Letters from 1
to 8 October 2007
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God willing,
we always will
'See
you next week'. For
the past year, my wife and I have been watching, through the wonder
of satellite TV transmitted to us through cable, Japanese TV. It
is a bit of nostalgia for her (she came from Japan to be married
to me); it is a challenge for me because I have to admit my Japanese
vocabulary is limited. The daily program signed off each Friday
with the Narrator (who was supposed to be a Hawaiian-born person
of Japanese background). He said in English, 'See you next week!'
as the parting words each Friday. A new season with a new story
is to begin this week, which won't have the same narrator, nor the
same sign-off words.
It may have
been there all along, but I am glad to see in the September 30 Anglicans
Online those very same parting words: 'See you next week.' It
encapsulates for me a 'theology of hope' — as do the
words I just read in your letter, about the call to all of us,
what I would characterize as: 'Called to be saints!'
The Reverend
Canon Timothy Makoto Nakayama, Priest retired
St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle
Seattle, Washington, USA
frtim@yahoo.com
1 October 2007
(Ed: We've been using 'See you next week' since Cynthia McFarland's first
letter as editor of Anglicans Online, on 28 September
1997.)
Show me the
fund managers
My question
is this: Why
can't an ordinary member of the Church in Australia — a church
that asks for funds and our tithes to run the church, to pay
ministers, to pay electricity bills etc., and uses that money to
invest in organisations — why am I unable to receive an account?
That is, a list of fund managers whom the church in Tasmania invests
in?
For a Church
that has spoken out against climate change and forestry practices
in this country, why is it so hard to be told where our monies
are being invested, so that we can judge for ourselves whether or
not they are being ethically invested?
I have done
this with my super fund and they have answered me straight up. Why
can't I get a straightforward answer from the church?
Angela Strk
Edge Anglican
Rosetta, Tasmania, AUSTRALIA
astrkmolly@yahoo.com
4 October 2007
Remarriage
within the Church of England: Can you help?
I have a
question regarding getting married in the Church of England. We
are both divorced, but would very much like to marry before God
and friends. The parish were we worship does not do weddings of
divorced persons. Does anyone know what our options are?
I know
the Anglican faith allows divorcees to marry, but if we cannot do so
in our local church, what do we do? This is very important for
us both so any help would be gratefully accepted.
Glenn J Waldron
St. Michael's Church
London, ENGLAND
g.waldron@yahoo.co.uk
4 October 2007
(Ed: A short explanatory brochure about remarriage after divorce has been
prepared by the Church of England and can be downloaded
here. If
you have spoken to your parish priest and he is unwilling to consider
your request for a full church wedding, perhaps a blessing in
the church would be another option you (and he) would consider. We hope
you'll hear directly from some knowledgeable persons who can assist
you more specifically.)
Lost in the
mists of incense?
We are looking
for a history of the Altar Guild in the Anglican/Episcopal Church. We'd
like to put a short history in the newsletter. We here in Connecticut
love setting the table for our church family and all the other duties
we do.
Our Altar
Guild consists of ten dedicated women of a 'certain age'.
The young women have so many things to do these days that they can't
rest a minute. They attend church faithfully. The fact is, we do
not have to spend hours and hours once a week. Each "team" makes
its own schedule. We do things together for enjoyment every so often:
go to lunch, to a church fair, candle shop, etc. We have fun together
and laugh a lot. We'd like
to inform our younger mothers that Altar Guild is a wonderful privilege
and we'd love to have them join us.
Is there
such a thing as a short history I could pass on to our chairman?
Beverly Reardon
St. John's Church
Vernon, Connecticut, USA
beverlyebev@sbcglobal.net
4 October 2007
(Ed: If you can assist, do email Beverly Reardon at her email address
above.)
Earlier letters
We launched our 'Letters
to AO' section on 11 May 2003. All published letters are in our
archives.
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