Bishop of Ireland planting trees to mark silver jubilee
Cork bishop Croin & Ross, RT Pastor Paul Colton, celebrated 25 years at the Anglican Church by planting trees for the Church of England’s Eucharist forest. During his anniversary, the bishop visited all the parishes and schools of the United parishes he overseen, planting 29 trees in the process. Bishop Colton said his attraction to the trees was returned to his childhood camp on Fota Island, Cork Port, with scouts. “Therefore, it was especially delighted to be invited by Scout to return to Forta and plant trees at the Scout Center,” he said. Communion Forest is a program launched at the Lambeth Conference in 2022 by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Wealthy countries have urged an end to the debt crisis
A group of 125 faith leaders have written to finance ministers in G20 countries, urging low-income countries to reform the framework for repaying sovereign debt. The letter, released Wednesday when the G20 Finance Minister met in Johannesburg, calls for a new debt agenda framework to reduce payments to “really affordable levels,” and laws restricting the actions of private lenders. The signatories refer to the year of the Vatican Jubilee, where the tradition of Jubilee is “for debt to be forgiven, the land is restored, and slaves are freed. This biblical practice embodied justice, mercy and reconciliation, providing new covenants with God and harmony within the community.” Signatories include representatives of other denominations and faiths, as well as many RC clergy and lay leaders.
New Zealand Church suspected of arson
New Zealand police issued a warrant for the arrest of a man who claimed he had started a fire at seven churches in the town of Masterton north of Wellington on Saturday morning and sparked a fire online. Four churches were reported to be “moderate to serious” damage. Three more showed signs of being targeted. Churches of various denominations included the damaged Church of Epiphany in Masterton South. The day after the fire, the congregation held an outdoor service in the church parking lot. The next day, a post on the church’s Facebook page stated, “We thanked people for all our aloha (love, sympathy), prayer and offers of support. It was a very overwhelming and humble experience and we are very grateful to be part of the Masterton community.”
Former ACNA congregations join the Episcopal
The congregations of North American Church of England (ACNA) in Texas, in the resurrection of South Austin, are partnering with the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Texas, reports Bishop News Service. The church was planted in 2015 by the Rev. Shawn McCain Tirres, the president appointed at ACNA three years ago. The resurrection congregation denied by the ACNA in 2023 after the parish vote (News, August 4, 2023). On February 8th, the revival was officially welcomed by the Texas parish parish council, ENS reports. In an article in Living Church Magazine in 2023, Dr. McCain Tirres wrote that congregations “inconsistency” with the ACNA contains concerns that “are far broader than “sexuality issues.” Among them were “ACNA’s treatment of racial and sexual minorities (and) women” and sexual abuse cases elsewhere in the country.
