A former Ugandan judge and former Bishop of Stepney and also of Birmingham, Dr. John Sentamu will become Archbishop of York. He replaces Dr. David Hope, who stepped down to become rector of a “traditional” parish in Ilkley, York. Dr. Sentamu is seen as more progressive than his predecessor on many issues, but forms his own opinions on others. Dr. Hope opposed female clergy and other reforms, while Dr. Sentamu opposed the war in Iraq. However, what’s more important is in the causes he supports: displaced auto workers, reducing in gun crime, reducing in racial tensions, and revitalizing people’s involvement with the Anglican church. He hopes to get people as excited about their religion as they are about cricket and soccer.

As Archbishop of York, he holds the second most important post in the Anglican Church in Britain. It’s conceivable that he could be Archbishop of Canterbury one day. He has vowed to ban homophobia in the Church of England. He is looking forward to “developing ways that will enable the Church of England to reconnect imaginatively with England“.

After wrestling with an ugly word that is part of the story quoted below, I decided for the moment to leave it in. If we pretend that problems don’t exist, they will eventually overwhelm us. We must face them. We must look each other in the eye and join together to combat them, just as the new Archbishop of York has pledged to do. We should remember his struggle and his example when we are in the midst of our own travails, and take heart and hope.

John Sentamu, the new archbishop of York, is a mould-breaker in more ways than one.

Not only is he the Church of England’s first black primate; he is also seen as possessing street cred.

He is a trusted adviser to the government on race and the inner cities, yet does not shrink from criticising it.

And he speaks the sort of language most of us use, without taking refuge in ecclesiastical gobbledygook.

…

During his six years as bishop of Stepney in east London he was stopped and searched eight times by the police.

What upset him most was the sudden change in the officers’ behaviour when they realised his identity.

He said: “When they discovered who I was, the way I was then treated was very different. They should treat everybody with respect, with dignity.”

Another time, he recalls, four young white men spat at him and said: “Nigger, go back.”

He replied: “You have wasted your saliva.”

When he moved from Stepney to the West Midlands Dr Sentamu said he wanted to be known as the Bishop for Birmingham, not of it. – BBC NEWS | UK | England | The Archbishop with ‘street cred’

The readings for Sunday, June 19th
Jeremiah 20:7-13
Romans 5:15b-19
Matthew 10:(16-23)24-33
Psalm 69:1-18 or 69:7-10, 16-18

Gospel: Matthew 10:(16-23)24-33

Jesus said to the twelve apostles,

[“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.]

“A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

Most Sundays, we pray for a variety of local and global Episcopal and Anglican bodies, including the diocese of Renk in the Sudan. A neighbor parish, St Michael’s Barrington, has established a relationship with and helps support the Episcopal churches in the Renk diocese. Their information page notes:

Profile of the Diocese of Renk, Sudan

Since 1986, the fundamentalist Islamic government in northern Sudan has been waging a civil war against Christians and Animists in the south. To date, over 2 million people have been killed, with another 4 million displaced from their homes. Many of these refugees have resettled in Renk diocese, where they are ministered to by Bishop Daniel Deng Bul and his clergy. These people have suffered untold horrors in the name of Jesus Christ, yet their faith remains strong. Our relationship with Renk offers us a chance to make a difference in the lives of our brothers ans sisters, and in turn their strength of spirit leads us to deepen our faith. – St Michaels Barrington: Sudan Covenant Care Commission

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St Michael’s level of support and their relationship with the people and clergy of Renk is to be commended.

A recent event at Elmhurst College highlighted the amount of support parishes in Northern Illinois continue to give to Sudan and the diocese of Renk and for relief efforts in the region of Darfur. This event was conceived of and implemented by diocesan youth.

The Episcopal Church has been urging action on Darfur (western Sudan) for some time, but the problem is ongoing. Renk (southern Sudan) has seen its share of conflict – as far back as 1998, southern rebels were accused of killing northern merchants near the town of Renk by the Sudanese government; this was likely a pretext for the northern Arab/Islamic northern government to crack down on the Christian/animists of south Sudan.

Fortunately, a peace agreement has been reached between the government and the rebel forces in the south, and there is much cause for celebration. Unfortunately, there are still many problems confronting the people of Sudan. Not only that, the Khartoum headquarters and guest house of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ESC) were “confiscated” in a disputed property sale related to the actions of a defrocked former bishop last year, and recently an Arab-owned company took over the building. They still have many challenges to overcome that make our own problems seem minor by comparison.

So next Sunday, when we pray for the diocese of Renk and Bp. Daniel Deng Bul, keep in mind all Sudanese who have been affected by the years of civil war. Here are just a few stories:

The survivors of the forced evictions in Soba Aradi on May 18th. An estimated 15-22 adults and some children died in the unannounced destruction of a settlement for internally displaced Sudanese, many of whom are Episcopalians.

The bishops of Sudan who had to cancel a historic synod because the roads to the south from Khartoum are still mined and unsafe for travel. Several US and British dioceses were sending delegations, but are now re-evaluating travel plans.

Former “Lost Boys” who have found homes and a future in Chicago, and other cities in the US, but who may soon be returning to rebuild their shattered country.