Voices of Faith lecture series to honor Bishop Steve Lane

Episcopal Diocese of Maine
Posted Apr 17, 2019

People of faith will gather on Wednesday, April 24th at the University of Southern Maine to honor the social justice ministry of Bishop Stephen Lane on the occasion of his retirement from the diocese.

Invited speakers include U.S. Senator Angus King, Bishop Thomas Ely – Diocese of Vermont, the Rev. Deborah Blood – Conference Minister of the United Church of Christ, Rabbi Carolyn Braun and many others.

According to John Hennessy, Director of the Maine Episcopal Network for Justice, the concept behind the event is to highlight many of the social justice issues the Bishop and the Diocese have engaged in during the past ten years and how that made a difference.

Issues like marriage equality, health care, civil discourse, poverty, and immigrant resettlement are part of the agenda. Bishop Ely will do a special presentation about Bishops United Against Gun Violence. The individual presentations will be followed up by a panel discussion which will focus on how current politics are changing religious attitudes and behaviors and how religious behaviors are changing politics.

The diocese has partnered with many organizations to engage in effective advocacy. Some of those groups like the Maine Council of Churches, the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination, and the Maine People’s Alliance, will be part of the evening salute to the importance of people of faith making a difference in the debate.