Damaged church’s steeple in Maryland to be replaced
ST MARY’s, Pocomoke City, in Maryland, in the United States, was one of several churches to be struck by lightning in July. Its steeple has a large diagonal gash running from the middle to the roofline. The strike also caused structural damage and cracked pipes. Crews plan to replace the structure with a slightly shorter, metal version of the existing 80-foot spire to help prevent future lightning damage. The restoration project is expected to cost more than $500,000. Church leaders hope that they will be able to resume worship in the building by Christmas.
Detained priest will leave the United States
A PRIEST, the Revd James Eliud Mwangi, who was detained by ICE and held in a Texan detention centre (News, 7 November) has decided to “voluntarily return to Kenya” after “prayerful consultation with his family, colleagues, and legal advisors”. The Episcopal diocese of Texas issued a statement to say that he had been assured that this approach would allow him to maintain a “clear” record with the United States Department of Homeland Security and might enable him to reapply to return to the US in the future. “The community remains heartbroken by the trauma experienced by Fr James and his family,” the statement said. Donations are being collected to help Fr Mwangi to re-establish his life in Kenya: $2400 has been raised so far. epicenter.org
Church of Ceylon raises awareness of cyclone damage
THE bishops of the Church of Ceylon have released a statement describing the devastation caused by a cyclone in Sri Lanka. Cyclone Ditwah struck the island on 28 November. Flooding and landslides caused mass damage to infrastructure and agricultural land. The Bishop of Colombo, the Rt Revd Dushantha Rodrigo, and the Bishop of Kurunagala, the Rt Revd Nishanha Fernando, said that more than 1.4 million people had been affected, 480 had been reported dead, and more than 350 remained unaccounted for. “In history, we have not witnessed a disaster of this magnitude that has affected an entire country. . . Nevertheless, we remain confident that, as a nation, we can stand firmly together,” they said.
Anglicans and Lutherans unite on refugee crisis
A JOINT statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, and the Secretary General of the Lutheran World Federation, the Revd Dr Anne Burghardt, calls for the world to “come together to address the root causes of displacement”. The statement precedes the UN-organised Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva next week. It calls for an “increased dialogue between governments, international organisations, and faith actors”. The Archbishop of Tanzania, Dr Maimbo Mndolwa, will address the forum on efforts to co-ordinate Anglican Communion responses to the refugee crisis. The Anglican Communion’s representative to the UN in Geneva, the Revd Michael French, said that “Anglicans are working to affirm multilateralism at a time when it’s under assault, whilst looking for new alignments and cooperation, in which we as faith actors hope to step up to the mark.”
WCC in Asia-Pacific speaks out on ‘gender justice’
AN ECUMENICAL declaration on gender justice has been agreed at a regional meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Indonesia. The declaration sets a goal of achieving equal representation of women in WCC delegations and leadership bodies by 2030, and of ensuring that “worship spaces, liturgical resources, and theological materials reflect the diversity of women’s experiences across ability, age, ethnicity, and culture.” Partner Churches from across the Asia-Pacific region agreed the “Jakarta Declaration 2025: Witnessing and anticipating gender justice in unity and diversity” on Monday. It asserts that the “the spiritual and cultural wisdom of Pacific and Indigenous women — rooted in land, ocean, genealogy, identity, and community — must shape our theological reflection, peace-making, and pursuit of peace across the region.”
