In today's age of plenty there is no reason why anyone should go without, IF ….

The Bishops of Hereford and Derby today challenge governments, companies and citizens to take the necessary steps to reduce the millions currently going hungry, as a coalition 100 organisations come together to make 2013 the year in which we make dramatic progress towards ending global hunger - IF.

Speaking as the Lead Bishop on rural issues, the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, said: "Today, the world produces enough food to feed all seven billion of its inhabitants, but nearly one billion still go without. The growing levels of food insecurity in an age of plenty challenge the Gospel message of abundant life."

Bishop Anthony continues: "As a Church we are called upon both to feed the hungry and to expose and eradicate the causes of debilitating hunger. This year's IF campaign provides us all with an opportunity to cast a spotlight on our broken food system and to press governments, companies and citizens to take the necessary steps to reduce the millions currently going hungry."

In a podcast released to mark the launch of the IF campaign, the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, who will be speaking at the campaign launch, said: "IF is a very small word but it can have enormous consequences and this campaign asks all of us to use the word 'IF' for ourselves - our spending, our resources, our praying, our hopes for a better world in 2013."

Bishop Alastair continues: "It's a national campaign, an international campaign, drawing people together - IF. IF we can join together then many more people can be lifted out of hunger. Let all of us hear that word: "If you wanted to, you could help me more." And let each of our hearts reflect on that word: "If we tried harder we could make a huge difference." And that's what this year of 2013 is all about and what our endeavours are about as we join with others for this campaign."

Notes

The Church of England is a member of ENOUGH FOOD FOR EVERYONE IF. This is a national campaign involving 100 organisations that have come together to make 2013 the year in which we make dramatic progress towards ending global hunger. For more about the campaign and its launch please visit the campaign website at www.enoughfoodif.org
The Church of England will be using the UK Presidency of the G8 to focus on two key concerns: hunger and sexual violence in conflict. To learn more about the Church's work in both these areas please visit the following website: http://www.churchofengland.org/our-views/international-affairs/the-uk-g8.aspx
The Bishop of Derby's podcast can be found at the following link: http://audio.cofemedia.org.uk/synod/bishopofderbyifcampaign.mp3

Presiding Bishop to chair special meeting of Diocese of South Carolina

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will convene and chair a special meeting of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina Convention on January 26 at Grace Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC.

Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori will celebrate and preach at Eucharist at 9:30 am. The special meeting follows; the slated agenda items include the election of the Rt. Rev. Charles Glenn vonRosenberg as Provisional Bishop and then the election of clergy and lay people to serve in diocesan leadership positions.

Among the invited guests to the special convention are the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, President of the House of Deputies; Angela Daniel of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina and President of Province IV; Bishop John C. Buchanan, Diocese of Quincy; Bishop Dabney Smith, Diocese of Southwest Florida; Bishop Andrew Waldo, Diocese of Upper South Carolina; and Bishop George D. Young, III, Diocese of East Tennessee

The special meeting was called following the announcement by the former bishop and some diocesan elected leaders that they were no longer affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The Presiding Bishop accepted the former bishop’s renunciation on December 5, 2012.

The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina is composed of 24 counties in eastern South Carolina. Currently, nearly two dozen parishes and missions and six worship communities have indicated their intent on remaining with the Episcopal Church; others are expected to attend the special convention.

Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina: http://www.episcopaldioceseofsc.org/
Grace Episcopal Church http://www.gracechurchcharleston.org/

San Francisco Board of Supervisors to Move Forward on Proposal to Rename San Francisco International Airport, "San Francisco Harvey Milk International.

(San Francisco) - Equality California has learned that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is planning to move forward with a proposal to rename San Francisco International Airport to Harvey Milk International Airport, after the former supervisor who was the first proudly gay man elected to office in America.

"Renaming the airport for Harvey Milk would be an international symbol of hope and freedom, and an enormous educational opportunity," said John O'Connor, Equality California executive director. "People from around the world -- including countries where being gay is still against the law -- will learn about Milk's great legacy. This is a chance to lead the world and affect positive change on a global scale."

"Having San Francisco name its international airport after my uncle is a wonderful and fitting tribute to Harvey and the spirit of inclusion that embodies the core values he taught and lived by: respect for human rights; equality; collaboration; understanding; and a world view," said Stuart Milk, Harvey Milk's nephew, board member of EQCA, and co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation. "Led by SF Supervisor David Campos, this action sends a powerful message across the globe; that San Francisco continues to be a beacon of light moving us all forward, leading new generations of Americans and foreign visitors alike ever closer to equality for all.”

San Francisco International Airport serves over 40 million passengers a year, with 59 airlines serving 105 airports throughout the world. This would be the first airport in the world named after a proudly LGBT person.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights advocacy organization in California. Over the past 13 years, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Equality California has partnered with legislators and advocates to successfully sponsor more than 90 pieces of pro-equality legislation. EQCA continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org

Church rejoicing over Christmas Twitter campaign

The Church of England today released figures for its Christmas Twitter campaign #ChristmasStartsWithChrist.

Launched in November 2012, congregations and clergy in the 12,500 parishes of the Church of England were encouraged to get out their smartphones and livetweet the joy and meaning of Christmas in a series of 140 character messages to the 10 million people who make up the UK's 'Twitterati'.
Churches from across the country took part in the campaign, tweeting their sermons using the hashtag "#ChristmasStartsWithChrist" to share their Christmas messages. Figures revealed today show almost 9,000 tweets sent using the hashtags "#ChristmasStartsWithChrist" and "#CSWC" with peak traffic occurring on Christmas Day at around 11am (GMT) and a smaller peak on Christmas Eve at 11pm (GMT).
Taken over a 24 hour period from 11pm on Christmas Eve to 11am on Christmas Day these figures represent an average of 370 tweets per hour, 6 per minute or 1 every 10 seconds.
The cumulative reach for the 8,878 tweets using the hashtags was 9.6 million twitter users.
In addition to sermons from the UK, tweets were also sent from services in churches as far away as Brisbane, South India and Basel.
Led by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams (@lambethpalace), the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu (@johnsentamu) and Archbishop Designate Justin Welby (@bishopofdurham), churches took to the twittersphere to communicate the good news of Christ coming into the world.
Revd Arun Arora (@RevArun), Director of Communications at the Archbishops' Council, said: "This was the first time the Church of England has adopted Twitter for a Christmas initiative and we are delighted with the results.
"Christmas is one of those times when the Church is at its best, proclaiming with joy and song the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. To see so many people communicating the joy of Christmas with a shared message of #ChristmasStartsWithChrist was a cause for rejoicing.
"We are already looking at using twitter for our Lent campaign, LoveLifeLiveLent (@LiveLent).
"This was a real team effort with Archbishops and Bishops, clergy and laity, on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, all joining in to proclaim the good news. As with the rest of society, there are many social media enthusiasts in our pews and it is each of them we have to thank for making this happen."

Former Gay and Lesbian Service Members Subject to Discriminatory Policy to Receive Full Separation Pay

ACLU Challenged Policy that Cut Separation Pay in Half for Service Members Discharged for Their Sexual Orientation

WASHINGTON – Former service members who are part of a class action lawsuit challenging a Defense Department policy that cuts in half the separation pay of those who have been honorably discharged for “homosexuality” will receive their full pay after a settlement announced today. 

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of New Mexico had filed a class action lawsuit against the policy, which was not part of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" statute and so was not changed when that law was repealed. 

“There was absolutely no need to subject these service members to a double dose of discrimination by removing them from the armed forces in the first place, and then denying them this small benefit to ease the transition to civilian life,” said Laura Schauer Ives, managing attorney for the ACLU of New Mexico. “This decision represents a long-delayed justice to these veterans.” 

The ACLU’s class action lawsuit represented approximately 181 honorably discharged veterans who had their separation pay cut in half because of the discriminatory policy. The total amount of separation pay withheld from those veterans is approximately $2.4 million. The lead plaintiff in the case is Richard Collins, a former staff sergeant in the Air Force who served for nine years until he was discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Collins was stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico before being seen by a co-worker exchanging a kiss with his boyfriend in their car while stopped at an intersection off-base.

“This means so much to those of us who dedicated ourselves to the military, only to be forced out against our will for being who we are,” said Collins. “We gave all we had to our country, and just wanted the same dignity and respect for our service as any other veterans.”

Under the settlement, all service members covered by the lawsuit will be contacted by the government and notified that they are eligible to opt in to the settlement and receive 100 percent of the separation pay that they would have received had they been discharged for any other honorable reason. Federal law entitles service members to separation pay if they have been involuntarily and honorably discharged from the military after completing at least six years of service in order to help ease their transition to civilian life.

The settlement covers service members who were discharged on or after November 10, 2004, which is as far back as the settlement could extend under the applicable statute of limitations.

“It makes no sense to continue to penalize service members who were discharged under a discriminatory statute that has already been repealed,” said Joshua Block, staff attorney for the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. “The amount of the pay owed to these veterans is small by military standards, but is hugely significant in acknowledging their service to their country.”

More information on the case is available at: http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/collins-v-united-states-class-action-military-separation-pay