 Bishop Matt Gunter joins other bishops of the Episcopal Church in issuing a letter encouraging the People of God to stay away from protests and counter-protests that may happen up to the inauguration of President-elect Biden. The letter acknowledges "public demonstrations carry significant risk of both violence and exposure to COVID-19" and "we can best follow our vocation to be peacemakers by staying away from places where harm could come to God’s people." The call may be to stay home from protests, but as the bishops note, "staying home does not, however, mean staying silent." A number of avenues in "raising our voices to support our country’s democracy," are provided. The Episcopal Public Policy Network provides opportunities to advocate for peace, justice and the dignity of every human being. You join the network here. "Most of all," the bishops conclude, "in the coming days, we ask you to pray. This collect from the Book of Common Prayer holds particular meaning as we seek to face the days ahead with courage, wisdom, and grace: Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The complete letter may be downloaded here or read below.  The Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac has announced a new Way of Love Matchmakers Service. This service will specialize in making romantic matches for church-going folk in northeast Wisconsin. Bishop Matt Gunter, who grew up a Presbyterian, realizes that those who marry across denominational lines (such as Roman Catholic and Lutheran or some other Protestant) often experience difficulty in finding their church home. We have the solution to help such couples find a new church home that is friendly to both: the Episcopal Church. Way of Love Matchmakers is committed to matching such couples with the nearest Episcopal Church to find a community of others following Jesus on the way of love.  The service, which launched on April 1, is according to Bishop Matt "intended for those who may be lovelorn Lutherans, Roman Catholic tired of roamin’ through life alone, or other protestants desiring matrimonial pairing." The bishop added that "these may be folks longing for someone to keep them warm during cold Wisconsin winters, looking for someone with whom to enjoy the beauty of this great state or just longing for someone to sit beside them to hold hands in church.  Seriously, though, the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac is committed to matchmaking in the great romance between God and humanity (and all creation). While a matchmaking service described above is an April Fool's joke, we do invite you to join us at the Way of Love Revival on Saturday, October 26, 2019 in Appleton. This matchmaking event features the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, preacher at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle. You don’t have to be an Episcopalian, or even have to become one, to attend! We want to introduce, or reintroduce you to Jesus and his way of love.
Learn more at diofdl.org/wolr. |
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