28 September 2018: African bishops call for ecological justice to top agenda at Lambeth Conference
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that a number of African bishops have said that 'Good News for creation and ecological justice' should be placed at the top of the agenda for the Lambeth Conference in 2020. 

27 September 2018: The Murder Wall of St Anna's Episcopal Church
New Orleans has the third highest murder rate per capita in the United States. Television station WGNO reports that since 2007 St Anna's Episcopal Church has been displaying the names of those — mostly poor black men — murdered in the city. The Very Revd William Terry remarked, 'Every year we put up a new outside board and we have to handwrite them because a printer can't keep up.'

27 September 2018: Diocese of Oxford publishes advert for male vicar
The BBC reports that a recent advert on the Diocese of Oxford website is generating criticism. The job advert states that St Barnabas and St Paul with St Thomas the Martyr Parish, in the Diocese of Oxford, is seeking a male priest. The diocese has since removed the advert and its supporting material from its website, but we saw it and read it.

26 September 2018: Church of England to send refugee chaplain to Calais
A rising number of migrants are settling around ports in northern France. Premier reports that the Church of England will station in Calais a chaplain ministering to refugees.

26 September 2018: Floating church launched in London
The Diocese of London has launched another new church in its programme to develop 100 new worshipping communities by 2020 – this time on a floating barge in the River Lea Navigation. The River Lea Navigation is a short canal between the River Lea and the Thames. Anglican Communion News Service reports.

26 September 2018: Changes to Burial Act backed by Tasmanian mayors
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports several mayors across Tasmania have embraced proposed changes to Tasmania's Burials Act, as many Tasmanian families face uncertainty over the planned sale of Anglican churches and cemeteries around the state. Currently, a cemetery cannot be closed until 30 years have passed since the last burial, but the proposed amendments would change that to 100 years.

24 September 2018: Cree priest made first suffragan bishop for northern Manitoba
Larry Beardy was born in Tataskweyak, or Split Lake, Manitoba, attended a residential school, and was a teacher before being ordained. Anglican Journal reports that he was acclaimed as the first indigenous suffragan bishop of the new Northern Manitoba Area Mission, a new grouping of parishes within the indigenous Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh, and was consecrated at Sagkeeng First Nation.

21 September 2018: Immigration judge may deport retired US priest
The Revd David Boase, an English priest, was called to St Paul's church in Alton, Illinois in 2004. He retired four years ago and continues to live in the community. After he applied to become a naturalized citizen, he was notified that he had passed his test. But then he received a notice of removal instead. The Alton Telegraph reports that when he first arrived and obtained a driver's licence, he was asked if he wanted to register to vote. He voted once, but when he learned he was ineligible, never voted again. That mistake places his future in his would-be adoptive country in jeopardy.

21 September 2018: 'Grave' concerns for future of Tasmanian small-town cemetery
A small town in Tasmania is fearful that graves at its local cemetery will be damaged or destroyed if the Anglican Church sells it off, but the church says it is the responsibility of government to protect cemeteries. The Australian Broadcasting Company reports.

21 September 2018: ABC's views on Brexit and welfare opposite to most C of E members, poll suggests
The Telegraph (London) reports that Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's views on welfare and Brexit do not reflect those of ordinary Anglicans. A study found, sho ckingly, that the majority of Church of England Christians supported Brexit.

17 September 2018: C of E appoints independent Chair for National Safeguarding Panel
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Church of England's National Safeguarding Panel now has an independent chair, former MP Meg Munn, who is a member of the Methodist Church.

15 September 2018: Global Climate Action Summit hosted by Diocese of California
From 12-14 September, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco hosted the Global Climate Action Summit, from which the numerous outcomes are reported here.

14 September 2018: Various dead bishops
Various sources report the recent passing of bishops in South Sudan, Pakistan, Northern Argentina, and Zimbabwe. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

14 September 2018: ABC and C of E criticised after Trades Union speech
The Guardian (London) reports on the strong criticism directed at Archbishop of Canterbury after his speech to the UK Trades Union Congress in Manchester. Critics claim that the Church of England and its leader are guilty of the same misdeeds he railed against in his speech.

10 September 2018: Numerous changes at ACNS
The Anglican Communion News Service has announced new staff, new language editions, and new publication schedules.

10 September 2018: China cracks down on religious messaging
The Guardian (London) reports that the government of China has announced that organisations engaged in the dissemination of religious information online will be obliged to apply for licenses from provincial religious affairs departments. The license will enable them to 'preach and offer religious training', but not live-stream or broadcast of religious activities.

10 September 2018: USA primate returns to work after cancer surgery
The US Episcopal News Service reports that Michael Curry, its Presiding Bishop, has resumed his job duties after recovering from cancer surgery in July.

8 September 2018: New bishop elected in Saskatoon
Canada's Anglican Journal reports that the Revd Chris Harper was elected as the next Bishop of Saskatoon. Mr Harper is a Plains Cree, and has been working as indigenous priest for the Diocese of Toronto.

6 September 2018: Only 2% of British young adults identify as C of E
The Guardian (London) reports that a recent British Social Attitudes Survey has revealed only 2% of young adults identifying with the Church of England, while seven out of 10 under-24s say they have no religion.

6 September 2018: Progress noted towards 2020 Lambeth Conference
The Anglican Communion News Service tells us the state of planning and progress towards the next Lambeth Conference. It's not something we could summarise here, but we think this means that the 2020 conference will actually happen.

5 September 2018: New York church elevated to pro-cathedral status
The Diocese of Long Island has announced the elevation of the Church of St Ann & the Holy Trinity to pro-cathedral status. Curiously, as we prepare to publish, this announcement appears to be available only on that parish's website.

4 September 2018: Nigeria primate says gays are taking over the country
The Daily Post (Abuja) reports a speech by Nicholas Okoh, Primate of the Church of Nigeria, in which he says that homosexuals are taking over Nigeria and poisoning society. He attributes this disaster to the disintegration of social values and cultures caused by the influence of western culture facilitated by the internet and satellite broadcasting.

2 September 2018: UK Government fund launched to help preserve at-risk places of worship
The Telegraph (London) reports on the launch of a £1.8m pilot scheme to preserve some of Britain's listed places of worship that are at risk. It will fund urgent repairs and help volunteers maintain listed buildings (including churches, synagogues, and meeting houses) in two pilot areas.

31 August 2018: Rwanda archbishop explains massive closure of churches and mosques
The Church Times (London) reports on the explanation given by the Archbishop and Primate of Rwanda for the forced closure of 8000 churches and places of worship in that country. The church closings were reported last month by Christianity Today.

30 August 2018: ABC to UN: Church cannot, and will not, walk away
As reported by the Anglican Communion News Service, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told the United Nations Security Council the Church 'cannot, and will not, walk away' from its reconciling role in global conflict, in part because they are often 'the only functioning institutions in a fragile or pre-conflict situation'.

29 August 2018: New bishop for Truro
The Anglican Communion News Service (London) reports that Canon Philip Mounstephen, Executive Leader of the Church Mission Society, is to become the 16th Bishop of Truro.

28 August 2018: New bishop for Christchurch
Anglican Taonga (NZ) has reported the election of the Revd Dr Peter Carrell as the next Anglican Bishop of Christchurch. He will succeed Victoria Matthews to become the 9th bishop of that diocese.

26 August 2018: Anglican Church of Kenya gets two new bishops
The Standard (Nairobi) reports that the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) has two new bishops after the dioceses of West Pokot and Maseno South held elections recently.

25 August 2018: Anglican church staff reuniting families with lost victims of residential schools
Nellie Hardisty was 12 when she died of tuberculosis, while she was in the care of a church-run Indian residential school. Her family never saw her again, and didn't know where she was buried. The Huffington Post reports that the archivist of the Anglican Church of Canada, Nancy Hurn, has helped some of the families of former students learn more about what happened to their relatives, and even found pictures of some of them. The fate of at least 4,300 children who attended the schools is unknown.

24 August 2018: Vancouver church will use bouncy castle to power organ pipes
Michael Park is the musical director at Holy Trinity in Vancouver. The organ there was installed in 1912 and needs repair. Vancouver is Awesome reports that Mr Park is planning a fun fair, where a bouncy castle, beach balls and other inflatables will provide the air to power the sound for some of the pipes, which have been in storage. He hopes the bouncy castle organ extravaganza's combination of science, fun and organ recitals will help raise money to fix the organ.

23 August 2018: Court of Review publishes findings on contested Haiti bishop election
The US Episcopal News Service tells us the Province II Court of Review has released its Report of Findings regarding the Contestation of the election of the bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of Haiti. The document is in English, Spanish, and Creole. If you've never seen written Haitian Creole, you should look at it even if you aren't interested in the legal details.

22 Aug 2018: Christ Church Cathedral rebuild takes step forward
NZ Newshub reports that the reconstruction of Christchurch's earthquake-damaged cathedral has taken a step forward, after all parties announced they've reached an agreement on the terms of the project.

19 August 2018: Communion wafers are Christchurch parish's bread and butter
The Stuff New Zealand reports on St Barnabas parish, Christchurch and their operation of producing and selling communion wafers for their fellow parishes. The operation, which involves specialised German machinery and offers an opportunity for retired parishioners to participate in a unique ministry, has proven profitable (literally and spiritually) since the 1980s.

17 August 2018: Bishop Sean Rowe responds to U.S. Roman Catholic abuse scandal
The Episcopal Bishop of Bethlehem and Northwestern Pennsylvania has written a pastoral letter concerning the recent allegations of a large paedophile ring in his region. While we normally may not post such a response (as such findings have been increasingly common in both traditions), we found this particularly impressive.

17 August 2018: Anglicans join other Christians in Assisi for two-day Ecumenical Prayer for Creation
Christians from different denominations will take part in a pilgrimage from Assisi to the COP24 UN climate change conference in Poland, after a two-day ecumenical prayer event, reports the Anglican Communion News Service.

15 August 2018: First Seminary Grads in Gambella
According to The Living Church (Wisconsin, USA), the first seven graduates of St Frumentius' Anglican Theological College in Gambella, Ethiopia, have received their certificates. The group includes refugees as well as members from different ethnic groups. It is the first school of its kind in Ethiopia.

14 August 2018: Tasmanian abuse survivors raising money to buy own churches
ABC News (Australia) explains Anglicans are "being asked to 'buy back their own property' in order to prevent churches from being sold to pay child sex abuse redress claims." It goes on to report 'But only 25 per cent of funds from the sale of Tasmanian buildings will go to the scheme; the church will quarantine the rest to help continue ministry in areas that lose church buildings'. The Advocate (Tasmania) expresses concern that the voices and wishes of the abuse survivors themselves has been lost.

12 August 2018: Anglican Church of Ghana asked to stop praying for the dead
Modern Ghana reports that a former President of Anglican University College of Technology, Prof. Kwasi Nsiah-Gyabaa, has asked the church to reform its liturgical practices, including praying for the dead. He proposed that instead of spending time pleading with God to have mercy for a dead person during a burial service, the church should be more concerned about people's salvation while they are alive.

12 August 2018: Nigerian Diocese of Ukwa wars with its bishop
The Vanguard (Lagos) reports on the conflict between the Bishop of Ukwa and its parishes and worshippers. Members of the diocese have petitioned the Primate of Nigeria with numerous grievances about their bishop, including polygamy, neglect, and maladministration. In our experience it is hard to find a bishop who is a good administrator, but charges of polygamy and pastoral neglect are unusual.

10 August 2018: Hong Kong concern group fails in bid to stop Anglican church's plan
The South China Morning Press reports that the Town Planning Board on Friday rejected an application submitted by a group attempting to block construction, which sought a rezoning of two neighbouring sites into a heritage precinct, including the compound, as well as the imposition of height restrictions for any new developments or redevelopments in the area. The rejection of this proposal effectively green-lights the construction plans.

10 August 2018: Confederate symbols wear out welcome at Ohio cathedral
US television station WKYC reports that the vestry of Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati has decided to remove a stained glass pane honouring Confederate general Robert E. Lee, and a plaque depicting Leonidas Polk, who resigned as bishop of Louisiana to become a major general in the Confederate army. They will be replaced with images of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman.

10 August 2018: Famous cat getting her own stone sculpture inside a cathedral
Huffington Post reports that Doorkins Magnificat, the beloved, long-time resident of Southwark Cathedral, is being commemorated in stone in the building. Four eroded corbels are being replaced. The dean expressed that hope that visitors will hear the story of a little lonely stray cat who wondered into a church and found herself at home. 'And maybe they'll wander in and find themselves at home as well.'

9 August 2018: Official summary of the Actions of General Convention from the USA
The US Episcopal Church has released a 55-page PDF file summarising the outcomes of its recent General Convention..

1 August 2018: Anglican Church in Barbados 'at a crossroad'
The Barbados Advocate reports that the Anglican Church of Barbados is in crisis, as evidenced by its continuing inability to elect a new bishop.

31 July 2018: Cancer surgery for US Presiding Bishop 'went well'
The US Episcopal News Service reports that cancer surgery for the Presiding Bishop was completed without incident.

30 July 2018: Diocese of Leeds has big money troubles
In 2014, the Church of England dissolved three dioceses (Bradford, Ripon & Leeds, and Wakefield) to create what is now called the Diocese of Leeds. It is the largest diocese in the Church of England, and has 356 paid clergy and 110 non-clergy employees. Now The Guardian (London) reports that the diocese is is facing a serious financial crisis and must take 'drastic' action.

29 July 2018: C of E bishops 'turn on each other' over Carey abuse scandal
The Telegraph (London), reporting further on last week's revelations about former Archbishop Carey, has said 'bishops are turning on each other after the lead figure on safeguarding was locked out of discussions about a former archbishop accused of covering up child sexual abuse'. The Guardian reports that the Church of England will review its decision to allow him to resume an official church role.

28 July 2018: Summary of what happened at the US General Convention
The US Episcopal News Service has released this summary of what happened at the General Convention of the US Episcopal Church last month.

27 July 2018: Online church for gamers draws thousands
The Washington Post reports on the GodSquad Church, which appears to be the world’s first online-only church for video gamers and is said to have thousands of followers.

27 July 2018: Bishiop of Oxford issues statement about Lord Carey resuming ministry
Earlier this month The Guardian (London) reported that George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury who was heavily criticised in an independent report for his part in the cover-up of sexual abuse, had been allowed to resume an official role in the Church of England. Some furore ensued, made more turbulent because the bishop who granted Lord Carey that Permission To Officiate is among those under police investigation for his own involvement in the cover-up. That bishop, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, issued this statement today.

26 July 2018: US Presiding Bishop Michael Curry diagnosed with prostate cancer
The Anglican Communion News Service reports that the Presiding Bishop of the US Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has chosen surgical treatment. 

26 July 2018: Anglican church defends high-rise hospital plan for heritage site in heart of Hong Kong
The Sheng Kung Hui, the Anglican Church in Hong Kong, is the only body in Hong Kong other than the government that owns land on a freehold rather than a leasehold basis. The South China Morning Post reports on the complicated real estate dealings of the diocese, which plans to erect a 25-storey private hospital on its heritage properties.

24 July 2018: Claims of episcopal election fraud in Haiti
The US Episcopal News Service reports that a significant number of electors have contested the recent election for a coadjutor bishop in the Diocese of Haiti, and questioned the moral character and actions of the diocesan bishop. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has asked for a fact-finding commission to report on the allegations of an 'electoral coup d'état'.

24 July 2018: UK cathedrals advertise respite from the heat
The Telegraph (London) tells us about churches, especially cathedrals, taking advantage of Britain's heatwave as they advertise themselves as places to cool off.

23 July 2018: Crafting liturgy for times of disaster
Canada's Anglican Journal reports on the recent National Anglican and Lutheran Worship Conference in British Columbia.

22 July 2018: St Paul's stops preacher from reading the bible aloud outside cathedral
The Telegraph reports that a bus driver from East London, Alan Coote, had been reading the bible aloud outside St Paul's cathedral in London when he was asked to move on by security staff. When he refused, the police were called in, but seemed reluctant to act. Cathedral staff now say he will be allowed to read for half an hour a week, but Mr Coote is not satisfied with the limit.

22 July 2018: Anglicans and Catholics may open joint Maori boarding school
The New Zealand Herald explains that several existing, but no longer used, educational facilities are being considerered for a joint Anglican-Roman Catholic school which would serve students who are unable to be accomodated in crowded existing Christian schools.

20 July 2018: Disability awareness for Anglicans in both UK and US
The Archbishop of Canterbury hosted adisability conference at Lambeth Palace last week, according to the Anglican Communion News Service. The conference explored "how people with disabilities can participate fully in the life of the church." It also marked the launch of a new resources called 'More Than Welcome.' In a move covered by almost no news service, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church (USA) voted to create a Task Force dedicated to Accessibility and Inclusion by passing resolution D097.

18 July 2018: Archbishop Justin Welby speaks out on Nigerian violence
Episcopal Cafe reports of the archbishop's statement on the conflict that has displaced over 3000 and led to an unknown number of deaths. It also provides background into this conflict between settled farmers and nomadic herders.

17 July 2018: Anglican church opposes hasty decision to hang
The government of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) has decided to resume executions of repeat drug offenders. The Island Online reports that the country's two Anglican bishops have objected to the move, noting that it is the sprats who are being caught and punished, while the sharks remain free to carry on their business.

16 July 2018: Violence flashes around new GAFCON leader
The Diocese of Sydney reports that a worker at the home compound of Nigerian Archbishop Ben Kwashi (the incoming GAFCON secretary) has been killed as the archbishop was confronted by violence on his return from Jerusalem.

13 July 2018: Church of England's General Synod is done
The recent General Synod of the Church of England has finished. Thinking Anglicans covered it day-by day; you can read it (in inverse time order) here. The Church Times has published more detailed reports here, but unless you are a subscriber you won't be able to read all of it just yet.

13 July 2018: US Episcopal Church's General Convention is done
The General Convention ended after debating 517 resolutions. It's too soon for any deep analyses. Most of the bishops and deputies who attended and debated and voted are still on their way home. The unedited collection of official news reports is here (also in inverse time order). Episcopal Café's final-day round-up is here. Perhaps the least controversial vote was to re-admit the Diocese of Cuba to the US Episcopal Church, from which it was ejected in 1966 amidst Cold War tensions.

12 July 2018: Kenya judge threatens bishop, orders reinstatement of exonerated priests
The Anglican Church of Kenya defrocked three priests when they were accused of the crime of being gay. The court found them not guilty, and in 2016 ordered their reinstatement with lost pay. The bishop ignored those court orders until he was threatened with jail time, but has finally agreed to obey the court orders. This week's report in The Nation contains links to reports on the earlier events. This situation, and earlier events in Zimbabwe's Diocese of Harare, bring to mind a very different interpretation of the phrase 'separation of church and state'. The next day, The Nation reported that the exonerated and reinstated clergy were forcibly rejected by members of the congregations they had been sent to lead.

11 July 2018: C of E to create 100 new churches as number of Anglicans hits new low
The Guardian (London) reports that the Church of England will create more than 100 new churches to 'revive the Christian faith in coastal areas, market towns and outer urban housing estates' in the face of a record low number of people identifying as Anglicans.

8 July 2018: Synod and convention in full swing
As we noted on our front page last week, the General Convention of the US Episcopal Church and the General Synod of the Church of England are both meeting now. We'll report on them after they have evolved from 'current events' to 'history'. One side effect of this onslaught is that almost all of the world's Anglican news reporting organisations are focused on the governance meetings to the exclusion of everything else.

4 July 2018: Episcopal Churches of Cuba, US reunification discussed
The US Episcopal News Service tells us: after half a century apart, the US Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church of Cuba may once again unite. This reunification might also help encourage ECUSA to stop referring to itself as The Episcopal Church.

3 July 2018: Christ Church Cathedral Indianapolis detains Jesus, Mary, Joseph
The Indy Star (Indianapolis) reports that nativity statues of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were incarcerated on the lawn of Christ Church Cathedral behind a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. The dean of the cathedral says the caged holy family is a protest against President Trump's policy of holding families in detention centres at the border. People walking by said the display was a powerful way to bring awareness to the situation at the border.