Today the Church honors and
remembers George Kennedy Allen Bell, who was born on 4 February 1883 and died
on this day in 1958. Bell was an
Anglican theologian, Dean of Canterbury, Bishop of Chichester, member of the
House of Lords and a pioneer of the Ecumenical Movement.
Bell was a man of extraordinary
vision, giving his support in 1943 to the pioneering notion of a World Council
of Religions trying to unify the world's spiritual traditions around a common
set of values. Elected the first moderator of the World Council of Church's
Central Committee in 1948, Bell also served as a President of the WCC from 1954
until his death. Bell can properly be considered one of the founders of the
ecumenical movement.
During World War II, he placed
his own career at risk by condemning the saturation bombing of Germany. He was
a strong supporter of the anti-Hitler Confessing Church in Germany, and gave
asylum to Jewish and other refugees.
Let us pray: God of peace, you sustained your bishop
George Bell with the courage to proclaim your truth and justice in the face of
disapproval in his own nation: As he taught that we, along with our enemies,
are all children of God, may we stand with Christ in his hour of grieving, that
at length we may enter your country where there is no sorrow nor sighing, but
fullness of joy in you; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who with you and the
Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
This is the last weekend of the
4th Annual Art Show. If you or
your friends have not seen it, please come and invite your friends.
This Saturday, 6 October, Jeff
Fisher will be ordained bishop to serve as the Suffragan Bishop in the Diocese
of Texas.
The Adult Christian Education
series on the Lord’s Prayer continues this Sunday. Please join the Bains for this wonderful
study.
Please remember everyone on our
Prayer List, especially the family of Fred Pearson, Bishop Doyle’s
father-in-law, who died this week, and thank you to everyone for your prayers
as I recover from knee surgery.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal
Church
Galveston, Texas
77550
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