Today 1 in every 113 people globally is now either an asylum-seeker, internally displaced or a refugee - a level of risk that surpasses all precedent, including World War II. While global attention has gone to the largest war zones - Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan - the deadliest region in the world is far closer to home. Last year there were 17,500 violent deaths in Central America's Northern Triangle (NTCA) - El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, and an estimated 1 million people displaced by violence in the NTCA and Southern Mexico in 2015. There is now an urgent need to not only offer protection to those fleeing this violence, but to upgrade existing humanitarian and human rights mechanisms to address these new forms of conflict (www.cristosal.org).

As part of our Outreach ministry, the Central American Migrant and Refugee Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is glad to host a live presentation by Noah Bullock. Mr. Bullock is the Executive Director of Cristosal, an Episcopal human rights organization based in El Salvador, leading regional efforts to protect and advocate for victims forcibly displaced by violence in Central America. Recently, Noah presented at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey and at the NGO consultations with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva.

Come hear from a regional expert about what is driving violence and migration in Central America, and what we and the Church can do to make a difference. Noah Bullock's talk will take place Sunday, September 18 at 3:00PM EDT at St Paul's Episcopal Church, Chestnut Hill, PA ( http://stpaulschestnuthill.org/ ). Noah's talk will be simulcast live on the internet and can be accessed at www.diopa.org/cristosaltalk on September 18th. You will have an opportunity to post questions to Noah and his Staff.

- Save the Date -

September 18, at 3:00 P.M.

A Pilgrimage to St. Asaph's Church

Click here to view video.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu admitted to a Cape Town Hospital

South African anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has admitted himself to a Cape Town hospital for treatment of a recurring infection, according to his family foundation.

The 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is expected to remain in the hospital for a week or two, said the statement issued by the foundation late Wednesday.

Tutu underwent similar treatment last year, when he was hospitalized several times.

Updated information will be released when it is available, said the archbishop's daughter, Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe.

Tutu became the first black archbishop of Cape Town where he was an outspoken opponent of South Africa's apartheid regime, which enforced a harsh system of racial discrimination. Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, Tutu has campaigned for human rights, to fight HIV/AIDS, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. He also chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that investigated atrocities during the apartheid regime and granted amnesty to some accused perpetrators.

Applications Accepted for Episcopal Church Digital Evangelist

The Episcopal Church is accepting applications for the new full-time position of Digital Evangelist, a member of the Presiding Bishop's staff.

Duties for the Digital Evangelist includes strategizing efforts for the building of relationships, creating community, and fostering of an aspirational online social presence by managing and implementing the Episcopal Church's growing digital evangelism ministry. The position works in a team setting, is part of the Office of Communications, and reports to the Presiding Bishop's Canon for Ministry Within The Episcopal Church

Detailed position information and application instructions are available here.

Deadline for applying is August 29.

For more information contact a member of the Episcopal Church Human Resources Team at [email protected].

Presiding Bishop Curry Encourages voting as a Christian Obligation

Election Toolkit provides resources for congregations, individuals * Presiding Bishop's message text in English, Spanish with video subtitled

August 22, 2016

"Voting and participation in our government is a way of participating in our common life," Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael Curry said in a video election message. "And that is a Christian obligation. Indeed, we who follow in the Way of Jesus of Nazareth are summoned to participate actively as reflections of our faith in the civil process."

The Presiding Bishop's video election message is here. The video is closed-captioned and is subtitled in Spanish. The text of the Presiding Bishop's message in English and Spanish is located at the end of this note.

The video is ideal for conversation, adult forums and group gatherings, Sunday School, youth groups, conventions, and meetings, etc.

Election Toolkit and resources

The Episcopal Church online toolkit with webpage outlines how individual Episcopalians and congregations can participate in the electoral process through nonpartisan activities. Among the possible non-partisan activities offered are: engaging young adults who are eligible to vote for the first time; hosting a candidate forum; advocating for voting rights legislation; and hosting Get Out The Vote campaigns. Through the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN), information is also available on an important initiative, the Episcopal Pledge to Vote

Election engagement resources, including the downloadable Episcopal Election Engagement Toolkit, are available here.

Bulletin inserts are available here.

A Facebook/Twitter social media campaign highlighting: state-by-state registration deadlines; information on voting rights; ways to support civil discourse; and historical fun facts of Episcopal political engagement through the centuries of our country. Facebook here and Twitter here.
Hashtag #EpiscopaliansVote

Education for Ministry

Have you ever considered a formal study of the things which inform your baptismal covenant? Many EfM seminar groups will be reforming or starting in the fall and now is the time for you to consider if this program is for you. The current texts are portrayed in the attached link.

For more information contact:

Alan Lindsay, EfM Coordinator for the Diocese of Pennsylvania
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
3717 Chestnut Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-627-6434 x127 or [email protected]

St. Luke's Germantown History Event

Signs of the Times: Discovering the Present in What Remains of the Past at

St. Luke's Germantown

October 22, 2016

9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

The objective is not to single out St. Luke's as exceptional but to use its history as a case study of an historic Episcopal church in Philadelphia. Like many Episcopal churches, St. Luke's and St. Barnabas' had to adapt to changing circumstances. How they did so and what this might mean for other congregations in the Diocese of Pennsylvania today will be among the topics covered.

#diopacomeandsee
#diopalove