Meet the Bishop

On Monday, June 16, 2014, Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh will be hosting Bishop Dorsey McConnell at a meeting at Calvary Church. The bishop will be speaking on the state of the diocese and will answer questions from the audience. This is a great opportunity to meet Bishop McConnell and to explore his vision for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. All are welcome.

Details of the event are in the graphic below. You can obtain a PDF version of this flyer by clicking here, or click on the image below for a larger view.

Update, 6/21/2014. I reported on the event on Lionel Deimel’s Web Log. You can read that report here. Bishop McConnell  explained how the diocese is trying to figure out exactly what it needs to do to allow for same-sex marriages in Pittsburgh churches.

Philip Wainwright to Speak on Conservatives in The Episcopal Church

The Rev. Dr. Philip Wainwright

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh, an organization as important as Calvary Church in resisting the program of our former bishop, Bob Duncan, and helping put the diocese back together after the schism of 2008, is refocusing its energies. In the new, friendlier environment we have under Bishop Dorsey McConnell, PEP will strive to increase understanding and tolerance among Pittsburgh Episcopalians holding diverse viewpoints, while advocating for justice and inclusion in our diocese and region. Inviting speakers to PEP events will be a major part of this initiative.

On February 11, 2013, at Calvary Church, the Rev. Dr. Philip Wainwright, a retired but very active priest working at St. Andrew’s, Highland Park, and the University of Pittsburgh, will give a talk at a PEP meeting. (Don’t expect much business at the meeting, by the way; the Rev. Dr. Wainwright is the main event.) The topic for the evening is “Flavors and Tenets of Episcopal Church Conservatives.” Here is a description of the talk:

Progressive Episcopalians easily fall into the habit of thinking of their conservative brothers and sisters as a single, coherent group. Conservatives, however, are more discriminating, making distinctions among themselves. If progressives want to conduct meaningful dialogue with church conservatives, it will be useful to understand both the differences and commonalities among them. The Rev. Dr. Philip Wainwright, a self-described conservative, will help his listeners distinguish one conservative group from another.

Our speaker has a reputation as an excellent lecturer, and I urge anyone who is concerned about the need to build community—bridges, as our bishop suggested at his consecration—in this diocese to join us for his talk.

Additional information about the February 11 event can be found in this flyer. Please make others aware of of the Rev. Dr. Wainwright’s talk and plan to join us at the next PEP meeting.

Conversation with Transition Committee Chair Tonight

The chair of the Transition Committee for our next bishop, the Rev. Nancy Chalfant-Walker, will be hosted by Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh in a program tonight. Nano is well-known by St. Paul’s parishioners, as she recently served as the parish’s interim rector. She now heads the committee that manages the selection and consecration of the next Bishop of Pittsburgh once the slate of nominees is fixed.

Chalfant-Walker will discuss the work of her committee at a program that begins at 7:30 PM at St. James, Penn Hills, 11524 Frankstown Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235-3199.

PEP describes the program this way:

Our program will be a conversation with the chair of the bishop’s transition committee, the Rev. Nan Chalfant-Walker. The transition committee picks up responsibility as soon as the final list of candidates is determined. This committee shapes the way the walk-abouts will be structured and how the electing convention will be run as well as planning the consecration, farewell to Bishop Price and the support of our new bishop as he/she begins to really connect with the diocese. This is YOUR CHANCE to give input on how you would like to see the walk-about sessions go. This will be the main interaction any of us will have with the candidates before our new bishop is elected. Come on Monday and get your 2 cents in!