— George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) 1819-1880

 The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is in good company at St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church on the Chicago’s South Side. For nearly 25 years, the late civil rights leader has held a position of prominence between the Rev. Absalom Jones, the first African American priest in The Episcopal Church, and the Rt. Rev. James Theodore Holly, the first black Episcopal bishop. They are among the 33 black religious and historical figures whose simple portraits are featured in the stained-glass windows above the narthex, nave and sanctuary at St. Edmund’s, a church in Chicago’s mostly residential Washington Park neighborhood. Read the full story by clicking HERE.

•

PHOTO: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of 33 black religious and historical figures featured in stained glass at St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church in Chicago. Credit: David Paulsen/Episcopal News Service.

No Episcopal parish has been a witness to a longer span of American history than St. John’s Episcopal Church in the heart of  coastal Hampton, Virginia’s downtown. The city and parish share an origin story that dates to the earliest Colonial beginnings of both the United States and The Episcopal Church. In 1610, some of the British settlers who had been suffering from illness and hunger in Jamestown, about 35 miles north along the James River, attacked and expelled the indigenous Kecoughtan Indians from their village here. The settlers took over this land near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, coveted for its abundant natural resources and proximity to the ocean. They then established an Anglican parish. Last year, commemorations marking 400 years of African American history generated renewed public interest in the city. The Episcopal Church joined in some of those commemorations, including a kickoff worship service hosted by St. John’s. The Diocese of Southern Virginia is planning a pilgrimage in the Hampton area on March 6 and 7. Read the full story by clicking HERE.

•

PHOTO: St. John’s Episcopal Church dates to 1610 and the founding of the community now known as Hampton, Virginia. Its church was built in 1728. Credit: David Paulsen/Episcopal News Service.

The Episcopal Church has struggled in the past few decades with the LGBTQ issue. Recently, the issue has come to a head for the United Methodist Church. Sixteen United Methodist bishops and advocacy group leaders who negotiated a recent proposal to split the denomination in an “amicable separation” explained their reasoning at an event held on Jan. 13, 2020, that was streamed live by United Methodist News Service. Read the full story HERE.

•

PHOTO: Members of the unofficial group of United Methodist bishops and advocacy group leaders who negotiated a proposal to split the denomination speak about the process on Jan. 13, 2020, on a livestreamed panel hosted by United Methodist News Service. Credit: Video screengrab via UMNS.