A new edition of the comprehensive resource linking hymns and anthems to lectionary readings. Liturgical Music for the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B is the second of three volumes in a series of planning guides for church musicians and clergy, identifying hymns and anthems that are connected to the scripture appointed for Sundays and feast days. In addition to identifying hymns and anthems appropriate for each Sunday of the church year, this volume also offers suggestions about where in the liturgy each selection can best be used. Featuring hymns from hymnals authorized for use in the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Moravian Church in America, as well as anthems from a variety of sources, Liturgical Music for the Revised Common Lectionary helps liturgical planners add musical variety to services and link congregational and choral singing to the lectionary.

Wisdom through easy-to-grasp phrases. Biblical and cultural proverbs have been cherished throughout the ages. One reason for their enduring influence is that they reveal deeper wisdom through easy-to-grasp phrases. They form our lives by offering wisdom we can hold onto and use in life's most complex situations. In the increasingly complex world of modern ministry, it has become harder for pastors and church leaders to act wisely when the models for ministry keep changing. Ministry Proverbs is a collection of 60 proverbs that the Rev. Dr. Graham Standish has developed over the years to guide his own ministry. These are proverbs such as "We are only responsible for our efforts. God is responsible for the results. So be responsible for your part, and let God be responsible for God's part. Wisdom comes in learning to tell the difference." Each proverb is followed by 4-6 paragraphs of reflection that take the reader deeper into the ramifications and applications of the proverb. The reflections are intended to help readers to apply the proverbs in their own ministries, and to remember them so that when they face a difficult or uncertain situation, they can tap into the wisdom.

All of us are natural theologians, willing and able to think through questions of belief and relate the insights of theologians to our public and personal lives. In this clear and engaging introduction, Thompsett gives us the tools to think theologically by grounding us in the history, theology, spirituality, and biblical foundations of Anglican belief, particularly that of the Episcopal church. Beginning with the Bible and what it reveals to us about the distinct calling of the People of God, Thompsett goes on to consider the insights of the Reformation regarding the importance of the laity and the contribution of lay people, particularly women, to the expansive mission of the nineteenth century in education and social work. She then explores different aspects of Anglican identity, and lay movements of liberation in the global South. Aimed primarily at a lay and non-specialist audience, this book introduces key facets of Anglicanism and aspects of contemporary theology. It is an excellent parish educational resource, especially for adult forums and group study.

The perfect book for newcomers who are often confused by the worship service, Welcome to Sunday is also an excellent book for those who have been sitting in the pews without fully understanding what happens on Sunday morning. Episcopal priest Christopher Webber takes the reader from the sidewalk outside the church, guides them through the service, and sends them out again when the service has ended. Webber explains the postures, the Christian year, the colors we use during various seasons, and all the elements in the Service of the Eucharist. As in Webber's very popular Welcome to the Episcopal Church, the tone of the easy-to-read book is conversational, making it useful for parish study.

Throughout the 20th century lay women in the Episcopal Church, often acting in isolation and without institutional support, offered a powerful witness of leadership, vocation, and theological resilience. "Deeper Joy" studies groups of women with similar callings yet located in diverse settings throughout church and society such as schools, hospitals, and other civic institutions. The topics presented here reflect new historical perspectives and unexplored primary materials, including interviews that bear on all women's ministries, hence addressing neglected and important aspects of life in the American church.

After an introductory chapter on women and vocation, five major sections will explore lay women's vocations through the lenses of community life, education, mission, civic life, and working for change from within the Episcopal Church. Topics include Anglican sisterhoods, the Companions of the Holy Cross, the deaconess movement, women of the New Deal, women in foreign missions, the settlement house movement, and women in education. The views of African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women are all represented. A concluding chapter addresses future directions for leadership and service.

In the section entitled "Concerning the Service of the Church," the Book of Common Prayer identifies the normative services of the Episcopal Church: The Holy Eucharist, the principal act of Christian worship on the Lord's Day and other major Feasts, and Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, as set forth in this book, are the regular services appointed for public worship in the Church. (BCP, 13) Eucharistic propers (collects, Scripture readings, and proper prefaces) are provided in the Book of Common Prayer for the days when the Eucharist is the principal service. As celebration of the Eucharist has become more frequent, many congregations and other communities of faith now celebrate weekday Eucharists on days for which the Prayer Book does not assign propers. To facilitate the use of these authorized options, this resource contains weekday propers for the seasons of the Church Year (the temporal cycle), the Common of Saints (the sanctoral cycle), and Various Occasions from the Prayer Book and from resources authorized since the adoption of the Prayer Book. The propers in this resource are grouped into three sections by type for the temporal cycle, the sanctoral cycle, and various occasions.

This course offers the best education available to altar guild members and is also extremely informative for all laity. This comprehensive training course presents "modules" of easy-to-digest information, which include everything any member would need to know about what are humorously termed the "props", the "stage", the "holy hardware", the "costumes", and other aspects of the Passion Play we all attend on Sunday.

* For people whose eyes glaze over when questions of salvation/redemption/atonement come up * Written by a theologian, but with a lay audience in mind Even theologians have had different ideas about the theology of atonement; how are the rest of supposed to understand it? This book is a good place to start. Crysdale, whose background in both psychology and theology gives her a unique perspective, presents an overview of the history of the theology of atonement, addressing clearly the difficulties around this concept, and bringing us with her to a contemporary understanding. "Please join me in welcoming an informative, thoughtful, creative, and persuasive book on the atonement. St. Paul and even Anselm's contributions to this multi-faceted doctrine are rendered accessible here. I only wish Crysdale's volume had been available during my fifty years of teaching Anglican theology. Please don't miss reading her contemporary, scholarly perspectives. She has much to teach us."-Fredrica Harris Thompsett, author of We Are Theologians "No 'doctrine' has more distorted the living of lives called Christian than substitutionary satisfaction theories of the atonement. So thank God we now have Crysdale's constructive account of the atonement that helps us see that we do not need a theory of the atonement because what God has done in the crucifixion is not a violent exchange but rather God's way of befriending his people. I hope that this well researched book will be widely read."-Stanley Hauerwas, author of Without Apology

The dinner table may be the only time that today's busy families sit down together - and pray together. This book meets families where they are, offering prayers of thanks for macaroni and cheese, fast-food meals, and, yes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Includes rhyming prayers for little kids, dinner-table prayers for special family occasions, and prayers marking the movement of the church year.

At once a travel guide and a vision for the future, this series is good news for the Episcopal Church at a time of fast and furious demographic and social change. It analyzes the present plight of the church and sketches a positive way forward, sprouting from the seeds of change those transformative practices already at work renewing the church. What church models can help point us toward transformation? What are the essential tools? What will give us strength, direction, and purpose to the journey?

Each volume of the series will: Explain why a changed vision is essential Give robust theological and biblical foundations Offer a guide to best practices and positive trends in churches large and small Describe the necessary tools for change Imagine how transformation will look

For most Episcopalians, stewardship is synonymous with pledge drives, budgets, and capital campaigns, but the Bible is clear that God wants more than our tithes and offerings. Looking to its scriptural roots in 1 Chronicles, Luke-Acts, and the letters of Paul, as well as St. Francis third way, Robertson offers a vision of holistic stewardship for the whole church, holistic because it can t be separated from evangelism, outreach, scripture study, and ministry to the newcomer. It does not involve strong-arm tactics, only a willingness to risk changing existing structures and ideas in order to enrich the faith community and strengthen connections to the neighboring world.

"Transforming Stewardship" delivers both good and bad news about Episcopalians and stewardship. "Robertson" provides essential models and spiritual practices in order to transform the church s outmoded attitudes toward stewardship and wealth into a broader context of faith."

Of particular interest to scholars and practitioners across the Anglican Communion with contributions from a wide breadth of scholars. Liturgical Spirituality is a collection of Anglican reflections on the spirituality of the liturgy, inviting readers into the Church s patterns of prayer, seasons of the year, and sacramental action. With contributions from all over the world, from the North Atlantic to Australia, the collection helps develop a comprehensive understanding of contemporary Anglican spirituality."

"The old way of "being church"-measured by political influence, money, and congregants in the pews-may indeed be vanishing, but it is being replaced by something new and beautiful for those with the eyes, ears, heart, and soul to experience it. Prolific author Greg Garrett reminds Episcopalians of the many gifts that our tradition can offer a doubting and hurting world. He reveals a church that values intellect, beauty, diversity, and community, and promotes thoughtful engagement with questions of faith, ethics, and community. This church espouses a generous orthodoxy, welcoming left and right, mystic and doubter. It values education, social justice, and engagement with literature and culture. And in opposition to the radical individualism espoused by most of American Protestantism, it offers the unique gift of a tradition shaped by English culture that believes the individual is a part of her or his community-not in opposition to it."

Preaching as Prophetic Calling is the twelfth in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes throughout the Episcopal Church. This volume addresses the difficult and essential area of preaching a prophetic word. What does a prophetic sermon look like without being shrill, and without being filled with musts, oughts, and shoulds ? This collection of sermons includes examples of prophetic preaching that are visionary and that speak in ways that offer radical comfort as well as radical challenge. "

The story of Episcopalians in America is the story of an influential denomination that has furnished a large share of the American political and cultural leadership. Beginning with the Episcopal Church's roots in sixteenth-century England, The Episcopalians offers a fresh account of its rise to prominence. Chronologically arranged, it traces the establishment of colonial Anglicanism in the New World through the birth of the Episcopal Church after the Revolution and its rise throughout the nineteenth century, ending with the complex array of forces that helped shape it in the 20th century and the consecration of Gene Robinson in 2003. The authors focus not only on the established leadership of the church but also to the experience of lay people, the form and function of sacred space, the evolution of church parties and theology, relations with other Christian communities, and the evolving ministries of women and minorities.

Part of the well-established Welcome to... series from Morehouse Publishing, this book addresses church history from the grassroots perspective of how Anglicans have prayed, thought about, and lived out their faith through the centuries.

In the Church's Teachings for a Changing World series, visionary Episcopal thinkers and leaders have teamed up to revitalize the classic resource with fresh new voices and style, concise and clear enough for newcomers, yet grounded and thoughtful enough for seminarians and leaders. In this volume, seminary dean and popular blogger Thomas Ferguson traces the history of Christianity, with a special focus on the rise of the Anglican Communion and the birth and continual rebirth of The Episcopal Church. Explore how we got here and where we might be going.

* An all-in-one volume sharing the history, practice, and viewpoints of Confirmation in the Episcopal Church and the first book on the subject for at least 15 years * Resolutions regarding Confirmation are coming to the 2015 General Convention * Includes questions for reflection and study by individuals and groups Many clergy and educators would say that the rite of Confirmation in the Episcopal Church today is a sacrament in search of a meaning. Some believe Confirmation is an essential rite of passage for adult leadership in the governance of the church. Some believe it is a rite that no longer has a place in the life of the church, understanding the importance that Baptism now holds in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer's ecclesiology. Following a history of how the rite of Confirmation came about and its implications for youth and adults in the church today, voices in the Episcopal Church (bishops, liturgical scholars, confirmation leaders, and youth themselves) offer fresh viewpoints here in a conversational format to engage the reader.

Preaching Through Holy Days and Holidays is the eleventh in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes in the Episcopal Church. These sermons, collected from clergy around the country, focus on preaching the Holy Days and Holidays of the church and secular calendar. Contents include sermons for:
-- the High Holy Days (Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Easter Evening, and Pentecost)
-- major festivals (The Presentation of Our Lord, Ascension Day, The Transfiguration of Our Lord, All Saints' Day)
-- Feasts of various saints
-- celebrations of ministerial vocation (The Baptism of Our Lord, The Nativity of John the Baptist, the ordination of a bishop, the renewal of ordination vows)
-- civic holidays (Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving) and more.

Timed to be launched at 2009 General Convention, Juan Oliver definitive look at the history and potential future of Latino ministry in the Episcopal Church comes at an opportune time. With Latino ministries growing around the country in all traditions, and with increasing resource and programmatic offerings being allocated to serve those communities, this highly descriptive handbook profiles the culture, faith, and importance of this emerging minority.

Within the book chapters, Oliver surveys topical areas, such as: Who/What is a Latino? Latino Biblical Interpretation Worship in a Latino congregation The spiritual lives of Latinos Latino authority and governance Latino administration and stewardship The Latino priest: Factotum or Specialist? The Latino deacon The Latino bishop Non-Latinos in Latino ministry

While this one-volume guide is especially useful for Christian educators, showing them how to teach week by week according to the ethos and tradition of the Episcopal Church, it also provides a valuable and useful reference tool for all church leaders and members in connecting Christian faith to daily life.

This new guide to Christian education and formation is based on the Book of Common Prayer, the cornerstone of Anglican liturgy and theology. Keyed to the Revised Common Lectionary, all activities and lessons are structured on the seasons and lessons for Years A, B, and C. The guide stresses the major themes of baptismal theology and shows how teachers, parents, and children can live the liturgical cycle in Christian formation ministries at church and at home.

"The image of dancing with God may seem like an odd one for a book on Christian theology," writes Jay Johnson, "More than a few people probably assume dancing and theology have at least one thing in common: Other people do them. The good news of Christian faith suggests something different. Each and everyone of us is invited to dance with God. Each of us can dance. Each of us can do theology." Theology, long seen as the domain of professors, scholars, and clergy, is actually the work of all God's people. Dancing with God uses the metaphor of dance to help readers--especially those without a theological background--approach the discipline of theology as something we all do, and not only something to believe. And doing theology is the practice of hope. This book explores the way Anglicans approach theology. The good news, according to Johnson, is not about the assurance of "getting things right." It comes, instead, from considering our texts, creeds, and liturgies as invitations to dance with the God of abundant life. Beautifully and accessibly written, Dancing with God makes an excellent book for individual or parish study.

Updated with a new cover, this is an indispensable resource for your home or parish office. With more than 3,000 clearly written entries, this book will be a handy, quick, general reference for Episcopalians, both lay and ordained. It includes material specific to the Episcopal Church and its history and polity, liturgy and theology, as well as subjects relevant to the whole church. Entries range from Aaronic Benediction to Zwingli.

The New Church's Teaching series has been one of the most recognizable and useful sets of books in the Episcopal Church. With the launch of the Church's Teachings for a Changing World series, visionary Episcopal thinkers and leaders have teamed up to revitalize the series with fresh voices and style, making it grounded and thoughtful enough for seminarians and leaders, yet concise and clear enough for newcomers. A leading thinker and vibrant presence at the intersection of church and world, Winnie Varghese explores the "what", "how", and "why" of Episcopal engagement with contemporary social issues. Like the master of the household in Jesus' parable (Matthew 13:52) who "brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old," Varghese leads readers to discover theological resources from generations past and how they help to guide our action around thorny issues like racial justice, gender and sexuality, economic disparity, definitions of "family," the environment, and much more.

Introduces and explains church music and congregational singing for beginners. Music is an essential element in Anglican worship; in fact, The Hymnal 1982 is used in virtually every Episcopal service of worship that involves singing. While most parishioners participate in music making at some level (such as singing hymns or common responses), fewer people might understand the specific genres that comprise the music of an Episcopal worship service or the liturgical meaning behind each selection. This book provides a more in-depth understanding of this rich and complex tradition, discussing the history and evolution of music within the Episcopal Church, including its Anglican roots. This book is designed to help clarify-and simplify-the importance of hymn singing and service music in Episcopal worship, as well as explain the history, structure, and content of The Hymnal 1982.making at some level (such as singing hymns or common responses), fewer people might understand the specific genres that comprise the music of an Episcopal worship service or the liturgical meaning behind each selection. This book provides a more in-depth understanding of this rich and complex tradition, discussing the history and evolution of music within the Episcopal Church, including its Anglican roots.