will be presented after each triennial General Convention.

A highlight of each General Convention is the United Thank Offering Ingathering Eucharist, in which donations are provided by each diocese.  During this service, the plate offering is given to the United Thank Offering. This offering will now be used to fund a grant application that presents a grassroots, innovative and creative project that addresses significant issues of social justice and how to change unjust structures in a community.

At the 2012 General Convention United Thank Offering Ingathering Eucharist, $34,280.91 was received. The first John Hines Social Justice Award has been given to the grant titled “Five Smooth Stones,” a film created for kids by kids from St. Anthony’s Episcopal Church in Winder, Georgia (Diocese of Atlanta) to address the issue of bullying. The grant will be used to fund the initial publishing of the film on bullying and its companion Facilitator/Study Guide, for distribution, marketing and sales for the purpose of anti-bullying education.

“The John Hines Social Justice Award has been created to honor the history of the relationship between the Presiding Bishop and the Women of the Church, still a continuing relationship supported by The United Thank Offering Board,” explained Tinder.

I was recently talking to a friend about summer plans, now that June is upon us. He asked if my church would be marching in the Capital Pride Parade. I said, “Yes, and we’ll have a booth at the Pride Festival the next day. What about you? What are your plans?” “Oh,” he said, “I don’t know. I’m really over the whole ‘pride thing.’ I’ll probably just stay home.”

June has become a month of pride and celebration for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), and for our allies, families, and friends. Across the country and around the globe, there will be celebrations. While I respect my friend’s choice to avoid crowds and follow his own way, I’m definitely not “over the ‘pride thing.’” As much as ever, I think there needs to be a parade, and especially as a gay Christian, I need to be a part of it.

I’ll be at the parade because I feel safe there. This weekend, there is safety in numbers. Even though I write from a point of extraordinary privilege—I’m able to serve as an openly gay priest in a friendly diocese, I’m in a relationship that is recognized by the District of Columbia as a legal marriage, and I serve a supportive congregation and enjoy a loving family—I also know that I live in a bubble. Most of the churches in our country would not allow an openly gay person to be their leader and many people of faith would probably have me stoned or worse. In over half the states of our country, one can be fired from any job simply for being gay or transgender. In some 76 countries around the globe, homosexuality is still illegal. I can preach a Gospel of welcome and salvation all I want, but the reality is that I have enemies. Though I pray for them, it is nice to have a day or two in June when I can let down my guard and breathe freely.

I’ll be at Capital Pride events also because I experience real diversity there—diversity like nowhere else. There will be people of many colors, ethnicities, cultures, opinions, educational levels, languages, and sexualities. The wealthy, powerful, and educated will not always be in charge. I’ll be challenged by some of what I see and hear. I won’t understand some things and I won’t like or approve of everything. But I’ll learn and engage, as I ask God to help me grow with open eyes and an open heart.

Finally, I’ll be at Capital Pride because I’m compelled to try to convey the love of Christ to the world—especially to a segment of the world that has so often been derided, misunderstood, mischaracterized, legislated against, prohibited, controlled, abused, feared, and cheated of the liberating love of Jesus Christ. Though I cannot adequately apologize for the sloppy theology and biblical illiteracy inflicted on so many LGBT people, I can stand with others of faith and try to convey the experience and grace that God loves us more than we can possibly imagine.

The scripture lessons appointed for this Sunday have to do with healing and raising up (Elijah heals a child and Jesus raises up a young man thought to be dead). At Capital Pride, I’ll be praying that God will continue to raise up, to encourage and empower, to lift up the lowly, fill the hungry with good things, and come to the help of all those who yearn for the fullness of love.

– John Beddingfield is the rector of All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. Share your thoughts and reactions with the Diocese of Washington community on Facebook.

Episcopalians resume services June 9 at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Turlock, California. Photo: Al Galicia

[Episcopal News Service] With the rap of his crosier on the church door and a trumpet fanfare, San Joaquin Bishop Chet Talton on June 9 formally ushered in the future of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Turlock. “We’re moving forward with mission, ministry and the work of reconciliation,” he said.

The standing-room-only gathering of about 150 sang “All are Welcome,’ a theme reflected throughout the homecoming festival celebration of the church, the first to be returned to the diocese after negotiated settlements with former members who left the Episcopal Church in 2007.

“We can now turn all of our resources to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and engaging in Christ’s mission in the world,” Talton said.

“At the heart of that mission is reconciliation. All are welcome. All means all, including those who differed with our churches and left; they are welcome. At center in our celebration of return is that we can devote ourselves wholly to mission and ministry.”

Vera Sahlstrom, who turned 94 a day earlier, said she couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present.

“I spent 30 years on the altar guild here and 30 years in the choir. I’ve got so many memories here. It’s good to be home,” she said.

Her grandson, Paul Voorhees echoed the sentiment: “I was born and raised in this church. It’s good to be home, it’s happiness.”

The Rev. Kathie Galicia, priest-in-charge of the congregation, said she received the keys to the church a week earlier and the returning congregation held its first service there June 2.

“It’s wonderful to have the church back,” she said. Overwhelmed by the support of visitors from across the diocese, she added: “This is like having a giant open house. I want to do this every Sunday.”

St. Francis members had worshiped in various locations the past six years, after theological differences split the diocese in 2007. Former members had left the Episcopal Church but had attempted to keep the property.

State and federal courts have consistently ruled that church properties are held in trust by the diocese for the mission and ministry of the wider Episcopal Church.

Returning Episcopalian Nedra Voorhees, 74, echoed an often-repeated sentiment that coming back to worship “felt like coming home. It was a strange sensation, when I walked in that first Sunday morning, it felt like I had never been gone.”

The congregation numbered about 40 at that first Sunday worship, she added. While meeting elsewhere, members had drawn sustenance, she said, from each other.

“It was a wandering and a soul-searching time,” she recalled. “My commitment to Christ was strengthened by not having that security that somehow a building provides for you. You come to rely more on your relationship with God than on a building … when you’ve got to do a lot more work to make it happen.”

She added that: “It’s an exciting time for the whole diocese, a turning point.”

Her sister Beryl Simkins, agreed. “It’s time to move on,” she said. “We need to be about being Christians in Turlock. We have learned so much from this experience. I learned that the people are the church.

“We’ve learned never to take the church for granted. We appreciate each other so much. Everybody helps these days. Everybody takes responsibilities and does whatever needs to be done.”

In Ridgecrest, where St. Michael’s Church was also returned to the diocese, the Rev. Linda Huggart said she’d just moved into the church rectory.

The congregation, which had been meeting as All Souls at the historical society building, was adjusting to returning to their property.

“If we can do it out of a box for five years, we can certainly do it in a church,” she said. “We’re kind of taken aback now that we’ve got pews and sound systems and organs.”

For Dee Dee Cox, 88, a long-time member, the return was joyous.

She said the church “was very precious to me. The church has meant a lot to me in my life here and my life in general,” she said. “So, it was difficult to be removed from it, but we carried on in a different way.

“Now, I’m feeling joyful,” she said but added that “it’s also sad. What happened was an unfortunate loss for both congregations.”

As the result of favorable rulings by the Kern County Superior Court, conversations are also underway regarding the return of other congregations in Bakersfield, Delano and Sonora. Other disputed properties throughout the diocese are in various stages of litigation, according to diocesan chancellor Michael Glass.

Another church property, St. Paul’s, Modesto, was returned July 1, 2009 prior to litigation.

“It’s been really emotional,” said Terrance Goodpasture, a St. Francis member since 2000. “There’s lots of enthusiasm that we’d like to keep going forward.”

“Nancy has done a terrific job as editor of Vital Practices,” remarked ECF President, Donald V. Romanik.  “Not only has she been instrumental in helping to transform what had been a very good newsletter into an incredibly rich web-based resource, but she brings a broad perspective of the Episcopal Church, keen strategic insights, and a strong background in multimedia communications to the table.  Her contributions will enable ECF to provide even more resources in the area of lay and clergy leadership.”

“Nancy has helped ECF stay focused on the practical needs of grassroots lay and clergy leaders,” added Miguel Angel Escobar, ECF Program Director.  “She has a passion for lifting up the stories of small Episcopal congregations who are engaged in remarkable ministries, especially those doing vital work in mission and outreach. Her work over the past three years has been a gift to ECF and to the wider Church and I am thrilled that she will now lend her perspective and expertise to the many other projects in the leadership resources area.”

Nancy began her career working for the Girl Scouts, and then spent 20 years in senior level marketing and communications positions for regional and national health care companies. She made a career shift to educational institutions, including Episcopal Divinity School, where she served as director of marketing and communications for eight years before joining the ECF as editor of ECF Vital Practices in 2010.  She has been recognized for her outstanding work in the Episcopal Church, receiving multiple Polly Bond awards from Episcopal Communicators.  Nancy also served as president of Episcopal Communicators from 2010-2013.  Her primary focus as a communicator has been matching message to an intended audience.

The Episcopal Church in South Carolina had sought to have the case heard in federal court, citing First Amendment issues raised by the case. The lawsuit will now return to South Carolina Circuit Court and Judge Diane S. Goodstein in Dorchester County, said Thomas S. Tisdale, Jr., chancellor of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. Judge Houck’s order cannot be appealed.

“We are obviously disappointed with the result, but we are confident in our legal position going forward,” Mr. Tisdale said.

The lawsuit was filed in January by a group of former church leaders and some 34 parishes in eastern South Carolina who say they have “disassociated” from The Episcopal Church, seeking control of the name, seal and properties of the diocese. The group continues to call itself “The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina,” and recognizes Mark Lawrence as its bishop.

Defendants in the suit are the Episcopal Church and its local diocese, which is currently using the name “The Episcopal Church in South Carolina.” Its bishop is the Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg, who was elected by local Episcopalians in January after Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori accepted Mark Lawrence’s renunciation of his orders as a bishop in The Episcopal Church.

“We believe that the critical First Amendment issues at the center of this case would have been most appropriately resolved in federal court, but we respect the court’s decision to return this case to state court,” said Matthew D. McGill of the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, who spoke for TECSC in last week’s hearing before Judge Houck.

“The federal court recognized that The Episcopal Church is a hierarchical church and we hope that the state court will recognize the First Amendment right of all such churches to organize and administer their affairs without government interference,” Mr. McGill said. “Our federal litigation against Bishop Lawrence continues and we hope soon will confirm that he is no longer the Bishop of the Diocese because he left the church of which the Diocese is a part.”

A separate federal lawsuit is still before Judge Houck. Filed in March by Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg against Mark Lawrence, it asks the court to find that only Bishop vonRosenberg, as The Episcopal Church’s recognized bishop, should control the name and marks of the diocese.

The federal suit, vonRosenberg v. Lawrence, cites federal trademark law and a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese v. Milivojevich. Under that decision, civil courts may not interfere in decisions made by hierarchical churches, such as The Episcopal Church, about decisions as to who is the true bishop of a diocese.