While in Afghanistan, the 2nd Engineer Battalion Bible studies proved to be a relief to Soldiers during their tour, and now the battalion is bringing those studies back home.
Chaplain Daniel Sparks started the battalion Bible studies before Soldiers deployed for Afghanistan in December 2008.
Read more at http://www.missileranger.com/artman/publish/article_5631.shtml
Today, at the 105th Synod of the Diocese of Mid-America of the Reformed Episcopal Church, the clergy and parish delegates unanimously adopted the following resolution. [Links are my own insertion.]
The Diocese of Mid-America, being a part of the Reformed Episcopal Church, which is a member of the Anglican Church in North America, in seeking to uphold and remain faithful to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Reformed Episcopal Church, hereby reaffirms the following articles of the Reformed Episcopal Church Constitution as our understanding of the doctrinal standards, which are binding on all REC clergy and parishes and missions.
ARTICLE III
Doctrinal Position
This Church holds the Faith as once delivered to the saints, and as transmitted through the Church of England, especially as articulated in her Reformation heritage, the range of her Anglican divines, and as deposited in the founding principles of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Furthermore, this Church affirms Holy Scripture as the Word of God, the three ancient creeds, commonly known as the Nicene, Apostles’ and Creed of Athanasius, and the dogmatic definitions of the first four ecumenical councils of the undivided church. It also holds the following unalterable historical documents to be a part of the received Body of its Doctrine:
(1) The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion in their 1801 form.
(2) The Declaration of Principles of 1873, as adopted by the first General Council of this Church.
(3) The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1886-1888.
These documents, and short summaries of the ecumenical councils, shall be appended at the end of the Constitution and Canons.
ARTICLE IV
Of Erroneous or Strange Teaching
Section 1 Nothing calculated to teach that in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the elements of the bread and wine are changed into the natural Flesh and Blood of Christ, shall ever be allowed in the worship or teaching of this Church. Nor shall any practice that teaches or promotes doctrines or practices specifically prohibited by the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion be permitted in this Church.
Section 2 No person shall be admitted or received as Deacon, Presbyter, or Bishop except, in each instance, he shall subscribe to the following oath, in writing, in the presence of two Presbyters in good standing of this Church, who shall sign as witnesses.
“In the Name of God, Amen. I __A. B. _ do solemnly swear that I believe the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation. I do believe and accept the received Body of Doctrine, Discipline and Worship of this Church, as set forth in the Constitution and Canons of the same, and will conform thereto, the Lord being my helper.”
Section 3 The foregoing oath, duly executed and witnessed, shall be delivered to the Bishop presiding as testimonial during the service of ordination or reception of every clergyman at the time of his presentation to the same for the laying on of hands.
This resolution is commended to other dioceses of the REC and to the 54th General Council of the REC.
I am pleased to see this resolution passed. It is important, from time to time, to state again our beliefs and to reaffirm our identity as Anglican Christians. This resolution is a simple reassertion of some of the critical pieces of our heritage and doctrine. I pray that it will help clergymen and laity throughout the church to recall these principles.
Yesterday, Ron Edmondson posted a note that he would offer 30 minutes of free ministry coaching to the first two takers who responded through his website. Somehow, in God’s plan, I was the first person to nibble. Ron called me this morning, and I enjoyed his friendly and pastoral conversation.
Ron is the lead pastor of Grace Community Church in Clarksville, Tennessee. Grace obviously isn’t an Anglican church, but it is a congregation that is making a big impact on the souls of many in its community. Ron also provides ministry consulting and conducts leadership seminars.
I had a couple of questions about ministry as a military chaplain. One was about how to disciple folks with whom I only have a couple of years to share. Ron helped me see that, unlike parochial ministry, mine is a sort of wayside interaction. Most soldiers will not be able to progress significantly over a two-year period (if I even have that long with them), but I can help them along their journey. While I am their chaplain, I can help point them in the right direction, connect them with other Christians, and push them along the track toward maturity in Christ.
Does your church have an emergency plan?
What will you do when an emergency hits your parish?
The tornadoes that hit my home state of Alabama yesterday got me thinking about these questions. Are churches prepared for emergencies? If the churches I’m familiar with are any example, most churches have no plans at all.
Given events in recent history that have affected communities around the country and the world, the local church should be prepared to handle emergency situations. A natural disaster or other emergency could affect the parish church or the town where the church is located. Every church should have a plan to assist its members and the residents of its community in the event of a church or community emergency.
Here are a few questions to help you brainstorm about emergency preparedness.
How will you know if your parishioners are safe?
If a tornado strikes your community, how will you account for everyone? Do you have phone numbers and addresses for your members? What about the same info for frequent (or even occasional) visitors? Do you have a phone tree that could be used to check up on folks? Can parishioners call in to the church to let someone know their status?
What will you do if an emergency occurs during your worship service or other event?
If a deranged man walks into your building with a gun and starts shooting people, what is your security plan? Do you have security guards? If not, who in the church is trained in defensive tactics? What is your emergency evacuation plan and who will direct people during the evacuation? How will you alert police and other emergency services about what is happening?
In its bid to part consumers with their money, Walmart has produced a television commercial advertising Easter merchandise. The ad makes reference to an Easter meal, an Easter basket, Easter eggs, and running shoes. The ad suggests that, with these items, kids can get ahead of the pack at an Easter egg hunt. The message of the ad is summed up by these words: “Only Walmart has low prices every day on everything you need for an epic Easter.”
In recent times, the term epic has come to be used to describe all sorts of things. From books and movies to the names of rather mundane churches, from ice cream to running and all sorts of human activities, epic is a widespread adjective these days. Apparently it also applies to Easter egg hunts.
And, apart from the bastardization of the English language, all of that might be okay. But if we think spiral-sliced hams, plastic eggs, and Starter running shoes are what make Easter epic, we’ve fallen a long way from reality.
Shortly before he was crucified, Christ prayed these words to God the Father (John 17:3): “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Weighed against eternal life, fake eggs and juicy hams don’t seem important.
Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead was and is what makes Easter epic. Only Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross and his defeat of death and the grave can effect eternal life for mankind. The epic story of all time is the love and mercy of God shown in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
To learn more about having your own epic Easter, drop me a line.
The Rev. Daniel J. Sparks is an Anglican priest, teacher, and writer residing in East Texas.
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