Holy Week Witness liturgy to be used in Washington, D.C. available to all

On Monday, March 25, the bishops of the Diocese of Connecticut will lead those gathered at St. John’s Episcopal Church at Lafayette Square, near the White House, in walking the way of the cross between the White House and the Capitol as a way to stand witness to the spread of gun violence. They say:

We are taking our witness to our nation’s capital to say to our political leaders and to our country that we will no longer be silent while violence permeates our world, our society, our Church, our homes and ourselves.

Our faith calls us to be ministers of reconciliation, to give voice to the voiceless and to strive for justice in the name of our Lord. The horrific slaughter of children and adults in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown in our home state, and the day-to-day shootings and deaths of our children and young people in cities and towns across our nation, call us to prayer and action and to work for peace.  [more]

For those who are unable to journey to Washington to take part in the walk, the Diocese of Connecticut has made the Holy Week Witness liturgy to be used on the walk available to all.

Below please find Bishop Stephen T. Lane’s letter to the Maine Congressional delegation. The Episcopal House of Bishop’s recent word to the Church on gun violence is available here.

An Open Letter to Members of the Maine Congressional Delegation on Preventing Gun Violence

Last week, at the spring meeting of The Episcopal Church House of Bishops, I was deeply affected by Bishop Laura Ahrens of the Diocese of Connecticut speaking of her experience as a pastor and church leader in the days following the tragic shootings in Newtown. “There’s no one to impress when your heart is broken,” she said.

While The Episcopal Church has, beginning in 1976, repeatedly lobbied for the strengthening of laws related to selling and licensing firearms, I believe that it is now time for people of all faiths to raise our voices in the public square. With thousands of other faith leaders across the U.S., I contend that “to refuse to take the steps we know would reduce harm is a violation of religious values so severe that we are compelled to speak out.” [www.faithsagainstgunviolence.org]

I recognize that Maine has a long tradition of hunting and responsible gun ownership, and I firmly believe that legislation requiring universal background checks, limiting high capacity magazines, and placing restrictions on certain types of military-style weapons will not impinge on the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners. Our greater responsibility, however, as people entrusted with the common good, is to protect the innocent from gun violence – whether it stems from the domestic violence that too often plagues communities across Maine or from the horrific acts of a rampage shooter.

I commend the recent bill passed by the Senate and co-sponsored by Senator Collins that tightens gun trafficking and, if also passed in the House, will go a long way to keep guns purchased in Maine from being transported and resold across state lines. I further urge you to support Senator Schumer’s bill requiring universal background checks on nearly all purchases and requiring states to improve reporting of felons and those with major mental health issues to a national database.

This week the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, of which I am a member, released a statement wherein we “particularly grieve those killed by senseless gun violence in the many contexts from which we come. We lament and have cried over the widely reported mass shootings in this country, recalling tragedies like Aurora, Oak Creek and Newtown. We are outraged by the too often unseen and unacknowledged daily massacre of our young people in cities such as Chicago, Newark, Baltimore, Port-au-Prince, and Tegucigalpa. This carnage must stop.”

As a leader of the faith community in Maine, I commit to beginning conversations in our communities, in collaboration with other denominations. I envision conversations that would allow us to openly discuss how we as Mainers wish to live the balance between protecting our neighbors and children from needless violence and honoring the traditions and rights of all people. That’s my job, and I will do it. I urge you, as Maine’s elected leaders, to put your whole hearts and minds to the task of creating and supporting legislation that promotes communities where all people can live in safety, security, and peace; a country where, as the prophet Zechariah dreams, “old men and women shall again sit in the streets…And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing.” Together, let us make it so.

Thank you for your close attention to this critical issue. I would welcome opportunities for further conversation.

Sincerely,

The Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane
Bishop of Maine

A pdf of the letter may be found here.

Bishop Lane’s testimony presented to the Appropriations Committee on the supplemental 2013 budget

On Monday, January 28, the Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Rev. Ben Shambaugh, presented testimony at the State House from Bishop Stephen T. Lane addressing the cuts proposed in Governor LaPage’s emergency supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2013.

He joined more than 70 others who testified before the Joint Committee on Appropriations and the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services of the Maine Legislature about the impact of cuts in general assistance to municipalities, substance abuse and mental health services.  Earlier in the day testimony was heard by the committees on cuts to prescription drugs to elders and other cuts that would directly affect Maine elderly and disabled populations. Please find the testimony below.

Good afternoon Senator Hill, Representative Rotundo, Senator Craven,  Representative Farnsworth, members of the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs and members of the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services.

My name is Benjamin Shambaugh, and I serve as the dean of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland. I also serve as a board member of the Preble Street Resource Center. Today I will share testimony with you on behalf of the Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane, Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Maine. He regrets that he is unable to be here to testify in person.

On behalf of the members of our 63 congregations and our other communities of faith across the state,  I encourage you to mitigate the cuts introduced the Governor’s emergency supplemental budget for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2013. Many of the proposed cuts would undermine the lives, dignity and rights of poor and vulnerable people in the State of Maine.

As people of faith who take the example and teachings of Jesus to heart, we believe that our state budget – emergency or otherwise – is not simply a balance sheet of income and expenses but rather a moral document that reflects the values of the people who fund it and benefit from it.  The moral measure of this debate is how the most needy among us  – “the least of these” – fare in our society.

The impact of cuts to General Assistance to municipalities will disproportionately affect our most vulnerable neighbors. By May and June when GA funds run out at the municipal level, many people who depend on the safety net of local support will be unable to meet the basic needs of their families. Imagine being forced to make excruciating decisions to choose between buying food, paying rent, or seeking medical attention. And the towns and cities – many stretched by a greater number of requests for heating assistance during this bitterly cold winter – will be out of funds to help.

Episcopalians in Maine recognize the role we have to play in partnering with government, other churches, and community organizations to strengthen the social fabric of our local communities.  In addition to caring for the spiritual well-being of those in need, all across the state we are engaged in feeding and clothing people and keeping them warm.  We assist those looking for jobs and those who struggle with homelessness.  We offer children safe and active spaces to go after school and in the summertime.

At St. Luke’s Cathedral in downtown Portland, nine local Episcopal congregations share the duties of  serving at the St. Elizabeth’s Essentials Pantry each Tuesday morning.  On average members of 325 households arrive to pick up a range of items that aren’t covered by food stamps:  a roll of toilet paper, a baggie of laundry detergent, a bar of soap, donated toys and winter coats…and most valuable of all when they have donations to buy them … disposable diapers.

Those Mainers who will be most affected by the cuts proposed – low-income children, the elderly, the disabled – do not have powerful voices so we, as people of faith, have the obligation to help them to be heard and to join with others to insist that programs that provide for the basic supports of a stable life be maintained.

May each of you be graced with the wisdom and strength to serve all people in Maine. Thank you for the opportunity to share our concerns with you today.

a prayer for those affected by the violence in Newtown

Here is a prayer from Bishop Stephen Lane for Maine congregations to pray on Sunday as we mourn the loss of  life in Connecticut.

Almighty God, giver of light and life, in whose hands are both the living and the dead: We offer to you our sorrow and confusion in the face of the cruel deaths of children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As you were present in the midst of the gunfire and chaos, so we trust you are present now with those who have died. Receive them into the arms of your mercy and cover them with your love. In your boundless compassion, console all who mourn, especially parents and family members, and give to us who carry on such a lively sense of your righteous will that we will not rest until our country is safe for your children. All this we pray in sighs too deep for words and in the name of the lover and protector of our souls, Jesus Christ. Amen.

More prayers posted on Episcopal Cafe
More from the Diocese of Connecticut

Bishop Steve reflections on General Convention

Bishop Steve with the Maine deputies before he presents the 2013-2015 budget to the joint session of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops.

Visit Bishop Steve Lane’s blog, Round Maine with Bishop Lane, at www.roundmaine.org for his reflection on the recent 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.   His tenth GC – eight as a clerical deputy and two as bishop – Bishop Steve has some serious street cred when it comes to this triennial event.  He says, in part:

It’s our belief, some might say, our conceit, that when The Episcopal Church gathers in Convention we gather in the presence of the Holy Spirit, and that our decisions are guided by the Spirit through prayer, worship, discussion and debate. I felt this to be more true at this Convention than I’ve ever experienced before. Amidst all the passion and disagreement there was a palpable sense that we were all trying to discern the truth as the Spirit gave us the light. And because we disagree, and any of us might well be mistaken, we’re learning to hold our “truth” with a bit of humility. We need all the voices among us to approximate God’s truth.

Read it all here.

Coincidentally, the Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, also released a message today on General Convention. Read it here.

An update from Bishop Steve on change

One Holy Week – Two Sermons

On Palm Sunday, Bishop Steve Lane visited St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Rockland.  Here, in part, is what he had to say to all of us at the start of Holy Week.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of colt, there were only two possibilities: he was either the author of an incredibly brave, but ultimately deluded, act of defiance against the oppressive authority of church and state, or he was the author of a new heaven and a new earth. As we enter into Holy Week and our journey to Golgatha, I invite you into your own journey of prayer and reflection. Who is this Jesus for you?

Read it all here. (Please scroll down to the second sermon.)

On Tuesday, he gathered with clergy of the diocese at St. John’s in Bangor for their annual renewal of vows. He challenged the clergy of Maine with these words:

Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” The key to meeting the spiritual hunger of our age, for people both in the church and the many more who are outside the church, is to stand at the foot of the cross, to be where he is: for real life to meet a real God.

Read the entire sermon here.

Holy Week video meditation from Bishop Steve – Good News

Here is the last meditation from Bishop Steve Lane’s Lenten series on practicing the presence of God.

The text version is here.

What is Our Hope: A video meditation from Bishop Steve

Bishop Steve offers this reflection on practicing the presence of God.

The text version is here.

We are already home: Bishop Steve’s video reflection

Live from Portland! It’s Wednesday in Lent!

Bishop Steve Lane offers a video reflection on practicing the presence of God.

The text version is here.

Bishop Stephen T. Lane’s Pastoral Letter

This morning a pastoral letter by Bishop Lane was read in each Maine congregation. The letter outlines the issues facing the Episcopal Church and the people in Maine later this year regarding the Anglican Covenant and the blessings of same-gender relationships, both of which will come before the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in July, and the marriage equality referendum that Mainers will consider in November.

You may read the Pastoral Letter here.

A two-page list of resources and background material about the Anglican Covenant and the work of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music is available here.

In his letter Bishop Lane commends the Maine Council of Churches’ Covenant for Civil Discourse to members of the Diocese of Maine. That document is available here.

An exhaustive list of primary documents charting the evolution of the Anglican Covenant and a detailed timeline is available at www.noanglicancovenant.org.

The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music’s blog liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com has excerpts from its report and information on its work to date.

These links will be posted on the diocesan home page at www.episcopalmaine.org as soon as server issues are resolved on the new website. Thank you for your patience.