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."

Louis Weil looks back on his work shaping the liturgical life of the Episcopal Church through his involvement with the development of The 1979 Book of Common Prayer- and looks forward to the future of the church and its liturgical life. Through stories and first-person anecdotes, Weil does "narrative theology" as only he can. Although most points of reference are to the 1979 BCP, the book is aiming at a more fundamental level-not just Episcopal or even Anglican liturgy, but liturgical rites as such: how do they "do what they do"?-or NOT do when they are done badly! "Liturgical Sense" is two dimensional: both the "common sense" of liturgical rites and also their "aesthetic sense." It is Dr. Weil's contention that in American culture we have an inherent inability to "think symbolically." Dr. Weil seeks to encourage a return to "liturgical sense" across the church.

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.

The classic historical commentary by White and Dykman on the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church, long out of print, is now available in a special limited-edition reprint. Revised for the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons of the General Convention, it is an indispensable reference work for libraries and diocesan offices. (Two volumes, 1,154 pp)

This book is the first new devotional resource of its kind for Episcopalians in more than two generations. It includes devotions to mark the rhythm of the day (brief prayers at fixed hours); the mystery of time and the rhythm of the week, the months, and the Christian year; self-examination and preparation for reconciliation and the Eucharist; intercessory prayers; devotions to the Mother of Jesus; praying with the saints; plus praying with icons. Each section of the book will open with a brief introduction and "teaching" by Bishop Griswold, guiding the reader in the effective use of the material.

Gene Robinson is bishop of the tiny, rural Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, but he's at the center of a storm of controversy raging in the Episcopal Church and throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion involving homosexuality, the priesthood, and the future of the Communion. This book offers an honest, thoughtful portrait of Robinson, the faith that has informed his life, and the controversy that continues to rock his Church.

Get to know the first five Black women to be elected diocesan bishops within the Episcopal Church. During this moment, with the #metoo movement, Black Lives Matter, and the increased feelings of division in our country, Black women clergy in the Episcopal Church have voiced a need to come together, believing that their experiences and concerns may be very different than those of other clergy. That need is answered here in This Band of Sisterhood. The five Black women bishops featured in this book can provide a compass for how to journey along these new paths. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Carlye J. Hughes, Kimberly Lucas, Shannon MacVean-Brown, and Phoebe A. Roaf offer honest, vulnerable wisdom from their own lives that speaks to this time in American life. Both women and men will find this book invaluable in discerning how God might be calling them to use their own leadership skills.

Drawing on the resources of five other volumes in the series, Transforming Vestries creates a single source designed specifically for this governing body. The chapters highlight the nature - and the needs - of vestry membership: stewardship, leadership, evangelism, discipleship, and vital congregational life.

The world is ever changing and so must the Episcopal Church to remain relevant to its followers. A grounded, necessary book on the Episcopalian faith in the 21st century. In the Church's Teachings for a Changing World series, two visionary Episcopal thinkers and church leaders team up to revitalize the currency, integrity, and scholarship of this series with fresh new voices and style; concise and clear enough for newcomers, yet grounded and thoughtful enough for seminarians and leaders. In this foundational text for the Church's Teachings for a Changing World, Law and Spellers explore seismic shifts in American life and the opportunities and challenges each presents to the church today. With a winning combination of passion, creativity, and wisdom, the authors call for a return to Episcopal basics and insist that faithfully engaging a changing world might be the most truly Anglican practice of all. "This is the book I've been waiting for. The Episcopal way of following Jesus and being Christian may be one of the best-kept secrets in the Western world. Finally, someone has taken the light out from under the bushel. Let it shine."-The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church.

A critical look at the diaconate in the Episcopal Church Times change, and the Order of Deacons in the Episcopal Church has not remained static. While the book seeks to update contemporary knowledge about deacons, it also shows how the diaconate may be well positioned to lead the church into change that cuts across governance, formation, and ministry. While the institutional church struggles with its structure and purpose, working to change its reality and perception, the book suggests that there are diaconal leaders who have been working all along for this kind of change. The book chronicles ways in which one church order has grown, matured, adapted, adjusted, and is as effective as it is because of its dynamic nature. It is hoped that other orders might learn from the importance of being adaptable, contextual, and baptismal, while highlighting the primary lens deacons look through as they seek to fulfill what the church has called them to do.

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.

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.

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.

A personal story of the struggle for authentic inclusion in the church. From a strong voice in the dialogue about what Black lives matter means in relation to faith, a powerful lament and a hopeful message about the future. Historically, to be Episcopal/Anglican, as it was to be American, was to be white. Assimilation to whiteness has been a measure of success and acceptance, yet, assimilation requires that people of color give up something of themselves and deny parts of their heritage including religious practices that sustained their ancestors. Despite the fact that Blackness is on display on Black History Month for example, and Black/African heritage is given primacy in the liturgy, music, and preaching during that time, at other times this doesn't seem to be the case. The author argues that whiteness is embedded in every aspect of religious life, from seminary to Christian education to last rites. Is it possible to be Black and Episcopalian and not feel alien, she asks. In her words we learn that inclusivity, above all, must be authentic.

"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.

* Reflections on tradition and change for the twenty-first-century church * Something for both newcomers and those familiar with liturgy and spirituality Like the scribe and master of the household cited by Jesus in Matthew 13, Re-membering God "brings out of treasure what is new and what is old," and empowers us to go and do likewise. As both critique and encouragement for the church in the early part of the twenty-first century, it seeks to reclaim the foundational riches of the church's liturgy and spirituality in the face of cul-tural change. These resources, some lost or neglected and others under-utilized, can help rebuild the church, raising up what has been cast down and renewing what has grown old. This series of reflections explore with discernment what is "fashionable," and acknowledge the deepest and most endur-ing human needs and hopes, which only God can answer. Re-membering God puts liturgical and spiritual practice into terms easily understood by both newcomers and seasoned devotees, for the benefit of this and future generations. Understanding the value of the past and with an eye to the future, this book will inform our next conversations about evangelism and church growth.

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.

* 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

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.

* Well-known and well-loved bishop of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion This official biography tells the compelling story of the Rt. Rev. Mark Dyer: Irish Catholic boy from New Hampshire, U.S. Navy vet, Roman Catholic then Episcopal priest, bishop, and seminary professor-and one of the most influential, beloved leaders of the American Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Following a dispute with ecclesiastical authorities, Dyer left the Roman Church for the Anglican Church of Canada. Later received as priest in the Episcopal Church, his gifts as teacher, preacher, and pastor were recognized with election as Bishop of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. There, he established a new model of leadership, delegating administrative duties to concentrate on spiritual direction, pastoral care, and creating mission projects at every church in his diocese. Also renowned as a story-teller, many of his favorite stories appear here, told in his own voice. Called by leadership of the Anglican Communion to a variety of roles, for more than 20 years Bishop Dyer was on the front lines of the most contentious issues facing the church throughout the world, including ordination of women and gay people. He also was co-chair of the ecumenical dialogue between the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches, which produced a landmark agreement after 17 years of meetings.

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.

This important component to the I Will with God s Help confirmation program is a simple yet effective guide for confirmation mentors, offering suggested scripture readings, discussion questions/topics and prayers for time spent with confirmation students.

This Episcopal confirmation encourages youth and adults to enter into a uniquely Episcopal yet profoundly Christian faith journey. The easily adaptable format works for a traditional 6-12-week program, at a contemporary Confirmation retreat or conference, or as a sacramental supplement to other larger programs. I Will with God s help is built entirely on the Baptismal Covenant from The Book of Common Prayer and offers youth and adults as solid reflection of Episcopal heritage and belief, together with the riches of Episcopal liturgy and prayers."

For use by churches during a bishop s visitations A resource guide for educators, parents, and families For audiences who have enjoyed Anne Kitch s What We Do in Church books A bishop comes to visit a congregation for many reasons a parish celebration, baptism, confirmation, or a pastoral visit. With black and white illustrations, this interactive book for children and families describes the ministry of a bishop, including symbols and apparel, in preparation for the visit and worship. Confirmands will find this new book particularly helpful as it walks them through the liturgy of Confirmation. During the actual Confirmation rite, children will have a guide to follow along during the service, making this book serve multiple purposes for young and old alike. "

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.

The revised and expanded edition includes new information, new teaching resources, and perspectives gained in the last eight years, as well as the General Convention resolutions of 2015. Beyond Business as Usual is full of resources for forming the vestry as a learning community. It deals with the "soft" side of leadership that enables the pastor and vestry together to journey along the leadership path. Each chapter can be read and reviewed at a series of vestry meetings or as part of a vestry retreat, and includes questions for group and individual discussion. The book also contains resources for vestries, based upon different preferred learning styles, for the formation part of the vestry meeting or retreat.