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[Episcopal News Service] An interfaith prayer vigil in Washington, D.C., is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. April 3, the eve of the first hearing in The Episcopal Church’s joint lawsuit with partner denominations seeking to protect houses of worship from immigration enforcement actions. The vigil will be held at National City Christian Church and will be available by livestream. Participants will “gather in solidarity, lifting prayers for justice, compassion, and the protection of immigrant communities.” Organizers encourage participants to RSVP. “Please join me in praying for the United States in this tenuous moment,” Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service, “for its leaders, and especially for the most vulnerable members of our communities, many of whom are migrants and refugees. We know that we cannot worship freely if some of us are living in fear, and I pray that this lawsuit enables us to gather and fully practice our faith in loving our neighbors as ourselves.” The Episcopal Church is one of more than two dozen Christian and Jewish organizations that sued the Trump administration on Feb. 11 for allowing immigration officers to target churches and other “sensitive” places for arrests as part of the president’s promised crackdown on legal and illegal immigration. The plaintiffs are represented by the nonpartisan Georgetown University Law Center. A preliminary injunction hearing in the case is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern April 4 at the U.S. District Court in Washington. The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of violating First Amendment protections of both freedom of religion and freedom of association, because of the burden created by the “looming threat of immigration enforcement action at their places of worship and during their religious ceremonies.” The lawsuit notes that many congregations serving immigrant communities have already seen decreases in worship attendance and participation in social service ministries. At issue are changes to Department of Homeland Security policies since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. The next day, the department ended Biden administration policies that had identified certain sensitive areas, including schools, hospitals and houses of worship, as protected from immigration enforcement actions. The Episcopal Church said in a news release that Episcopal congregations in the United States are among the houses of worship where even some immigrants with legal residency have chosen to stay home rather than attend worship services because of the risk of arrest. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the federal government that would block immigration enforcement at houses of worship or during worship services unless authorities first obtain judicial warrants. The Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations also is advocating for legislation backing immigration policies aligned with church positions that have been adopted by General Convention. Rebecca Blachly, the church’s chief of public policy and witness, singled out the proposed Sensitive Locations Protection Act, which would clarify the authority of and limits on immigration officers at places of worship. “It is essential for our religious communities to be able to worship without threat of immigration enforcement, and enshrining this protection in statute will help all people to be able to worship, seek medical care and send children to school without fear of deportation,” Blachly said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service. The Office of Government Relations encourages Episcopalians to sign up for action alerts from the Episcopal Public Policy Network to help them engage with these and other issues of importance to the church. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

[Melbourne Anglican] A parish church in Vermont, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, has created a safe space for youth in the Chinese community to find connection and encouragement. The vicar of Holy Name Anglican Church, the Rev. Grace Wang, and parishioner and counselor Ping Luo saw a need with young people disconnected from family and education. Some of the young people were school refusers, and others had learning difficulties exacerbated by language gaps. Luo said she was working with young people one-on-one, but the Safe Space initiative enabled youths of similar backgrounds to come together, share stories and make social connections. “The youth find it very difficult to make new friends at school. They felt isolated,” she said. “Some are very anxious.” Safe Space was a recipient of the Melbourne Anglican Foundation youth grants. This funding was invaluable for the continued provision of food and mentoring at no cost to the young people. Wang said it was important to provide vulnerable young people with a safe environment where they could build trusted relationships and share their lives. The young people were initially withdrawn, not willing to make eye contact, but Wang has seen them transform. “They got back a life in their eyes,” she said. “It’s encouraging just to help the young people to feel recognized.”

[Episcopal News Service] In advance of its 50th anniversary celebration in June, Education for Ministry has announced new, shorter options meant to engage more people in theological formation in their parish, as well as a new online portal for some of the four-year-course’s curriculum. According to a news release, about 120,000 people have taken the course, initially called Theological Education by Extension, since it debuted in 1975. “We rarely hear of people who go through EfM who didn’t feel transformed,” the Rev. Kevin Goodman, its executive director, told Episcopal News Service. The goal of Education for Ministry, according to its website, is to provide formation for any ministry to which a course participant might feel called – whether lay or ordained – through small-group study and practicing theological reflection. Goodman said that when the program launched in 1975, the study materials were created by faculty at the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. In the early 2000s the program switched to using books written by scholars in their respective fields of Biblical studies, church history, and Christian ethics and spirituality – some of the same textbooks that seminaries and theology schools are using, he noted. Starting in September, an online study guide will accompany the course texts through a dedicated section, or path, on Pathwright, an online platform designed for interactive group learning. The guide previously had been available only in print. “The beauty of this is that we can say, ‘Go read this in your text, but also check out this podcast or this video,’ and they can link to it directly from the path,” Goodman said. “We can continually update it.” To differentiate the existing program from new offerings, beginning in September the traditional course will be called EfM: Classic. A new, one-year course that offers students a look at the same topics the longer form provides will be called EfM: Wide Angle. Both courses are led by group mentors who have had special training. Also beginning in September, EfM: Reflections, a series of study groups each lasting about six weeks, will help people reflect theologically on a variety of contemporary topics. During years of serving as an interim rector for congregations, Goodman learned that “formation needs to come in different [ways] in order to meet the needs of where people are.” These new options will provide additional “entry points” for that, he said. Also, as part of its 50th anniversary, Education for Ministry has compiled a book of essays from participants about what the program has meant to them, titled “Education for Ministry – 50 Years of Engaging, Responding, and Reflecting.” It also is hosting an anniversary celebration June 5 – 8 at the University of the South, with a keynote address by the Rev. Stephanie Spellers, who served former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry as canon for evangelism, reconciliation and creation care; a concert by singer-songwriter Lilli Lewis; and Education for Ministry-related seminars. — Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

[Episcopal News Service] Massachusetts Bishop Julia Whitworth issued a statement April 1 decrying the Trump administration’s abrupt detention of a Boston-area graduate student from Turkey who is in the United States legally on a student visa. “Our Christian faith calls us to renounce the promotion of xenophobia and fear to foment dehumanization of any of God’s children, especially immigrants and our newest neighbors,” Whitworth said in highlighting the case of Rumeysa Ozturk, who is pursuing a doctorate at Tufts University. Ozturk, 30, was taken into custody on a sidewalk in the Boston suburb of Sommerville on March 25 by plain-clothes agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who could be seen in an eyewitness and surveillance videos with their faces covered as they handcuffed her. Federal officials then transferred her to a detention facility in Louisiana. The case has drawn parallels to earlier Trump administration arrests and attempted deportations of other foreign-born college students, including Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder. Like Khalil, Ozturk appears to have been targeted for her political activism, specifically an opinion essay she co-authored a year ago that was critical of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The Department of Homeland Security said she had “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.” Whitworth, in her statement opposing Ozturk’s arrest, noted that the student was taken off the street while on her way to an iftar, the end-of-day meal by which Muslims break their daily fast during Ramadan. “I reject the actions of the executive branch of our federal government in its targeting of international students for their exercise of free speech and dissent, cornerstones of our U.S. Constitution and American values,” Whitworth said. “Throughout the congregations of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, we are committed to radical welcome, care and support of our most vulnerable neighbors and to collaboration with our ecumenical, interfaith, and secular partners for immigration justice.” Since taking office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump, saying he is combating antisemitism, has threatened to deport foreign-born campus protesters who opposed Israel’s war on Hamas, which Israel launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli communities. After Khalil, the Columbia University graduate, was detained in early March, New York Bishop Matthew Heyd issued a statement condemning the government’s actions. “In accordance with our faith and civic creed, we uphold the belief that difference and dissent should be safe,” Heyd said at the time. “We reject deportation based on political viewpoint – whether we agree or disagree.” Like Ozturk, Khalil was taken to a detention facility in Louisiana, presumably because federal authorities expect judges there will be receptive to their case against him. Khalil’s attorneys are trying to get him transferred back to New Jersey, where he lives, while they fight his deportation. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

[Episcopal News Service] Some of the Episcopal delegates who represented Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe at the 69th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, or CSW69, in New York City gathered via Zoom March 31 to report on their experiences. Episcopal leaders who participated independently also shared their reflections. CSW69/Beijing+30 focused mostly on reviewing the implementation and outcomes of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 30 years after the U.N. adopted the resolution during the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, held in China’s capital. The Beijing Declaration promotes gender equality and women’s rights through a set of principles addressing 12 critical areas of concern, including education, economic empowerment, political participation and ending gender-based violence. “I think for many of us who work in the field of gender justice, this year was a particularly very heavy year for CSW,” Nicole Hosein, director of Episcopal Relief & Development’s gender initiatives, said during the webinar, “Beyond Beijing+30: Realizing the Dream.” “A recent U.N. Women report noted there’s pushback against gender justice in one in four countries globally, and that’s really alarming,” said Hosein, who participated virtually during the first half of the March 10-21 meeting. Hosein was one of the six Episcopal delegates to CSW69 alongside the Rev. Margaret Rose, the presiding bishop’s ecumenical and interreligious deputy and former director of The Episcopal Church’s women’s ministries; Rebecca Blachly, the church’s chief of public policy and witness; Lynnaia Main, the church’s representative to the United Nations; Julia Ayala Harris, president of the House of Deputies; and Troy Collazo, policy adviser with the church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations. The delegates joined representatives of U.N. member states, U.N. entities and accredited nongovernmental organizations who gather annually to learn from one another and strategize ways to increase and improve women’s equality and empowerment worldwide. CSW69 also addressed ongoing challenges women and girls face, including gender-based violence, wage gaps, economic barriers and a lack of access to education and health care. Women and girls of color and LGBTQ+ women are disproportionately affected by these challenges. For example, nearly 130 million girls, most living in poorer countries, aren’t enrolled in school. Also, women worldwide are paid about 80% of what men are paid for the same work, and that wage gap is higher for women of color. Collazo, whose duties include advocating for The Episcopal Church’s positions on immigration and refugee policy, participated in person during the first week of CSW69. He was unable to join the webinar, but Main, who facilitated the webinar, read aloud his written reflection: “In all honesty, the conference felt somewhat hackneyed. I didn’t encounter any novel solutions to the problems women face that haven’t been discussed since the 1960s,” Collazo said in his written statement. “The challenges faced by refugee women, in particular, stood out as an area requiring more innovative approaches and leadership. I appreciate the opportunity to have been part of this important global forum and look forward to discussing how we can contribute to more progressive and effective solutions in the future.” Before he retired last fall, former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry wrote and submitted The Episcopal Church’s goals for CSW69 in a statement: Prioritize resources and programs for marginalized women and girls, including LGBTQ+ women, women of color, women with disabilities, migrant women, elderly women and others. Increase access to resources, public services, social protections and infrastructure. Increase access to economic and political power and decision-making. Eliminate all forms of gender-based violence. Address climate change and environmental issues, which disproportionately harm women and girls. “While celebrating progress for and by women and girls in all their diversity in the 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we lament persistent injustices and call for changes,” the statement says. Additionally, delegates participated in ecumenical and interfaith events during CSW69, including an opening and closing Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at The Episcopal Church Center in Manhattan. Rose told webinar participants she appreciated the opportunities to connect with women leaders of different faith backgrounds. “As we begin to think about what’s next, I hope that we’ll be able to do mission meetings in between and move ahead in ways that will continue to make a difference – certainly in the U.S. – but around the world where there continues to be so much need,” Rose said. During the webinar, Main noted that the United States, under President Donald Trump’s administration, wanted to eliminate the term “gender” from the conference, which contributes to the growing “pushback” against gender justice. Additionally, she mentioned that new challenges have manifested since the Beijing Declaration was adopted in 1995, including the gender digital divide and artificial intelligence, as well as the evolving definitions of gender and sex and the resulting “culture wars.” “We have seen, as well, the persistence and universality of gender-based violence. One in three women will experience that in their lifetimes. The ongoing pushback against health care and sexual and reproductive health rights – as well as the oppression of LGBTQ persons around the world – much still needs to be done. And of course, this work does not end,” Main said. The intentional killing of women and girls, or femicide, is also a global crisis. In 2022, nearly 89,000 known women and girls were murdered, the highest number recorded in 20 years. Femicide targeting transgender women and women of color has particularly been increasing every year. Lisa Bortner is president of the National Episcopal Church Women, or ECW, a churchwide organization that seeks to empower Episcopal women and foster programs that minister to women and children. She was one of several Episcopal leaders who independently participated in CSW69. During the webinar, Bortner mentioned that one of the ECW’s priorities is to advocate for increased focus on the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women. With that in mind, she said she was disappointed that, to her

On March 30, former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby did an interview with the BBC in which he said he failed to follow up allegations of abuse by John Smyth within the Church of England because the scale of the problem was “absolutely overwhelming.” He added the scale of the problem was “a reason – not an excuse” for his failure to act. Welby was forced to resign over the matter. What follows is the statement by the Rt. Rev. Joanne Grenfell, the Church of England’s lead bishop on safeguarding matters. [Church of England] Today’s interview with the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, will be a reminder to Smyth survivors of their awful abuse and its lifelong effects. I know they continue to be offered support, and we are deeply sorry for the abuse they suffered. First and foremost this must always be about victims and survivors, their needs and what they are asking us to hear and learn. I stand by my comments, made with the national safeguarding director Alexander Kubeyinje, on the publication of the Makin Review into the church’s handling of allegations against Smyth. We are appalled that any clergy person could believe that covering up abuse was justified in the name of the gospel – a comment highlighted in the Review. The gospel is about proclaiming good news to the poor and healing the brokenhearted. If anyone comes forward to the church today with a concern, they will be heard and responded to carefully and compassionately by safeguarding professionals according to our clearly set out guidance. General Synod voted in February to further strengthen its guidance on responding to allegations, which will make the reporting process clearer for all who come forward. In the past 10 years, the church has developed and strengthened its safeguarding policies and practices, making significant improvements in training, national safeguarding standards and external audits, and continues to do so. General Synod also voted in February to set up an external scrutiny body and to look further at models on operational independence. Every member of the church is responsible for a culture in which victims are heard, responded to well and put first: there is never a place for covering up abuse. We must learn from this and build future foundations to ensure that the church is as safe as it can be for all who come to worship or to engage with our many services and community projects.