Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori has urged Episcopalians to observe the Second
Sunday in Advent, December 7, as a day of prayer for those in the
Diocese of Liberia and the entire Anglican Church of the Province of
West Africa, areas heavily affected by the current Ebola pandemic.
"The Diocese of
Liberia was founded by Episcopalians in 1836, and was a diocese of The
Episcopal Church until the early 1980s, when it joined the Province of
West Africa," noted Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori. "Today we continue
in a covenant relationship of mutual support and fellowship."
She continued,
"Liberia is at the epicenter of the recent Ebola outbreak, and
Episcopalians have turned Cuttington University (Suakoku) into a center
for response in rural northern Liberia. The Anglican Province of West
Africa includes all three nations (Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone)
where the pandemic continues to develop. The suffering and death is
enormous, the economy is devastated, schools are closed, yet the caring
and compassionate response continues."
The Presiding
Bishop concluded, "I ask your prayers for the people of West Africa in
the midst of this plague. Please include this in your intentions on the
Second Sunday of Advent. With Isaiah, pray for comfort and strength
for all God's children; seek out the builder of straight roads and giver
of healing balm for all on this difficult journey. Learn about this
crisis, and instead of fear, let your hearts be moved to respond in
generosity of spirit and of purse."
