By Kirk Petersen The music director at the cathedral of the Diocese of Albany has denied allegations in a civil lawsuit that he groomed and sexually abused a young chorister two decades ago, when both were singers at the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys in New York City. Woodrow Bynum, who has been director of music and choirmaster at the Cathedral of All Saints in Albany since 2007, previously served as a paid singer at the Saint Thomas Choir School. Ian Chase, a student and resident at Saint Thomas’s boarding school from 1998 to 2002, alleges that Bynum gradually developed a mentoring rela ..read more

Review by Charles Hoffacker Undone: A Modern Rendering of John Donne’s Devotions By Philip Yancey Rabbit Room Press, 145 pages, $18 As an Amazon Associate, TLC earns from qualifying purchases. Two years after his appointment as dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, John Donne became ill with fever and believed that he would soon die. Lying on what he thought would be his deathbed, he composed Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. Around 50 years of age, he had lived a varied and complete life. He had survived his beloved wife, several of his children, and many of his friends. What he ..read more

Adapted from a Consultation on Common Texts press release The Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) has received a draft statement about passages in John and Acts of the Apostles that have been used to justify discrimination and violence against Jews. A further draft of that statement is expected in August and will be circulated to member denominations for comment. The CCT held this year’s meeting at St. Andrew’s United Church, Bloor Street, in Toronto. The Consultation is a joint American and Canadian ecumenical body that is responsible for the Revised Common Lectionary. The CCT also established ..read more

This is the second of two columns from the March 24 edition. Appointments The Rev. Jean Pierre Arrossa is the Diocese of the Rio Grande’s canon for finance. The Rev. Dr. Antoinette (TJ) Azar is rector of St. Michael’s, Cookeville, Tenn. The Rev. Douglas A. Beck is rector of Trinity, Castine, Maine. The Rev. Todd Blackham is associate rector at Christ Church, Denver. The Rev. Dr. Dewey E. Brown Jr. is assisting priest at St. Elizabeth’s, Zephyrhills, Fla. The Rev. Dr. Matthew Cadwell is vicar of Old North Church, Boston. The Rev. Paul Carmona is music director at Christ Church, Coronado. The Re ..read more

Cultures By Ryan Flanigan “I grew up on a wide array of music, and everyone in my immediate family plays instruments. So it was only natural for me to take up a few instruments and start writing songs.” | LeilaWay.com Leila Way is a songwriter in residence at Resurrection South Austin, a church of the Diocese of Texas. She grew up in Austin and is married with three kids. Her new album, You Don’t Carry It Alone, is a journey through the pains of loneliness and fear into the healing of spiritual friendship and hope. Her minimalist, electropop style could be compared to Lorde, alongside understa ..read more

By Kirk Petersen The vice president of the House of Deputies has announced an unprecedented bid to oust the president — highlighting a remarkable personal rupture between two women who joyously celebrated each other’s election at the 2022 General Convention. The Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, the vice president, announced her candidacy April 21 on her personal blog. Julia Ayala Harris, the president, is standing for reelection at the 81st General Convention in June, in Louisville, Kentucky. The president of the House of Deputies is the second-ranking officer of the church, and the contested elect ..read more

By Mark Michael Kirk Petersen, TLC’s associate editor, received the Polly Bond Award for Excellence in news writing for “Presiding Bishop’s Health Looms Over Election of Successor” (Dec. 19, 2023). The Polly Bonds have been presented annually by Episcopal Communicators since the 1970s, and are named in honor of one of the group’s founding members, a former director of communications for the Diocese of Ohio. “This lengthy article is an excellent example of enterprise reporting,” the judges said of Petersen’s piece, which was published while Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry was recuperating fro ..read more

5 Easter, Year B, April 28 Acts 8:26-40 • Ps. 22:24-30 •
1 John 4:7-21 • John 15:1-8 In a familiar and beautiful image, Jesus illustrates the mystical communion of his life and the lives of his disciples. “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5a). The branches abide in the vine, drawing essential life-giving nourishment. “Without me,” Jesus says, “apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5b). What is true of the disciples of Christ is true no less of the entire creation, as all things have come into being and continue to be through a current of divine grace. “All things came into b ..read more

By Kirk Petersen In a preview of what is likely to be a contentious debate at the June General Convention, Executive Council labeled Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip, as a “potential genocide.” The April 20 resolution followed a searing online presentation the previous day by a Palestinian priest from the West Bank, who told a committee that “Israel is trying to make Gaza uninhabitable, so that even after the war ends, the people of Gaza find no place to go to.” The Rev. Fadi Diab The Rev. Fadi Diab serves two congregations i ..read more

By Kirk Petersen Saint Augustine’s University, the older of two historically Black Episcopal colleges, “is utterly cash-strapped because of poor financial guidelines and checks and balances, and probable criminal activity,” according to a bishop who sits on the board of trustees. The Rt. Rev. Samuel Rodman, who as Bishop of North Carolina sits on the board of trustees of Saint Augustine’s, briefed the Executive Council April 18 on the first day of its three-day meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. The council’s thrice-yearly meetings rotate from city to city, and the local bishop always is invi ..read more