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[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe has joined other interfaith denominational leaders in signing a “friend of the court” brief opposing government funding of religious charter schools in a case that will be heard this month by the U.S. Supreme Court. The case centers on a Roman Catholic school in Oklahoma that was approved by a state board in 2023 to become what was said to be the nation’s first religious charter school. Opponents, however, have argued that the Constitution prohibits such schools from receiving public funds because it would effectively endorse a specific religion. The school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, promotes itself as providing “an authentically Catholic education, forming students to be engaged, productive and conscientious members of their community.” After it was approved as a state-funded charter school, however, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, sued to block the funding. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against the school, which is now appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. The nation’s highest court will hear the case on April 30. Rowe was joined in filing the Supreme Court brief opposing the charter school funding by a coalition of Christian, Muslim and Jewish groups. The brief argues that using funds to support a religious school runs counter to historical norms in the United States and violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from enacting laws “respecting an establishment of religion.” “If St. Isidore is functionally a public school, as the Oklahoma Supreme Court held, then it is flatly unconstitutional for the state to fund its religious mission,” the interfaith leaders say in their brief. “The Episcopal Church has consistently supported religious freedom for all in a variety of contexts,” the brief says in summarizing Rowe’s reason for signing. “In 1994, the church urged state legislatures considering ‘moment of silence’ statues for public schools to ‘assure constitutional balance’ in their treatment of the issue by ‘carefully considering the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause as well as its Establishment Clause.’” Due to timing constraints, House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris was unable to join the brief before it was filed, according to a church spokesperson, though she issued a statement in support of the action. “As a church, we have a responsibility to speak with moral clarity in the face of the rising tide of Christian nationalism and its dangerous ties to white supremacy,” Ayala Harris said. “Public funding of religious charter schools is not a neutral act – it erodes both public education and the constitutional safeguards that protect true religious liberty.” Ayala Harris also spoke as a resident of Oklahoma and alluded to the role Christian nationalism played in inspiring the Oklahoma City bombing 30 years ago. “I am deeply aware of what’s at stake when government entangles itself with sectarian interests,” she said. “It threatens our democracy, our schools, and our shared future.”

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) debuted its new resource on legal tools for climate justice, the focus was on hope for children—a hope strongly backed by knowledge on how churches can hold financial actors accountable for their role in perpetuating the climate crisis.

Prof. Dr Amélé Ekué is academic dean of the Geneva office of Globethics. She took time to reflect on how the collaboration  between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Globethics works to create innovative learning environments that are values-driven toward more peaceful communities. She also reflects on the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) 2025, which will take place 12-29 October during the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, near Alexandria, Egypt, under the theme “Where now for visible unity?”

Bill and Penny Gay of Pleasant Dale Church of the Brethren in Decatur, Ind., have been volunteering in various locations in Alaska for many summers. Their work centers on community gardening and efforts to reduce food insecurity. The projects in Alaska have received support through grants from the Global Food Initiative. Here is an update on their continuing work

On March 1, 47 leaders from the Church of the Brethren districts west of the Mississippi River gathered by Zoom for the first of several planned meetups designed to enhance connection and relationships across the western Brethren.

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is currently holding a significant week-long Strategic Programme Planning Group (SPPG) meeting and Communion Statement Drafting Workshop from April 7–13 in Newark, USA. Gathering representatives from across the global Reformed family, the meeting is marked by honest reflection, strategic visioning, and bold commitments to renew and deepen the […]

The post WCRC Gathers in Newark to Strategize Global Witness and Communion Ahead of 2025 General Council appeared first on WCRC.

[Sydney Anglicans] “The magnitude of this crisis is overwhelming,” said the Most Rev. Stephen Than, archbishop of the Church of the Province of Myanmar, describing the aftermath of a powerful earthquake that struck six regions across Myanmar in late March. The 7.7-magnitude earthquake, with its epicenter near Mandalay, was also felt in Thailand. It was the strongest quake to hit Myanmar in more than 100 years. “Many lives have been lost, and countless buildings have collapsed. The crisis has led to a severe shortage of rescue workers, essential supplies and medical personnel,” Than wrote in an appeal to Australian Anglicans. “Two dioceses of the Church of the Province of Myanmar – the Diocese of Mandalay and the Diocese of Taungoo – have suffered extensive damage.” With the death toll exceeding 4,500, Than explained that the Church of the Province of Myanmar has mobilized a Disaster Management Committee, which is struggling to meet the overwhelming demand for relief and rehabilitation. “Additionally, our churches have become places of refuge for non-Christian earthquake victims seeking shelter and humanitarian assistance,” the archbishop said. Sydney Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has commended an appeal launched by the Anglican Relief and Development Fund Australia. According to the Fund, the most urgent needs are food, water, and temporary shelter. “The Mandalay Mothers Union is initially organizing 1,000 lunch boxes per day for those affected by the earthquake. Both the Mandalay and Taungoo dioceses are mobilizing volunteers to distribute food, water, medicine, temporary shelter, mosquito nets and torches (flashlights) in the first instance,” the Fund said.

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Peter Doddema is used to having some flood water in his basement. Living just 100 feet from the Kentucky River in Frankfort, Kentucky’s state capital, the rector of the city’s Ascension Episcopal Church told Episcopal News Service that occasionally having water in the home’s lower garage level is not a big problem. The area’s special drywall is water-repellent, he said, “so you hose it all down, bleach it out and you carry on.” When he heard on Saturday, April 5 that the river was rising after 8 inches of rain, Doddema and a friend who was staying with him and his wife Nicole moved items from the basement to the main floor. “Usually, it floods to about 2 feet, so anything that was below that, we moved upstairs,” he said. But the water kept coming in, as the predication of how high the water might go kept changing. That night, the three people and two dogs in the house watched from the second story as the water kept rising into the first floor living area. By 3 a.m. on April 6, when a neighbor’s 500-gallon propane tank broke loose and started spewing gas into the floodwater entering the house, he knew they had to leave. Launching his canoe out the front door, Doddema ferried clothes and other needed items – and the dogs – to higher ground a few blocks away. “I was worried that the dogs weren’t going to handle the boat ride well, but they did,” he said. “I’ve got a little Boston terrier and a big American bully. I pulled the terrier into the canoe, and then the bully hopped in, and everybody sat still.” After that, a neighbor with a motorboat took the three people to where their dogs were, and another friend picked them all up. They stayed in a short-term rental for two nights before moving to a hotel. Long-term, a friend has offered to park his large camper on the home’s lawn, so they can stay there while assessing the damage and making plans for repairs. Doddema estimates about 16 feet of water was in the home when they fled. He didn’t have to worry about Sunday morning worship, as the city had asked downtown churches like Ascension to cancel services. The area is just a few blocks from the river, he said, and officials wanted to keep traffic to a minimum. The church remained untouched, thanks to a flood wall that surrounds downtown – although Doddema said floodwaters were within 2 feet of the top of the wall. He has since learned that the home of parishioners also had flood water into its first floor. The area where they live, he said, doesn’t usually flood. Richelle Thompson, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Lexington, told ENS that Bishop Mark Van Koevering has reached out to churches in the diocese to assess their situation. “Thankfully, we haven’t heard of any significant damage with this most recent flooding,” she said. She added that the bishop is aware that for many of the communities hit by recent heavy rains, “this is the third or more time for flooding and clean-up. The fatigue is a real concern, and we’re working to offer support for these communities and individuals.” In mid-February the state saw large-scale flooding that killed 21 people. A flood in southeastern Kentucky in August 2022 resulted in 45 deaths. That area also saw significant flooding in February 2021. The most recent rain also has created heavy flooding along the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky, with the mayor predicting it will be one of the city’s worst floods when the river crests near 4 feet on April 9. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Kentucky is especially prone to flooding because coal strip mining created thinner soil that can’t absorb rain and snow, especially as storms become larger because of climate change. South-central Indiana, just across the river from Louisville, also saw flooding over the weekend of April 5-6. — Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.