News and Events

The Most Reverend Douglas Kessler
Bishop of the Diocese of the West of the
Charismatic Episcopal Church
and the Clergy and People of the
Diocese of the West
cordially invite you to attend the ordination of

Christopher Moran

To the Sacred Order of Priesthood
in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church on
Friday, the thirteenth day of February
In the year of our Lord
two thousand and fifteen
at seven o'clock in the evening
St. Paul's Charismatic Episcopal Church
201 Taylor Street
Henderson, NV 89015

Your prayers and presence are requested

Clergy wear red stoles

Non Nobis Domine, Sed Nomine Tuo Da Gloriam

Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion

by Janet Morana and Georgette Forney

This year, the Silent No More Awareness Campaign will embark on a project called Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion.

But what do we mean by Healing the shockwaves of abortion?

When most people think of abortion, it is often as a contentious social or political issue or a closely guarded secret that is best left alone, in the past. We may struggle at times with the moral dilemma of abortion, but we tend to think of it as a private and personal decision. It's none of our business, right?

But the truth is, many of us have been impacted by the premeditated death of an unborn child. 

You may be the mother or fatherwho was part of an abortion decision, or felt powerless to stop it.

You may be a grandparent who tried to prevent the death of your grandchild, or you were active in encouraging your son or daughter to have an abortion. 

You may have lost a sibling to abortion. If you were born since 1973 you escaped the fate of one-third of your generation because you were a"wanted child."

Perhaps you are an ultrasound technician who reveals the child in the womb to a pregnant mother, hoping she will choose life, but she decides to abort her unborn child. 

Some of you may have been active accessories in a child's death if you:

• Drove your friend to the abortion clinic or paid for your sister's abortion.
• You knew a young couple was considering an abortion, and told them they were doing the right thing, or you said nothing.
• Are a health-care professional, counselor, teacher or minister that was in some direct way part of an abortion decision or procedure.

All those involved with an abortion decision want to flee from the emotional fallout of the event as quickly as possible, but the truth is that abortion triggers a series of powerful physical, emotional and spiritual shockwaves. 

Think of what happens before, during and after an earthquake. Along fault lines in the earth's crust, rocks under great stress shift violently, causing shockwaves to spread out in every direction. Sometimes these shockwaves can be felt by people thousands of miles away.

With abortion, the "fault line" is the conditions that made ending the life of the unborn child seem like the right choice. The violent shift takes place in the abortion clinic, where a child is literally torn from what should be the safest place on earth. The shockwaves of that abortion extend far beyond the epicenter of the procedure. 

Abortion changes the mother of the unborn child and how she interacts in all her relationships, present and future. But all those closely associated with the abortion decision and procedure can also experience a variety of aftershocks. The thoughts, feelings and memories from the event are often relegated to a distant, dark corner of the soul. This repression can lead to depression and anxiety, anger issues, addictions, and difficulties in marriage and family relationships.

What we are hoping with our shockwaves project is that, as people gain greater clarity and understanding, they will see the blessing of reconciliation and healing for themselves and their loved ones. 

The gentle but powerful waves of forgiveness and healing are stronger than the destructive shockwaves of abortion.

Every month this year, we will focus on a special group that has been directly impacted by abortion loss, with helpful information, resources, and most importantly, abortion-recovery programs. 

January, we will focus on "Healing through the Church." February, we will take advantage of Black History Month to offer "Healing the Black Family." March will put the focus on grandparents, while April will take a look at how the shockwaves have impacted the siblings. Mother's Day in May and Father's Day in June give us opportunities to focus on those at the epicenter, the parents who lose children to abortion.

"Healing the Survivors and Friends" will be the theme for July, followed by "Healing the Abortion Providers" in August. Family will be the theme for September, with a focus on Hispanic families in October. 

"Healing Pro-Lifers" will be the theme for November. Pro-lifers are part of a counter-cultural movement that faces ridicule, derision and sometimes even violence as we insist on civil rights for the child in the womb. This can take a toll on even the most committed individuals. In November, when the hopeful season of Advent begins, we offer healing resources for those with us on the frontlines.

In December, we honor our motivating and life-giving force, Jesus Christ. Recently, the pro-abortion author of a book who hopes to help remove the stigma of abortion gave an interview to an online news site and had this to say about the Silent No More Awareness Campaign: 

"I go every year to the Right to Life March in Washington, around the anniversary of Roe v Wade, and there are always these women, and I write about this in my book, and they stand up there and they read from these laminated cards the story of their abortion. And the story of their abortion always is, 'Someone pushed me into this. And it ruined my life. And now I've found Christ.' That's always the story."

We couldn't agree more. Finding Christ is the first step towards healing everyone who is impacted by the shockwaves of abortion. It's always the story. 

To find out more about this project and to access our monthly resources, sermon suggestions and links to recovery programs, please visit www.abortionshockwaves.com.

The Feast of Our Lord the Giver of Life 2015

Dear brothers and sisters,

I book my calendar almost two years in advance. There are some dates that are the same every year and, so, in my Google calendar they are there for all eternity. All of those dates are celebratory days - Christmas, Easter, birthdays, and anniversaries. But there is one day in my calendar that I pray will soon be deleted: the date of January 22. That is the day that the Supreme Court of the United States issued Roe v. Wade, the decision that legalized the murder of over 55 million preborn children.

This year, alone, more than one million babies will die in an abortion mill somewhere in the United States.

That figure is nothing in comparison to the worldwide figures. Since 1980, over a billion children have been murdered. Around the world this year, between 40 and 50 million children will die from abortion. That is roughly 125,000 children a day.

These figures are larger than the populations of entire countries.

Some in the Church want to suggest that speaking out against this holocaust is too political for the Church. Some even suggest that, because the church speaks out about abortion, we are either losing members or losing touch with the millennial generation, causing them not to come to faith in Christ Jesus. I don't believe either of those is true. What I believe is that abortion is the moral issue of this generation, and will remain the moral issue until abortion is not only illegal but is something we cannot imagine ever happened or allowing again. Abortion is not a choice, it is evil. Evil must be defeated by the truth of love.

The International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church has a major voice in the Pro-Life community. Many of our leaders in the church are also leaders in the Pro-Life movement. Thanks to the work of Fr. Terry Gensemer, a generation of younger men and women have been equipped to continue the battle, until January 22 is merely another day of the week - or, as one calendar suggests, "National Blonde Brownie Day."

The Patriarch's Council has determined that on the third Sunday of January - the Feast of Jesus the Lord the Giver of Life - a special offering will be taken in every ICCEC parish around the world. This offering will be collected and sent to the Patriarch's Office for the funding of CE for Life. It is not a suggested offering but a required offering, as the Patriarch's Council determined it was God s will for us to take this offering and to be vocal about our defense of all life.

I do know that as we preach the Good News of Jesus - who came that we might have abundant life - that lives are transformed. When the Gospel is preached broken lives are made whole. The sick are healed. Those in bondage are set free. And those caught in the grips of sin are forgiven to discover the mercy of God.

CEC for Life not only works to end abortion, it al so reaches out, along with other groups, to bring healing and forgiveness to those who have had abortions, and even to those who have been part of the abortion industry. This work is critical. It is the work of life.

Mark the calendar to not only keep the feast day, but also to take up the offering. I will be with you in prayer.

Under His mercy,

The Most Rev. Craig W. Bates
Patriarch, ICCEC

At 3:30am this morning Bp. Kessler’s mother Ruth peaceably went to be with the lord. He is driving home and once he gets settled, he will get an email out to everyone.

Thank you for holding his family up in prayers…