Pray for Food in Southern Sudan

Bishop Tom Kokanyi of Southern Sudan wrote to ask for our concerted prayers for the hunger spreading throughout Southern Sudan. The UN’s World Food Program recently reported that the number of people needing food aid in Southern Sudan has quadrupled to 4.3 million. Tragically, Fathers Manase and Anderiko, two CEC priests who minister under Bishop Tom, have recently lost children to the hunger. Fr Manase’s son was a choir director who left three children without a father.

According to the BBC, many factors contribute to the problem: drought, ethnic rivalries, incursions by the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army. What makes the situation more urgent is that the quickly approaching rainy season will block roadways so that food aid cannot reach the people most in need.

Please pray for Bishop Tom and Loice Kokanyi and the churches in Southern Sudan. Pray for an end to the hunger, that food would reach these people who are trying to resettle their lives after 21 years of war, that God would bring peace and grant Sudan’s leaders wisdom.

Patriarch’s Council - report of day 3

After the morning Eucharist, the agenda of the council today began a briefing from the Patriarch’s Office reporting on the work of the strategic planning working group. At last year’s meeting of the council, the following statement was adopted as a sign of our international unity:

Each church will tithe, support with contributions CEC for life, Missions (IDA Christmas Offering), and Foundation Day (Building fund)

The Patriarch’s Council was asked to consider the following:
• What are those most non-negotiable elements of Unity?
• What are those most non-negotiable elements of Worship?
• By this the Patriarch’s Council determines what authority it will not /cannot delegate.
• This means that all authority not held by the International church belongs to the National Churches and Primates
• How we define Unity, relates to our structure.

The Patriarch presented two documents on Convergence Worship to guild a discussion about unity in worship as a visible sign of the unity of our Communion.

Fr. Terry Gensemer reported on the work of CEC for Life, summarizing the activities of the last year. Especially significant is the large number of young people from the CEC involved in the prolife movement. The young people present at the March for Life this last January showed how powerful their witness is, and how much God is using them in the fight to defend the unborn and the Sacredness of all life. The Patriarch suggested that each parish would keep a candle on the Altar as a prayer and memorial for the Unborn.

Bishop Michael Davidson reported on the International Catechism working group, that they are still active, and seeking the participation of each territory within the ICCEC. The working document is still very much a work in progress. Several theological readers are looking at the documents, which are expected to be ready as a draft for presentation at the next council meeting.

The next meeting will be Feb 1-3 2011 in Recife, Brazil.

Patriarch’s Council - Day 3

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Bishop Douglas Kessler

The Patriarch’s Council began this morning with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Bishop Douglas Kessler delivered the homily, which is posted below.

Our Unquenchable Quest


© copyright 2010 – ICCEC. This file may not be reposted

CEC Church Participates in Atlanta’s Pro-life March

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On Friday January 22nd, several members of St. Michael’s in Thomaston, GA gathered with what was described as a “sea” of others in Atlanta, GA for the “Together for Life” silent march. At this event, all were encouraged by Atlanta’s Roman Catholic Archbishop Wilton Gregory to not forget the sanctity of life. Pictured above from left to right: (front row) Annie Hoffman, Anna Bun, Katie Canales; (back row) David Dunn, April Bunn, Mary Eliza Dunn and Sarah Wainwright.

Patriarch’s Council - report of day 2

Attending this years Patriarch’s Council are the following members of the Council: Archbishop Craig Bates, Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines, Archbishop Douglas Woodall, Archbishop Charles Jones, Bishop Douglas Kessler, Bishop Yuhanna Prakash, Bishop Bernard Njoroge, Archbishop Paulo Garcia, Bishop Michael Davidson, Fr. James House.
Others present: Bishop Gene Lilly,Bishop Gregory Ortiz, Bishop Andre Novaes, Father Ebenezer Paz, Father Ariel Santos, Dcn John Garrett, Fr. Scott Howard, Fr. Terry Gensemer,.

The day began with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, Bishop Davidson delivered the sermon, “God Acts on Behalf of Those Who Wait on Him” which available below.

The rest of the morning was spent discussing the work of the Canons Commission, which is working from the question, “what do the canons say about who we are?” The following presentation was made to show the progress and guiding principals of the commissions:

• The greater serve the lesser
• The priest is the steward of all he receives, all he receives is owned by God, and hence he is accountable for all he receives.
• Every person and institution from the Patriarch on down in the ICCEC submits to the Canon law of the church
• Each level, each relationship within the ICCEC mirrors that of the Patriarch, his councils and his procedures.

“Christ chooses a man, that man chooses men to be around him to implement the vision, these men help him hear the word of the Lord.”

“Consensus is helping the father to hear the word of God”
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Patriarch’s Council - Day 2

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Bishop Michael Davidson

The Patriarch’s Council began this morning with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Bishop Michael Davidson delivered the homily, which is posted below.

God Acts on Behalf of Those Who Wait on Him


© copyright 2010 – ICCEC. This file may not be reposted

Patriarch’s Council Begins Today

Meeting of the Patriarch’s Council, Feb 2, 2010

The Patriarch’s Council opened on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2010 at the Cathedral of St. Dismas in Orlando FL. with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Archbishop Craig Bates was the celebrant, assisted by Father James House, the Chaplain to the Council. The Bishops present blessed the Sacred Oils, which will be distributed in each national territory. Oliva Jones has recently had a reoccurrence of cancer and is facing chemotherapy and surgery. The Patriarch asked that Oliva would be the first to be anointed with the oil, and the bishops present came and laid hands her and prayed for Oliva’s complete healing. Archbishop Jones and Oliva would appreciate the prayers of the communion.


Blessing the Sacred Oils

During the Mass the Patriarch presented a statement to the council, which is posted below.

After a brief discussion of the Patriarch’s statement, a detailed financial report was presented, showing the income and expenses of both the Patriarch’s Office and North American Primates Office. The Primates report was presented because Archbishop Bates is also the Primate of the North American Church. Both reports were audited by an independent accounting firm.

The report of the Foundation Day fund was presented, showing that two grants were given this year. All the details of the Foundation Day Fund are available at www.iccecfoundationday.org.

The Patriarch’s Council encouraged the American Church to discuss participation in Ecumenical worship services when possible, this is especially relevant for our Military Chaplains, who are called to serve men and women of a variety of faith traditions. The details of the extent of this participation will be taken up by the USA House of Bishops next month.

The afternoon was spent in executive session, and the council will continue tomorrow morning.

Patriarch’s Statement 2010

On February 2, 2010, Archbishop Craig Bates made this statement to the Patriarch’s Council during the opening Eucharist.

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God deals with men in decades, with nation in centuries, and with families in generations. This past December, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, I celebrated my sixtieth birthday. This year in December, on the Solemnity of St. Lucy, I will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of my ordination as a priest in the Catholic Church. I have spent some time over the past few weeks reflecting on God’s working in my own life. The decade of 2000, which I began in bed with the flu, was a significant time for me. I have nothing but gratitude to our God for his provision and prosperity.

The last decade has also been a significant time for our communion. Of the forty-two active Bishops in the ICCEC, twenty-seven were consecrated in the last decade. And, as we will hear this week, there will be perhaps six new Bishops in East Africa. We welcome our newest Bishop from Brazil to our meeting this week. Also, with us is Bishop Gregory Ortiz, who is the newest Bishop in the U.S. Church.

Though we faced a crisis in the North American Church that impacted the communion at its very core, we continue to see growth around the world, particularly in East Africa and Brazil. We continue to have Bishops, clergy, seminarians, churches, and whole communions interested in joining our communion. We continue to see churches grow in the United States. Some show significant and rapid growth numerically, financially and, most importantly, spiritually. Others struggle, yet we see the clergy and laity of these churches are hopeful and optimistic.

I believe a word of the Lord for the next year is “expect the impossible.” In times of reflection on my own life and on the life of the ICCEC throughout the last decade, over and over again the words “expect the impossible” have come to my heart and my mind. It is expectancy of the impossible, or put another way, our waiting upon the Lord, knowing He is a God who hears our prayers, who stirs our hearts and leads us into actions of love, mercy, and reconciliation.
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Daily Office Lectionary Bookmarks for February

Here are the Daily Office Bookmarks for February 2010.


pdf.jpg February Bookmarks

Canons Commission Meeting

Orlando, FL

The Canons Commission met from 28 Jan to 1 Feb. Patriarch Craig Bates, Bishop Njoroge (the General Secretary of East Africa), Archbishop Hines (the Primate of Southeast Asia), and Father Chris Keough (the Canon to the Ordinary of the Central Province and leader of the Church Planting Commission) were in attendance.

The focus of the meeting was to review our canons and ensure that they adequately reflect who we are and what we are called to do. The touchstone for the meeting was a simple question: “If someone who never knew us picked up our canons, would they understand convergence worship and our process of consensus?”

The meeting adjourned with the development of a presentation for the Patriarch’s Council, to be delivered by Bishop Craig Bates, which explains the philosophy behind the canons and those areas of the canons in need of revision to more adequately reflect who we are.

The Canons Commission concluded the meeting with a determination to work on the revision of the draft canons until the next Patriarch’s Council. The current canons remain valid and the new canons are not expected to be ready for adoption for a few years.

Pray for Estonia

St Stephens in Winter

Tallinn, Estonia

Pray for our churches in Tallinn, Estonia, and their ministries. Europe is a difficult field in which to minister and Estonia is no exception. Add to this the extreme cold, limited resources and a building in need of much repair and it can get very discouraging. The heating continues to be a big problem this winter when temperature can get 30 degrees F below freezing (-20 degrees C).

Please keep Father Heigo Ritsbek in Tallinn and Father Thomas Erisle in Pärnu in your prayers. Pray that God would encourage, strengthen and bless their families and ministries.

For more information see Operation World’s Estonia Fact page.

Fight for Life

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Carmella Corozine 1916 - 2010

by Jennifer Zaborowski
Christ the King CEC
New Paltz, NY

Last week, during Right to Life week, our congregation said farewell to one of our oldest and most loved members, Grandma Millie. Her eulogy called to mind the way she lived her life, kind in a thousand small ways, faithful and devoted to the very end.

The last months of Millie’s life were a struggle as she was confined to her bed and in poor health. It must have been very difficult for some one who spent her life helping others, active and involved, to lose her vitality and her independence.

Yet she did not lose her ability to contribute, as she continued to pray for the congregation, to inspire us and to share her love for everyone in our church.

When I met Millie, it was because my family sat in front of her one of our first visits to the church. My son was then 18 months old, and he was busy the entire Mass. He crawled in front of Millie, all over the seats, stacked the Bibles and chattered. I turned to apologize for the distraction during the Passing of the Peace, and Millie said she’d raised three boys, so she knew how it was, and that she was enjoying watching him. She said it with such a smile, and I was so grateful that this very elegantly dressed, elderly and dignified lady didn’t mind toddler craziness. It made the whole church feel friendly.

I loved seeing the photos of Millie’s life, because when I met her, she was already frail and losing her mobility. In her younger days, she looked like Rosie the Riveter, strong and smiling, handsome and capable. Listening to the stories, it was so apparent that in her life God was in the details, meticulous and full of care, the mustard seeds of faith spent lavishly over her lifetime. I am sure when she entered Heaven last week, there was thunderous applause from all of the saints and angels, and I am sure she heard, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Millie’s life was well-lived, long and fruitful, an example to everyone who knew her.

The Right to Life means Millie’s life, however quiet, however ill was valuable and precious to God as well as to all of us in her final weeks and days. Pro Life means life in all of its stages, vulnerable and strong. The world would not have seen value in her lack of ability to contribute in the ways she had previously participated, using her capable hands and able body. The world doesn’t recognize the power of intense love, acts of kindness, daily prayers.
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Kenyan House of Bishops Met January 11-13

Kenyan House of Bishops

Nairobi, Kenya

The Kenyan House of Bishops met in Nairobi January 11-13 for fellowship, prayer and business. They looked at the draft constitution of the CEC in Kenya originally registered by Bishops Benson and Howard, confirmed the boundaries of their various dioceses, discussed the political and economic situation in Kenya and prepared a statement that will soon be published in the Kenyan press. Bishop Bernard Njoroge, General Secretary of Kenya and Tanzania, wrote, “It was a very successful meeting. We left feeling encouraged and empowered as you know some of our bishops work in hardship areas.”

Please uphold in prayer these bishops who labor far and wide under difficult circumstances to preach the Good News and strengthen our churches.

Pictured above, from top left: Bishops Bernard Katili Matolo, Solomon Madara Kadiri, Joshua Ayoo Koyo, Zedekiah Otsulah Chunge; seated: Bernard Obora Afwanda, Bernard Njoroge, Daniel Kmwele (Bishop Moses Meeli Ngusa could not attend).

March for Life video report

Here is a very good video showing the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court at the time we were doing the Litany of Prayer for the Unborn. Video is courtesy of Adam Sandoval, New Testament Ministries, www.JamesWilkins.org. Thank you Adam for sharing this with us.

Another Jan. 22, and abortion remains the law of the land

Still, there are some glimmers of light in the darkness for the pro-life movement.

by Deacon Michael Harmon

Though it may not seem like it, these are good times for the pro-life movement.

And they are also not very good times, but that is something people who are working and praying for a halt to legal abortion are used to in their on-going grass-roots struggle.

Once again we are observing an anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jan. 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion at any time during pregnancy and for any reason whatsoever.

There are those who will tell you that restrictions on abortions grow greater as each “trimester” of a nine-month pregnancy passes, but they are either mistaken or not telling the truth. As the law stands now, while there are restrictions on abortions performed as a baby is partially born, no others are permitted.
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