Why ENAW?

The Episcopal Network for Animal Welfare (ENAW) serves as a “sister” organization in the United States to the UK based Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals (ASWA), originally as an expressed need by various US ASWA members to connect with each other, as well as with other Episcopalians across the country who share similar interests. ENAW is also an attempt to ìlive intoî the spirit of GC2003 Resolution D016.

There are parallels or connections between animal advocacy and many other existing ministries and organizations in the Church, including (but not limited to) eco-justice, peace & justice, non-violence, stewardship, outreach, evangelism, 20/20, and any individuals or groups that speak out in defense of the oppressed, the voiceless and ìthe least of theseî.

The root causes of violence, oppression, exploitation, suffering, and disrespect for others are the same, whether the victims are human or non-human animals. It is hoped that these issues can be addressed by ìthose who speak where many listen and write what many readî, in ways that can include all aspects, thus helping all, without harming any.

The Mission of the Episcopal Network for Animal Welfare is to create an inclusive and mutually-supportive venue for Episcopal animal advocates with a variety of interests and gifts; and to offer our presence, passion, enthusiasm and resources to help equip the churches to give meaningful voice to every creature under Heaven, especially where neglect, cruelty, degradation and commercial exploitation are concerned.

Please join us. And if you have a website, please link to ours.

For more information, visit http://www.enaw.org

Click here, to see what’s featured on our Post-General Convention “Clearance Sale”.

One of the main focuses at General Convention 2006 was on mission. Support of the Millenium Development Goals was one of the most positive victories, to commit to end poverty by 2015, calling upon individuals, congregations, dioceses and beyond to give .07% of their income to NGO’s, to lift the poorest of the poor up on the economic ladder. 0.7% is an attainable goal. And ending extreme poverty is also an attainable goal, if people have the will and the generosity to work to attain it. I believe that this goal can be reached without supporting the exploitation of animals, undoing the damage that has been done in the wealthy countries to our health, the animals and the environment, and protecting the poor from Western diseases that are manageable with the dependence on the Western pharmaceutical and medical industries.

As you consider how you might participate in supporting the MDG goals, please choose to support organizations that do not focus on building economies based on the exploitation and commodification of animals — even if you yourself are not a vegetarian. We can put an end to hunger and extreme poverty without the use of animals! This could be a “win-win” opportunity for humans and non-humans alike, with no extra effort, and without having to put animals on the “back burner” until all the world’s problems are solved.

Here are some alternatives:

Fair Trade (Be sure the proceeds will go where you think they should, or include a note to designate.)
or organizations such as:

All Souls’ (San Diego) Kenya Project,

“Our projects are focused on

sustainable vegetable agriculture because

that is what it takes to

keep people from dying of starvation.

It is focused on medical care and education
especially for the AIDS orphans
and urban poor children.”
– The Rev. Michael Russell, Rector of All Souls
(quoted with permission)
- Plenty International,

- Lifewater International(or similar organizations that dig wells where clean drinking water isn’t available),
- Trees for Life,
- The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation,
- Sustainable Harvest International
(not totally cruelty-free, but commendable),
- Food for Life (Hare Krishna, but virtually 100% of donations go directly to feeding people in disasters and war zones),
- HIPPO (UK),
- VegFam (UK).

Both ERD and Heifer Project, which are popular charities among Episcopalians, also offer non-animal projects. If you or your congregation supports either of them, or other similar organizations, please designate your gifts to ensure they will be used to support non-animal projects, and not simply thrown into the general pot.

(Although this focuses on the way things are in the USA, click on the links for a brief background on
health, animals, and the environment.)

More info about some of the organizations listed above can be found at: http://episcoveg.weblogger.com/2005/01/28
More info on Fair Trade will be added, as I find appropriate websites.

Also, here is a site that gives statistics of lactose intolerance by ethnicity:
from lactoseintolerant.org, and an interview from Satya.

Here is the original text to GC2006 Resolution D041, found at
http://gc2006.org/legislation:

ORIGINAL TEXT

Resolution D041

Title: Liturgy for the Loss of a Companion Animal

Topic: Liturgy

Committee: 13. Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music

House of Initial Action: Bishops

Proposer: The Rev. Lee Shaw (Utah)

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Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That the 75th General Convention reaffirm that all animals are a part of All Creation, for which we are called to be stewards of Godís gifts; and be it further
Resolved, That the Episcopal Church embrace the opportunity for pastoral care for people who grieve the loss of a companion animal; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention direct the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to develop a rite to observe the loss of a companion animal for inclusion in the next edition of the Book of Occasional Services and that it report its work to the 76th General Convention.

EXPLANATION

Various groups within the Church have shown an interest in developing inclusive liturgies for events that touch people’s lives, for which there currently exists no authorized rite. The bond between humans and their animal companions can be strong, causing a deep sense of loss, grief (or even guilt) over the animal’s death, especially when dealing with the loss alone, without the presence of their community of faith, or having a preconception that such an event falls outside the interest of their church. Our animal companions provide a unique connection to creation and expand our sense of God’s diverse gifts in creation. In many cases they also join us as partners in ministry, in such capacities as assistance animals, i.e., seeing eye dogs, etc. as well as therapy dogs and cats used in health care facilities and for pastoral care. An authorized rite in the Book of Occasional Services would give clergy and others a resource for offering pastoral care at the death of a companion animal.

* Resolution is final but status and text are still under review before publication.

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Briefly, 6 people spoke at the committee hearing strongly in favor of the resolution. But at the following meeting on Monday, when the committee had to vote, two or three on the committee gave red herring reasons why they would vote against it — because some friends one had from Africa laughed when they heard we have animal hospitals in this country, and something about “Western privilege” (not realizing that it is “Western privilege” that enables people like Episcopalians to spend the big bucks to meet at a 10 day convention, and spend big bucks on a steak dinner). And another mentioned the MDG’s, as if we shouldn’t care about animals until all the world’s problems are solved, or as if this would detract from other work in the Church. The committee voted to reduce the resolution to prayers from a liturgy. When it went to the House of Bishops, they rejected it, with demeaning comments. That was a totally unexpected kick in the stomach.

I’m putting together some posts I sent to my listserv. It’s linked here.

In the meantime (between now and the next time we try again), liturgies for companion animals are available in Andrew Linzey’s Animal Rites, or,
here and
here.

The Church as an institution cannot censor our “unauthorized” prayers.
Thanks be to God!

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To the Episcopal bishops who considered this resolution too trivial to waste your time on (compared to some of the other rites of passage liturgies that weren’t) this quote is for you:

“Far from being a little issue, animals have become a litmus test of whether we really believe in a God who is great enough to transform the evil in the world….
[T]he churches who should be leaders in the movement for the protection of animals are not even in the procession….
Christian indifference has contributed to a state of near despair about the plight of animals….”
–The Revd Professor Andrew Linzey, PhD, DD,
from The Gospel for Every Creature

And to the bishop who threw “Western privilege” out as a red herring, how about all the Western privileges Episcopalians enjoy? The Church is full of Western privileges. If it weren’t, you’d be preaching a vegan Lent, and a boycott of fur, and people would take you seriously, right? The convention planners would look for a simpler and less expensive way to make General Convention more accessible for average members to attend. Think of all the paper and fossil fuel each Convention wastes — Stewardship of Creation (or lack of it) by the schizophrenic Body of Christ.

(I’ll apologize when you do).

“The indifference, callousness and contempt that so many people exhibit toward animals is evil first because it results in the great suffering of animals, and second because it results in an incalculably great impoverishment of the human spirit.”
– Ashley Montagu