The Rt. Rev. John Bowen Coburn, retired 13th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, died on Aug. 8 at age 94.  "As our friend, as our bishop and a bishop in the church of God, he leaves us with immeasurable blessings," the Rev. Cathy H. George said in her homily at the Aug. 14 funeral service at St. Anne's-in-the-Fields Church in Lincoln. 

 

"Whether from his days as a priest out Route 2 in Amherst or the sophisticated bustling St. James on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, or his ministry in the Bronx, whether as dean and president of then ETS or maybe his most significant moment--we'll leave that judgement to God--he shaped our church while president of the House of Deputies.  When his persistent leadership crystallized in the moment he called for before the vote was taken to approve the ordination of women, he called for silence," George said.  "God used him as a courageous and prophetic voice long before silence, long before retreats and prayer were in vogue, beckoning us to find ourselves in that mystery, to become who we are hid in Christ and in God."

All are invited to join for a service of thanksgiving for Bishop Coburn's life and ministry, to be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston.
 
Read more about Bishop Coburn's life and lasting contributions to the wider church, and post your own remembrance on our tribute page. 

And read more about B-SAFE, below, to which contributions in Bishop Coburn's memory have been designated.

More than 50 Episcopal churches made sure that six weeks of summer were safe and fun for 540 city children and their teen counselors at seven Episcopal church and school sites in Boston and Chelsea, all through B-SAFE, the Bishop's Summer Academic Fun and Enrichment program coordinated by St. Stephen's Church in Boston's South End. 
 
They did it by making and serving lunches every weekday; organizing Friday field trips to farms, beaches, parks, movie theaters and museums; and by reading and spending time with the children.  In the end, everyone got fed, literally and figuratively, according to the Rev. Liz Steinhauser, Director of Youth Programs at St. Stephen's Church.
 
"These partnerships are efforts and opportunities to bridge the gaps between adult and youth, urban and suburban, between people of different races and economic classes," she wrote in a recent B-SAFE blog post.  "B-SAFE partnerships are an opportunity to feed the hunger we all have to serve with compassion and be useful to others.  It gives people a place to put their care, concern and love."
 
See for yourself in this video by Kathy Wittman, made during Bishop Tom Shaw's recent visit to B-SAFE sites this summer.

 

About 45 people gathered at Emmanuel Church in Boston for an Aug. 13 hearing, called by the diocese's bishops as a first step toward developing diocesan policy in response to the resolution on same-gender marriage adopted at the Episcopal Church's recent General Convention. 
 
Known as C056, "Liturgies for Blessings," the resolution calls for the collection and development of "theological and liturgical resources" and gives bishops allowance to "provide generous pastoral response," particularly in states such as Massachusetts where same-gender marriage is legal.
 
Because the resolution's language is both precise and broad, bishops now are left to determine what it means in their local contexts and what implications any implementation might have for the wider church.

 

Read the full story.
 
The bishops shared their impressions of the General Convention in a July 24 letter, available here.  Diocesan coverage from the convention is posted here.
 

Still burning:  Among the online media stats reported by the Episcopal Church's communications office:  Bishop Barbara. C. Harris's sermon at the July 10 General Convention Integrity Eucharist was the most-watched sermon on the church's Media Hub, where it's still available in the on-demand section (see also "Where There's Smoke, There's Fire," here). 

 

 

 

The Diocese of Massachusetts will present Congregational Resource Day:  "Discipleship:  Being Formed and Sent in the Power of the Spirit into the Ministries of Our Daily Lives" on Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at Bentley University in Waltham.

There will be workshops to help develop skills and give spiritual and practical help for joining God's mission in the world.  Bring a team from your parish!

Online registration will open this month, and a flier is available for download here.  

 

Aug 26:  Benefit concert for typhoon relief, Church of St. John the Evangelist, Boston, 7 p.m.
Aug 24 & 31: Lobster on the Lawn at St. Barnabas's Church, Falmouth, 5 p.m.
Aug 27: Cape and Islands Deanery offers "Ecological Awareness" with author Daniel Goleman , Grace Church, Vineyard Haven, 5 p.m.
Aug 29: "Godly Play" Core Training, All Saints' Church, Belmont, 9 a.m.

Aug 30: Joy Mass at St. Mary's Church, Barnstable, 10:30 a.m.
Sep 1, 8, 15 & 22: Church of the Advent's Theology on Tap, M. J. O'Connor's Irish Pub, Boston, 7 p.m.
Sep 11 & 12: "Pray, Serve, Reflect" Days of Service, at various sites.  Sign up to serve.
Sep 12: Diocesan Council, St. Mary's Church, Dorchester, 9 a.m.
Sep 15: "HERvoices: Survivors of Contemporary Slavery" at Trinity Parish, Newton Centre, 7 p.m.
Sep 16: Clergy Day, Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center, Greenfield, N.H., 9 a.m.
Sep 19: Safe Church Training, Grace Church, Vineyard Haven, 8:30 a.m.
Sep 19: Journey to Adulthood training, St. Andrew's Church, Wellesley (note location change), 9 a.m. 
Sep 21: International Peace Day Vigil, Trinity Church, Concord, 7 p.m.
Sep 26: Congregational Resource Day, Bentley University, Waltham, 9 a.m.