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The post New judicial bodies: How will they work? appeared first on Reformed Church in America.

100 Tables invites communities of faith across the country to transform picnic tables into spaces of welcome and connection, in service to the needs of their neighbourhood.

The post General Synod Daily Recap: Monday, June 9, 2025 appeared first on Reformed Church in America.

[Scottish Episcopal Church] On June 7, the final day of General Synod 2025, members backed a motion that affirmed transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and intersex people within the church after an often emotional but always respectful debate at St. Paul’s & St. George’s Episcopal Church in Edinburgh. Specifically, the motion affirmed that trans+ people are made in the image of God, are loved by God, should be accorded the same dignity, respect and rights as cisgender people, and can and should participate fully in the life, worship, mission and ministry of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Bringing the motion to Synod, the Rev. Amy Jo Philip described the experience of trans+ people since the recent Supreme Court ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equality law, saying, “The SEC welcomes you. We are all familiar with this phrase. We all assent to it, we want to live it. Trans+ and intersex people are, however, fearful about where we are welcome. We always have been and we are even more so since the Supreme Court ruling. “But God is love and there is no room for fear in love. “Are we welcome in the SEC? I know I am, personally, but are my trans siblings? And moreover, do they know it? “This motion is about making that welcome clear.” Philip highlighted that trans+ people are among the most marginalized groups in society, facing higher rates of violence, personal crime and domestic abuse, lower employment rates and lower pay than cisgender (non-trans) people. “All we are asking for is to be treated as humans,” she said. Among a host of comments from the floor, the motion was backed strongly by Bishop Ian Paton, Diocese of St. Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane, who said in an impassioned address, “Calm heads are needed on all sides. The hatred and the toxicity we are seeing in public debate about this is creating even more fear for the trans+ people whose lives are being put in the center of highly politicized culture wars. “But surely as Christians serving the God who made all humankind in the divine image, in whom there is neither male nor female, we are called to show a different way, which is why I am supporting this motion and I urge you to do the same.” A counter motion was proposed by the Rev. Amanda Fairclough, Diocese of Argyll & The Isles, who suggested that the matter should not be addressed by Synod but should instead be sent to dioceses for discussion, citing the need for debate to be deep, wide-ranging and open, and without the relatively limited amount of time allocated by Synod. She said, “We are the Scottish Episcopal Church. We can work through contentious issues. We’ve proved it in the past. We don’t necessary need all to agree. But Synod, I beg you to let all of us have the time and space to have an honest debate in an appropriate setting.” The counter motion fell, as did an amendment proposed by Jaap Jacobs, Diocese of Brechin, leaving Synod to carry the full motion proposed by Philip, with 92 votes cast for the motion, 12 against, and five abstentions. Information about other matters discussed by General Synod is available here.

[Anglican Communion News Service] On June 8, Pentecost Sunday, Bishop Anthony Poggo, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, visited St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. It is the first in a series of church and community visits he is making in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas this week, hosted by Texas Bishop Andy Doyle. Invited to preach at two of St. Martin’s morning services, he also was the special guest at their adult Christian educational hour, where he was interviewed by the Rev. Wesley Arning, associate for Riverway and discipleship ministries. The adult forum explores different topics each week, including Bible study, the spiritual life, social and cultural affairs, and The Episcopal Church. The global nature of God’s church was a major focus of Poggo’s Pentecost message. Preaching on Acts 2, he described the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles at Pentecost as the “birthday of the church,” where God empowered his church to spread the Gospel to all nations. He celebrated the way he sees the work of the Spirit in the Anglican Communion, saying, “In my role as secretary general of the Anglican Communion, and through our work at the Anglican Communion Office, I am privileged to see the many ways in which Anglicans around the world are acting in the strength and power of God’s spirit to build his church.” During his interview with Arning, Poggo explained that the Anglican Communion Office works in various ways to cultivate relationships, conversation and learning between Anglican provinces. One example included its role in facilitating the next meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, which will be hosted in Ireland in 2026. Inviting representatives from every province, the Council will be an important opportunity for Anglicans to gather for prayer and dialogue on church and world affairs. Poggo also celebrated a recent online webinar organized by the Anglican Communion Office, in which Anglican bishops and church planters from around the world shared ideas on mission, evangelism and how they are seeing church growth in their settings. Touching on his personal faith story, he talked about some of the visits he makes to Anglican churches around the world, including those impacted by conflict and humanitarian crisis. Referring to places like South Sudan and Sudan, he remarked that for many Christians, the words “give us today our daily bread” is a prayer of utter reliance. The discernment process to nominate the next archbishop of Canterbury, the work of the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals and ways in which people could support the work of the ACO also were featured in the interview. Asked by Arning what encouragement he would give to the people of St. Martin’s, Poggo invited people to think of the connection of the local church to the global, encouraging people to “remain connected” so that we can all “learn from one another.” And during his Pentecost sermon he said, “We should not only think of the work of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day, but every day of our lives we should be filled with the Holy Spirit for continuous ministry as we minister daily in our work to build the church of God.” The secretary general’s time at St. Martin’s was hosted and assisted by the Rev. Martin J. Bastian, vice rector,  and other members of the clergy team, including the Rev. Sharron Cox, the Rev. Lisa Neilson, the Rev. Jordan Hylden and the Rev. Gregory Cross. Since its founding in 1952, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church has grown to become the largest Episcopal Church in North America with more than 10,000 members. The parish celebrates worship at six Sunday and three Wednesday services in both traditional and contemporary liturgical styles.

Edgehill United Methodist Church held a vow-renewal service for three couples previously unable to wed in their church home under denominational restrictions that ended last year.

Today, I was a part of a planning meeting for a panel discussion at the upcoming World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee meeting which will be held in South Africa. The Central Committee is the governing body for the…

The post The Ministry of Resistance appeared first on United Church of Christ.

[Episcopal News Service] El Salvador’s government on June 7 arrested Enrique Anaya, a constitutional lawyer who had criticized the May 18 arrest of Ruth López, a lawyer who leads the anti-corruption unit of Cristosal, an Episcopal-affiliated organization committed to defending human rights and promoting democratic rule of law in Central America. CNN reported that Anaya had been a critic of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and that according to authorities, “the arrest is for his alleged involvement in money and asset laundering.” Cristosal said in a June 7 post to its Facebook page that Anaya’s arrest “is part of a rapid escalation in the criminalization of those who defend the rule of law in El Salvador.” López remains in detention after a June 4 court hearing in which the judge ordered her to be jailed for six months on charges of illegal enrichment, a charge she has denied. She had asked to have a public trial, but the hearing was closed to the public and remains under seal, according to the Associated Press. “Observers say the case against López is retaliation for her work, while authorities allege she aided one of her former employers being prosecuted for embezzlement,” the AP added. The hearing followed Cristosal’s May 29 petition for habeas corpus on behalf of López, who had at that time been detained without a judicial warrant for 11 days. In a statement the day after the court hearing, Cristosal said López’s provisional detention “represents a serious setback for due process and an alarming sign of the political use of the judicial system in El Salvador. We believe this measure not only violates Ruth’s fundamental rights but also confirms a systematic pattern of criminalization against those who defend democracy, transparency and human rights.” On Facebook, the organization added, “We reiterate that imprisoning Ruth is a political act, not a judicial decision. They want us to be afraid, but now more than ever we have reason to speak out. She is not alone.” López had been scheduled to participate in a May 20 webinar organized by Episcopal Divinity School. Seminary officials, other Episcopal leaders and global justice advocates are joining Cristosal in drawing attention to the situation while pleading for her safe return. That includes Human Rights Watch, a non-profit that works to highlight abuses around the world, which posted a video about López on Facebook; and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, whose president, Kerry Kennedy, offered support for López and the work of Cristosal. — Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

Rev. Dr Susan Durber, World Council of Churches president from Europe, offered a sermon for a service on 7 June celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Welsh covenant between five church communities. 

Preaching at a special centennial service for the United Church of Canada, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay lifted his voice with joy and thanksgiving with those gathered at the Gower United Church in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Pentecost Sunday.