PREPARING A GENERATION OF CENTRAL AMERICAN LEADERS: Knowledge is the currency of the 21st century. Democracy and prosperity require informed populations

Volunteers, helping/teaching one another the Riecken Learning Center way

Riecken Community Libraries awaken a spirit of discovery and a love of reading. Equipped with quality books and new technology, they pull isolated communities into the bigger world, where they can both benefit from globalization and contribute to it.

¨Globalization has pulled billions of people into a dynamic, interconnected world where they benefit from unprecedented access to information, goods, services, jobs and opportunities. But even as those billions move into a powerful future, another billion are being left behind. Persistent poverty destabilizes both the countries where it exists and the world as a whole.

Central America is a stunning example of the uneven benefits of globalization. It is marked by the special problems of states that have emerged from conflict and where democracy, while anchored, is still fragile.

Riecken Community Libraries are proving to be keystones for dramatic social advances in Central America, allowing the most vulnerable populations in the region to cross into the global economy. To stimulate human talent and advance human capacity – a transformation that can only occur with unfettered access to information – we support quality community lending libraries with the aim of offering free Internet connections.

Some of the Ladies who thrive

In communities with Riecken Community Libraries, more than 40 percent of the library patrons come from households with monthly incomes below $100 and more than a quarter live in homes with dirt floors. About half the library users have fewer than six books in their own homes, and less than one percent own home computers. Riecken Community Libraries offset those shortfalls to accessible information, providing disproportionate benefit to the most vulnerable populations in developing countries: children, women, indigenous people and rural populations...¨ HERE

Meet Riecken’s Israel Quic

Recently Israel was asked “what is your dream for your village?” Without much thought the 36-year old director of the Biblioteca Comunitaria Rija’tzuul Na’ooj in San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala responded “more educational opportunities for the children.” Israel, whose first language is tz’utujil, was recently one of the stars in a US west coast fundraising trip. Not only did he speak to groups in his native language as well as in Spanish he managed admirably all of the technology needs for a week of presentations.

Israel lives with his family including three of his five siblings, 26 or so chickens, three dogs and an internet connection. He credits his mother, who was an orphan who never was able to go to school, with the fact that he and his five siblings all have university educations...¨ HERE

·  Thanks to Riecken Community Libraries
·  Thanks to Israel Quic
·  Thanks to  Biblioteca Comunitaria Rija’tzuul Na’ooj

¨Tis the Season¨

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THE NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION/UNITED KINGDOM: ¨When fair debate has been allowed, the results have been gratifying.¨

As we celebrate the Feast of St Nicholas, the No Anglican Covenant Coalition has issued a news release looking back over the accomplishments of the past year.

NEWS FOR ST NICHOLAS

“In November 2010, we launched the Coalition to ensure that the case against the proposed Anglican Covenant would be given a fair hearing,” said the Revd Dr Lesley Crawley, the Coalition's Moderator. “Today we are seeing our efforts bear fruit. When fair debate has been allowed, the results have been gratifying.”

The Coalition also noted the critical role played by Bishops John Saxbee and Peter Selby, our Episcopal Patrons, who have worked tirelessly to encourage a full and balanced presentation of the proposed Covenant in the Church of England.

With respect to the diocesan votes taking place in the Church of England, the Coaltion notes that in dioceses where the Covenant presentation has included only official pro-Covenant materials, they have voted for the Covenant. But where a balanced presentation of both pro- and anti-Covenant materials has been provided to diocesan synods, they have consistently voted against the Covenant...¨ please read it all, HERE

http://blog.noanglicancovenant.org/2011/12/news-for-st-nicholas.html

·  Thanks to the No Anglican Covenant Coalition, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Rev. Dr. Lesley Crawley, Moderator, United Kingdom
·  Thanks to Bishops John Saxbee and Peter Selby, Episcopal Patrons

AWARD OR FURTHER DISGRACE? Exodus President Alan Chambers joins the rank Archbishop Peter ¨Massacre at Yelwa¨ Akinola* condemning homosexuals internationally!

Christian zealot Americans and Christianlike bigots in Africa circling for fresh LGBT kill

World Magazine has awarded Exodus President Alan Chambers their 2011 Daniel Award. With this award, Alan Chambers joins the ranks of Kenneth Star, John Ashcroft, Phillip E. Johnson (“father” of Intelligent design), Peter Akinola* (rabidly anti-gay Nigerian priest), and Stephen C. Meyer (Intelligent Design), among other past recipients.

In an article which appears in the December 17th edition, Chambers and Exodus are painted in glowing, courageous terms. Many of Chambers’ key talking points are covered nicely, while any opposition is portrayed in a one-dimensional fashion. This website is said to have “whole sections devoted to condemning Chambers and other ministries to homosexuals.”

We would like to think it is the facts which “condemn these groups, but then World Magazine hasn’t exactly attempted to cloak their own bias when it comes to Exodus. They have written this type of PR piece for Exodus in the past (the same author, Jamie Dean), and one has to ask if this is more of a corroborative effort than journalism. Could this be the first volley in the effort to re-brand Exodus International, or at least it’s president? If so, it seems skewed into the conservative space, heavy on “change is possible” rhetoric...¨ HERE

* http://frjakestopstheworld.blogspot.com/2008/02/abp-akinola-and-massacre-of-yelwa.html

· Thanks to ExGay Watch, sidebar
· Thanks to David Roberts
· Thanks to Fr. Jake, sidebar

ARCHBISHOP ¨CONDONER OF EVIL IN AFRICA¨ JENSON: ¨ Issues of inequity regarding the financial and legal status of same-sex relationships have already been addressed by the Parliament and I have supported these changes¨

¨Sydney's archbishop, Peter Jensen, has used the bigoted Anglican Church League website, which is second only to Anglican Mainstream for right wing fascism, to express his deep sadness about the ALP having to debate the false rhetoric of ‘equality’ surrounding same-sex marriage! Tunnel- visioned Jensen, who is known for denying women equality, says ... The present law defining marriage is not a denial of rights.... HIS rights! He goes onto claim that ...Issues of inequity regarding the financial and legal status of same-sex relationships have already been addressed by the Parliament and I have supported these changes...please read it all, by Calamity Jane HERE

¨Is this the same Peter Jensen who was instrumental in dividing the worldwide Anglican Church because of a homosexual bishop?

Yes, the same one who sided with African bigots, when they wanted to introduce a jail sentence for gays and anyone who helped them. What did Martin Luther say... “One who condones evil is just as guilty as the one who perpetrates it.”

·  Thanks to Liberal Anglicanism in Sydney, sidebar
·  Thanks to ¨Calamity Jane¨

THE GREAT WISDOM OF THE NIGERIAN SENATE: ¨Straights who support a same sex marriage go directly to jail for ten years¨

Anglican Archbishop of Nigeria, Nicholas Okoh, Anti-lgbt ¨Great Evil¨ hate law promoter HERE

¨You might consider forwarding this story to your straight friends so they are fully informed because they are now at risk! The massive epidemic of hate against LGBT people continues unchecked in Africa. The latest is Nigeria. In all their wisdom, the Nigerian senate just passed legislation that would send not only their LGBT citizens to prison for marrying BUT also send any straight friends who supported them in their marriage to prison too!!!

Guilt by association in Nigeria

Yep, that is right, there is a new twist happening in some of the homophobic legislation that is being passed. Straights who support a same sex marriage go directly to jail with us for ten years. You read it right. Ten years in jail for witnessing our marraige! Wonder if they will allow us neighboring cells so we can stay in touch?  don´t miss a word of Nigerian wisdom, HERE

·  Thanks to David Mixner, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Washington Post, HERE

A FEAST DAY FOR QUEEN VICTORIAS DEAR FRIENDS: Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV

King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emm´s commemorative stained Glass window at historic St. Andrews Cathedral, The Episcopal Church, Diocese of Hawaii



Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV's baptism into the Anglican Church, in 1862, at St. Andrew's Cathedral. This was there second baptism since they were baptize in their childhood in the Calvinist faith. HERE

Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma, his queen consort, were devout members of the Church of England led by their good friend Victoria of the United Kingdom. At their request, Thomas Nettleship Staley was appointed bishop in 1862. Inspired to build a place of worship in the Anglican tradition, Kamehameha IV commissioned the construction of what would later become the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. However, the king died on the feast day of Saint Andrew in 1863 before ground-breaking. Kamehameha V, the king's brother, took over the project and laid the cornerstone in honor of his predecessor on March 5, 1867.


St. Andrews Cathedral, diocese of Hawaii, The Episcopal Church

The Cathedral of Saint Andrew was built in the French Gothic architectural style, shipped in several pre-fabricated pieces from England. The western facade has a window of hand-blown stained glass that reaches from the floor to the eaves, depicting the European explorers that visited the Hawaiian islands. HERE


·  Thanks to Padre Mickey´s Dance Party, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Daily Office, sidebar

THE REIGN IN SPAIN: “very happy with a Spain that respects human rights and that considers all its citizens equal.”

Princess Litizia of Asturias

Letizia, the Princess of Asturias, an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, on Wednesday said she supports gay marriage, Chilean daily La Tercera reported.

During their first official trip to Chile, Letizia and her husband, Prince Felipe de Borbon, visited Santiago's Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) to inaugurate an exhibit of works by Spanish photographer Chema Madoz.

The couple were accompanied by Cecilia Morel, the First Lady of Chile, who introduced the pair to Chilean writer Paul Simonetti, who also heads the gay rights group Equal Foundation.

Simonetti asked the princess, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne, her thoughts on marriage equality.

She answered that she was “very happy with a Spain that respects human rights and that considers all its citizens equal.” HERE

·  Thanks to Princess Letizia, España
·  Thanks to Paul Simonetti, Equal Foundation, Chile
·  Thanks to On Top Magazine, sidebar

THE FIGHT FOR DIGNITY, EQUALITY, FREEDOM and JUSTICE: ¨Zimbabweans, as a people need right now, a concerted popular effort to demand human dignity...¨

ZIMBABWE RIGHT NOW: ¨...we use candles for light and firewood for cooking...¨

“Where after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home-so close and so small that they can not be seen on any map of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person: the nighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world” Eleanor Roosevelt on the Universal declaration of human rights

¨This quote speaks to the essence of what Zimbabweans, as a people need right now, a concerted popular effort to demand human dignity and all that comes with it. We need food on our tables; decent wages and employment; a good education for our children; proper healthcare including affordable medication when we need it; roofs over our heads; reliable electricity supply; running and clean water; and proper working sewer systems.¨

¨These are things we should be demanding to see in a new constitution and as Eleanor Roosevelt said, without concerted citizen action, as Zimbabweans we will continue to look to ‘donors’ to assist us, yet we could solve our problems ourselves.¨ HERE

·  Thanks to Black Looks, sidebar
·  Thanks to by Rumbidzai Dube
·  Thanks to Eleanor Roosevelt

EPISCOPALIAN/ANGLICAN NOTABLE CITIZEN: Elizabeth Bell ¨Orden Diego de Porres¨ Award

Elizabeth Bell, Historian, Author, Brilliant Person, Friend!
Antigua Tours, HERE



 

WELCOME HOME: The Christ Episcopal Church in Savannah Georgia belongs to TEC and not the Anglican Church of Uganda

Breaking: Ga. Supreme Court says Christ, Savannah belongs to TEC

¨In a 5-1 decision, the Georgia Supreme Court this morning decided that Christ Episcopal Church in Savannah belonged to to the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Georgia, not a breakaway faction aligned with the Anglican Church of Uganda...¨ please read it all, By Jim Naughton HERE (Read the opinion.)

A WORD OF CAUTION From Wounded Bird/Grandmere Mimi:

¨The Episcopal Church is not a congregational church. Anyone is free to leave but not with the property. Are you watching Bp. Mark Lawrence of the Diocese of South Carolina? Are you, as a bishop of the Episcopal Church, permitted to give away what is not yours? Of course, certain folks in the diocese may believe theirs is a special case. We shall see...¨  HERE

Georgia high court sides with national Episcopal Church in property spat with Savannah congregation

¨Georgia's highest court has sided with the national Episcopal Church in a property dispute with the oldest church in Georgia.


The Georgia Supreme Court voted six to one to uphold a lower court's October 2009 ruling confirming the national Episcopal Church's claim to historic Christ Church in Savannah.

The dispute arose after members of the local congregation decided in 2007 to leave the Episcopal Church, which they said was straying from Biblical teachings. After the split, the Georgia diocese and the national church claimed ownership of the church building...¨ HERE

BACKGROUND to ¨Christ Church¨ Property Dispute: ¨I must protest this unwarranted incursion into The Episcopal Church. I am concerned that you seem to feel it appropriate to visit, preach, and exercise episcopal ministry within the territory of this Church, and I wonder how you would receive similar behavior in Uganda...¨ Presiding Bishop Kathrine Jefferts Schori, Primate, The Episcopal Church

May 12, 2008

FROM: Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori
Primate, The Episcopal Church/Anglican Communion.

TO: The Most Revd Henry Luke Orombi Archbishop of Uganda and Bishop of Kampala PO Box 14123 Kampala, Uganda, East Africa

¨My dear brother,

I understand from advertising here that you plan to visit a congregation in the Diocese of Georgia on 14 May of this year. The diocesan, Bishop Henry Louttit, has not given any invitation for you to do so, nor received any information from you about your planned visit. I must protest this unwarranted incursion into The Episcopal Church. I am concerned that you seem to feel it appropriate to visit, preach, and exercise episcopal ministry within the territory of this Church, and I wonder how you would receive similar behavior in Uganda. These actions violate the spirit and letter of the work of the Windsor Report, and only lead to heightened tensions. We are more than willing to receive you for conversation, dialogue, and reconciliation, yet you continue to act without speaking with us. I hope and pray that you might respond to our invitation and meet with representatives of this Church.

I remain

Your servant in Christ,
Katharine Jefferts Schori¨

Please read the reply from Archbishop Henry Orombi/Uganda which includes: ¨ I am not visiting a church in the Diocese of Georgia. I am visiting a congregation that is part of the Church of Uganda. Were I to visit a congregation within TEC, I would certainly observe the courtesy of contacting the local bishop. Since, however, I am visiting a congregation that is part of the Church of Uganda, I feel very free to visit them and encourage them through the Word of God...¨ HERE )

·  Thanks to Episcopal Cafe, sidebar
·  Thanks to The Supreme Court of Georgia, HERE
·  Thanks to Jim Naughton, The Lead HERE
·  Thanks to Wounded Bird, sidebar HERE
·  Thanks to Three Rivers Episcopal, sidebar HERE