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The Primacy of Practice in the Modern World
January 13, 2020 — 14 Comments
The definition Hadot gives of philosophy as a spiritual exercise, in addition to the links between Greek philosophy, Christian monastic practice, and aesthetics I've just highlighted, makes it clear that askēsis is not bounded by the categories of philosophy, spirituality, art, or religion. In fact, askēsis is in many ways an avenue by which one might unite them, their many possible differences notwithstanding. It's no surprise, then, that debates over the role of askēsis in philosophical practice emerge in both philosophy and religion. I'm thinking here specifically of John Cottingham's account of the philosophy of religion, and the important, if not defining, role that askēsis plays within it.[1] Continue reading
This entry was tagged askēsis, Chrisitanity, John Cottingham, Monasticism, Philosophy, Pierre Hadot, Renee Descartes. Bookmark the permalink.
Perceptual Learning as Intuition-Making
My talk for the ( æthos ) Salon Series: Intuition as Sensemaking event held on November 4. It's about linking perceptual learning to intuition and in so doing starting to frame an account of the genesis of intuitive abilities, or, as I'm framing it, a process we could call intuition-making. Full notes below.
This entry was tagged Barbara Gail Montero, Evan Thompson, intuitions, Lisa Feldman Barrett, Perceptual Learning, Philosophy. Bookmark the permalink.
Float Tanks and Epoché
I've been writing recently about epoché as an exercise (or askēsis) of perception. I take epoché in this context to mean something like bracketing or suspending one's immersion in perception so that one can evaluate the construction of experience from a different angle.
Pierre Hadot describes something like an epoché when he writes about interrupting or intervening in the automatic functioning of what he calls our "inner logos." Our perception of things, Hadot says, is conditioned by our regular habits and acquaintances with the world around us.
This conditioning has a way of sedimenting itself into our experience. The inner logos is an interface between our habituated knowledge of the world, on the one hand, and the way this knowledge grows implicit within our perception, on the other.
The ever-present reality is that the inner logos is always becoming automatic. And this in many cases is as it should be—the inner logos is a system of embodied knowledge-habits that guide our navigation through the world.
It lets us abstract expectations and qualities across events so that we don't have to discover everything anew every time we walk out the door. However, at the same time, and for the same reason, the inner logos periodically requires intervention, interruption, and surprise.
Epoché is something like this kind of interruption. It's a skill of perception that takes many forms. In other words, there isn't one kind of epoché but a variety of modes of practice that suspend, interrupt, and defamiliarize sensation. The act creates a space for novelty.
Novelty in turn allows for a reconfiguration of the inner logos, of the internal system of associations and expectations that render available our understanding of the world, and even of the very way in which a world shows up for us in experience at all.
In the works of people like Edmund Husserl, epoché is a phenomenological move that takes place within the purview of some person. But as Peter Sloterdijk observes, there are also material forms of epoché, architectural affordances that provide something like an extended epoché.
This is the thought I had while in a float tank yesterday: It's something like a material epoché, a way of bracketing out, to the extent possible, the inflowing rush of external sensory stimulation. It makes space for a reorientation of the inner logos.
The float tank is based around the idea of limiting sensory stimuli, including by reducing the sense of an inside / outside boundary (the floater rests in a tank of salt water maintained at body temperature, reducing the difference between the outside atmosphere and the body).
This is, strictly speaking, a kind of environmental scaffolding for practicing epoché. In such an environment, it grows easier to achieve, at least temporarily, the kind of reordering of the inner logos that Hadot describes as essential to the spiritual exercises of philosophy.
I don't think a float tank is a replacement for regular contemplative practice, which must realize itself in the real world of everyday interactions, but it is for me a healthy antidote to the overstimulated world I find myself in most days. I recommend giving it a try sometime.
This entry was tagged askēsis, epoché, float tanks, Peter Sloterdijk, Philosophy, Pierre Hadot. Bookmark the permalink.
Aesthetics and Athletics
I write sometimes about philosophy as a way of life, as an exercise (askēsis) of conversion or transformation. But one could also write a parallel story of art as a way of life, as an aesthetic askēsis likewise oriented around a re-constellation of sensing, feeling, and thinking.
Gabriel Trop writes this way about art as a way of life, and of poetry in particular. Trop's idea is that art begins as a kind of mimesis, an imitation of the world, but ultimately drives at askēsis, a reconfiguration of the artist and the viewer of the work of art.
The art work is a material presence in the world, an attractor that interacts with and transforms the ordering of perceptual experience—art is a means of transforming the physiognomy of seeing; it is a way of re-patterning habitual modes of experience.
Aesthetic askēsis, the work of making art, is thus different from other modes of askēsis, like the critical self-examinations of philosophy or the practice routines of athletics and physical development, which are aimed at maintenance, improvement, and optimization.
The figure of the athlete shares in common many characteristics with the figure of the artist—they are both engaged in acts of askēsis—but they also exhibit important differences. The athlete has a special relationship to the program—to the set and predictable ordering of a routine, executed again and again with a ritual intensity that favors the mad person capable of unending repetition.
The artist, on the other hand, certainly partakes of the athletic sensibility in their upswing and development—as the artist builds strength in a craft—but the end result and aim is something quite different from that of general athletics.
The athlete operates within the structure of a pre-existing game. The artist creates new ones. Art is in this way a kind of anti-program; it is not a planned routine in the same way that athletic preparation is. Art delivers the unseen or the unforeseeable; it creates novelty.
Aesthetic askēsis aims at states of absorption without purpose, though as with every kind of askēsis, the work of art—both the artwork and the work required to produce it—links exercise and perception. Aesthetic work is an act of transforming perception and being.
These figures, the artist and the athlete, may cohere in the same person. The artist may be an athlete of preparation and the athlete may derive creativity through artistic inspiration—the great ones always do—but they are nevertheless distinct, if mutually enhancing, activities.
This entry was tagged aesthetics, Art, askēsis, athletics, Gabriel Trop, Perception, Philosophy. Bookmark the permalink.
New Article Out in Explorations in Media Ecology
The March 2018 issue of Explorations in Media Ecology is now available online here. You can view the abstract for my article "Media Ecology and Bios Theoretikos: Philosophy as Extended Cognition" here, but unfortunately the full article is behind a paywall. You can email me at arobbert84@gmail.com if you're interested in reading the full essay but don't have access to a university or library computer. The description is below.
In this article, I take a media ecology perspective on philosophy. This approach supports the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk's claim that first philosophy is not metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics or epistemology but rather practice (askēsis). Sloterdijk's practice-centred view of philosophy is shared by Pierre Hadot and Michael McGhee, both of whom give askēsis a central role in philosophy. I draw on the work of these philosophers to show that philosophy is best conceived as an act of extended cognition performed amidst different media ecologies. To make this point, I start not with humans and our practices, but with spiders and theirs. When philosophy is seen as an instance of extended cognition, I argue, one can draw parallels between our practices and those of non-human species, who like us build artefacts to deepen their perception and understanding of their environments. To this end, I explore the settings that enable philosophical training. Philosophy on this view is facilitated by an ecology of affordance spaces – academies, libraries, monasteries and more – whose design helps the philosopher perform certain manoeuvres in thought, manoeuvres that make apparent the conditions required for the Bios Theoretikos (the life of contemplation).
This entry was tagged Affordances, askēsis, bios theoretikos, Extended Cognition, Extended Mind, James Gibson, Media Ecology, Niche-Construction Theory, Peter Sloterdijk, Philosophy, Pierre Hadot. Bookmark the permalink.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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HomeArchivesEmerson faculty invited to meet innovators
Emerson faculty invited to meet innovators
The first Curriculum Internationalization Studio cohort is joined by Chief Academic Officer Michaele Whelan, Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs for Internationalization and Global Engagement Anthony Pinder, and other campus internationalization leaders. (File photo)
Emerson College faculty who are interested in acquiring ideas for innovating in their departments are invited to a wine and cheese reception that highlights new initiatives around research and information, as well as globalization.
Innovation@Emerson will be held on Wednesday, February 3, 5:00–7:00 pm, in the Bordy Theater and Auditorium.
The programs being showcased are the Iwasaki Library's PLANS for Information Literacy, which brought together teams of faculty around integrating information literacy into curricula, and the Curriculum Internationalization Studio. The studio works with faculty either to develop new courses with an international focus, or to add more international elements to existing courses.
"[Faculty] can actually come to an event, hear their colleagues talk about the work, talk about the process, and talk about the results as a way to entice new people to do it," said Anthony Pinder, assistant vice president for Internationalization and Global Engagement, and an organizer of the event.
The Curriculum Internationalization Studio started last year, with support from the President's Fund for Curricular Innovation. Eighteen faculty from across the College worked on projects, including Enhancing Africana Studies, Hyperlocal-International Journalism, and Global Media. Some of the initiatives, such as Re-Discovering Cuba and Global Strategic Communication, involved cross-department faculty collaboration.
PLANS for Information Literacy involved four teams of faculty who teach first-year students, said Karla Fribley, instruction coordinator at the Library. The liberal arts, writing, and oral communication teachers worked on ways to incorporate more information literacy and research into their required courses, as well as best practices from each other's disciplines.
Fribley said one of the things she hears often from faculty is a keen interest in learning from colleagues.
"The Library has offered for at least five years some kind of [cross-disciplinary] faculty development [program], and a lot of times what you hear from faculty….is, 'Oh this is great, I so rarely get to talk to people outside of my department,'" Fribley said.
For more information on Innovation@Emerson, contact anthony_pinder@emerson.edu or karla_fribley@emerson.edu.
Nesson receives grant for documentary
Emerson College Announces Spring Line-Up for Bright Lights Film Series


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A Mozambique obstetric fistula survivor's journey from "I was nothing" to "I am capable of everything"
Obstetric fistula survivor Beatriz Sebastião, 28, stands outside her home and small grocery business in Mocuba, Zambezia province, Mozambique. A key aspect of fistula care, led by the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Action, is reintegration into society, including skills training so survivors can gain meaningful employment. © UNFPA Mozambique
MOCUBA, ZAMBEZIA PROVINCE, Mozambique – Beatriz Sebastião suffered in silence. She had no friends in the neighborhood or at school. When she went to church, she sat alone. When she went to the river, other women mocked her before leaving to bathe elsewhere.
She had become pregnant at 15 and because she lived far from the hospital, planned to give birth at home. After three days of labour, her parents had to raise money to rent a motorcycle to take her to the hospital, where she delivered a stillborn child. She developed an obstetric fistula, and when she became pregnant again, that child, too, was stillborn. But the fistula caused urine to leak, and the resulting smell isolated her from nearly everyone for the next six years.
A treatable, preventable condition
Obstetric fistula is a hole between the birth canal and bladder or rectum, which can cause incontinence, leading to social ostracization and attendant psychological issues like depression. The treatable and largely preventable condition is the result of prolonged, obstructed labour with no access to skilled care, often resulting in stillbirth. Girls whose bodies are too young to deliver a baby are particularly vulnerable.
Every year, there are an estimated 2,500 reported fistula cases in Mozambique, of the 50,000 to 100,000 cases globally. Since 2018, in partnership with the Government of Mozambique, UNFPA has supported the repair of more than 2,300 fistulas, recruited 28 fistula surgeons, expanded a real-time monitoring system of cases to 25 health facilities, and educated thousands of people about the causes and consequences of the condition.
Ms. Sebastião's husband, Barcilai Artur (here in their living room), stood by her
when many women with obstetric fistula are abandoned. © UNFPA Mozambique
A life transformed
Ms. Sebastião, now 28, had once sung gospel and six years after developing the fistula, received a fateful invitation to perform at a youth meeting. Encouraged by an uncle, she went, "but as always, I was discriminated against. I was humiliated. People talked. Because of the looks, I stayed there shrunken." She stayed alone in a tent because no one would share space with her.
Then the youth coordinator, who also worked at a hospital, sought her out when she skipped practice, claiming illness. Finally, she admitted she had "a disease that made me pee involuntarily," which is when she learned that what she had could be cured through surgery.
Ms. Sebastião was one of the rare fistula survivors whose family and husband did not abandon her. With their support, she had the operation and, for the first time in years, awoke without having wet the bed. "I don't know how to express what was in my heart," she recalled. "I had emotions I don't know how to describe."
She was no longer the person others fled from. She could wear skirts again, instead of covering herself with multiple layers of cloth. She started a small grocery business, something unthinkable before, and became an activist, holding chats with women in various communities to discuss fistula. She learned "to love that Beatriz from the past again," she said. "When I had the disease, I was nothing. Now, I am capable of everything, able to fight for my well-being and raise my self-esteem."
Video of #EndFistula: "I'm capable of everything" - An Obstetric Fistula Survivor's Journey in Mozambique
The contagious joy of a woman with a repaired fistula
Albertina Luis is a radio journalist and activist in Mocuba District. When her activism focused on domestic violence, she would meet women hiding behind their houses or in the cassava trees – not from abusive husbands but because they had obstetric fistulas. Ms. Luis underwent reproductive sexual health training and learned more.
Activist and radio journalist Albertina Luis educates women on the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula through
her broadcasts in Mocuba District. © UNFPA Mozambique
Now, through regular broadcasts, she reduces shame and stigma surrounding obstetric fistula and lets women know how to prevent it, including avoiding forced, premature marriage and unintended pregnancy, and where to seek medical treatment. "Dignity means being valued," Ms. Luis, 50, said. "The greatest wealth is health. In addition to being a right, it is power. I am freeing women who have lost their dignity for a long time."
Dr. Armando Rafael, a fistula surgeon at Mocuba Rural Hospital, who operated on Ms. Sebastião, finds his work rewarding, knowing the suffering and marginalization patients have endured. "The contagious joy of a woman when her fistula is repaired is incomparable," he said.
During Ms. Sebastião's long exile, women at the river taunted her with the cruel nickname "Lake Bethesda," a reference to the Bible's Pool of Bethesda that never ran dry. For her, the name takes on a different significance now: in Biblical lore, the pool was a place where miracles happened and people were healed.
"It's time for technology companies and policymakers to take digital violence seriously," said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. "Right now...


Should You Remodel or Just Move? | Help us reach our goal of 200 likes.
Bud Dietrich, AIA; Houzz Contributor.
Help us reach our goal of 200 likes! We are starting with a small goal, but we need your help to get there. Like us and share with your friends.
We have a new logo and a new division.
At the end of last year we launched our new logo and brand. Most of you know Arrow Contracting Service for our deck and railings; what you might not know is that Arrow Contracting has been in the interior remodeling business from the very beginning. We decided we needed to showcase that aspect of our business better, so we developed Arrow Kitchen & Bath. Don't worry though, we will continue to provide the deck and outdoor living services and expertise you have come to expect from Arrow Contracting.


Exceptional Adult Bungalow on .5 Acres, in a Gated Community 5 min from Town!!!
Wednesday, September 21st, 2016 at 6:29pm.
Congratulations Ron & Sheila on purchasing your new home!
Wednesday, September 21st, 2016 at 11:09am.
We are so happy to welcome you to Alberta!
Thursday, September 8th, 2016 at 1:52pm.
We all have that one eyesore in our yard that drives us crazy! For some, its an air conditioning unit, for others the garbage cans. For us; the ugly trampoline in the corner. Although there was no way to completely hide its existence, we did find a way to blend it into the background.
Although this photo is taken from our deck (a higher elevation), from the ground, a large portion of the trampoline is hidden from sight. We put railings that matched our deck on either side of a stationary gate that the roses climb up. This frames in the corner of the yard and creates a hidden space for the kids and grandkids (yes, we have grandkids!) to jump and play.
Updated Bungalow with Finished Basement AND Double Attached Garage!!!
Thursday, September 8th, 2016 at 10:26am.


Buyers please beware of the "Americanization" of Mexico's coastline. Recently, the Mexican government allowed the purchase by foreign nationals of property along the coasts via trusts administered by banks. Essentially this is as easy a home purchase in the states with a bit more paperwork. What is concerning is the pricing of homes in these zones when marketed to Americans. Speak to local real estate brokers as well as those catering to English speaking Norteamericanos. Shop around! Value will become apparent once you have seen many listings across a spectrum. Once you are happy with your beach home, send me the keys for a weekend getaway. I promise to blog from there in your honor.


Welcome back to the 19th episode of the Vitamin D Council podcast! You can listen to all previous episodes here.
In today's episode, Missy Sturges interviews Dr. Jerry Kartzinal on behalf of Generation Rescue, a fellow public health nonprofit. Dr. Kartzinal describes autism spectrum disorder (ASD), common symptoms of the disorder and debunks several myths. In addition, Dr. Kartiznal highlights Generation Rescue as an invaluable resource for families with ASD.
Then, Missy interviews the Vitamin D Council's founder and Medical Director, Dr. John Cannell, (at 16:50) to discuss the role of vitamin D in autism and share some important research advances on this topic. He also highlights the moral responsibility of the medical community to treat vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and childhood.
Generation Rescue curated a movement dedicated to providing comprehensive treatment opportunities to autism families. As an innovative and results-oriented organization, Generation Rescue bridges the gap between philanthropy and expert-driven services by collaborating with like-minded stakeholders. Their vision fosters a sense of belonging and hope for future generations. Learn more at www.generationrescue.org.
About Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, M.D.
Dr. Jerry Kartzinel is Board Certified pediatrician, a Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics and Generation Rescue's Science Advisory Co-Chair. He specializes in the recovery of neurodevelopmental, chronic neuro-inflammatory diseases and hormonal dysfunctions.
His clinical approach is to treat the patient by carefully obtaining a complete history and—based on this history—obtaining very detailed laboratory evaluations. Individualized plans are implemented integrating the very latest medical interventions that include both traditional and complementary medicinal approaches.
After receiving his medical degree at St. Louis University School of Medicine, Dr. Kartzinel completed his residency in pediatric medicine in the Air Force. Following Desert Storm, he began practicing general pediatrics. Ten years into his in private practice, his fourth son was diagnosed with autism.
A nationally recognized speaker and New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Kartzinel has presented medical interventions that work to improve the lives of his patients who suffer from many types of medical conditions, including autism, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, sleep cycle disruptions and hormonal imbalances. He regularly teaches Continuing Medical Education courses on children's health issues to physicians and other health professionals.
About Dr. John Cannell, M.D.
Dr. Cannell founded the Vitamin D Council in 2003 upon a renewed interest in clinical nutrition. Dr. Cannell has published 30 peer-reviewed papers and 2 books on vitamin D. In addition, he occasionally gives talks on the subject all over the country. Dr. Cannell holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, where he graduated with high honors and Phi Beta Kapa, and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of North Carolina. He has served the medical field as a general practitioner, emergency physician and psychiatrist.
Most of our readers know all about Dr. Cannell's passion regarding vitamin D and autism. As a retired general physician and psychiatrist, Dr. Cannell has treated many individuals with ASD over the years, and incorporated vitamin D in part of his treatment protocol. Based on his personal success, along with the mounting research on this topic, Dr. Cannell wrote the book, Vitamin D and Autism: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment in an effort to help families with autism learn about this important topic.
As the research continues to support the relationship between vitamin D and autism, the Vitamin D Council dedicated 2017 to educate the public on this important topic and will continue to do so until vitamin D is routinely incorporated as part of ASD management.
Sturges, M., Cannell, JJ., M.D., & Kartzinel, J., M.D. Vitamin D Council podcast 19: vitamin D and autism. The Vitamin D Council Blog & Newsletter, February 7, 2018.


Anything related to NooBTooB. This includes the site, forum, wiki, things about the show and the hosts.
Does Pee-on Tobin deserve to be sitting next to King Yuzo?
SHOOP 97! At long last!
How did you survive Noobtoob Blackout 2010?
Are You Fat Week # 14 - Is it over yet?
RE: NooToob Ep. 178 - Gaming Tattoo's?


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A failing Greenville parish survived with adoption
Trinity United Methodist Church had the choice: Dissolve or be adopted by another church.
A failing Greenville parish survived with adoption Trinity United Methodist Church had the choice: Dissolve or be adopted by another church. Check out this story on independentmail.com: https://www.independentmail.com/story/news/2017/07/27/trinity-united-methodist-church-greenville-sc/513708001/
Mike Ellis, IndependentMail.com Published 3:24 p.m. ET July 27, 2017 | Updated 9:48 p.m. ET July 27, 2017
Attendance at Trinity United Methodist Church has more than doubled in the month since it became adopted by Buncombe United Methodist Church.(Photo: Mike Ellis/Independent Mail)
In 1946, Buddy Hunt helped plant two small oak trees outside of the new Trinity United Methodist Church. He was good labor, back when he was one of the church's youngest members.
Hunt has watched the trees, now towering oaks, grow through the years as the church members have fallen one by one and in recent years have not been replaced.
The pews used to be packed, standing room only, but in recent years the congregation dwindled to fewer than 30 people a week.
More than a year ago, the United Methodist leaders in the state told church members Trinity had run its course. It couldn't keep going.
So the congregation was given the choice: Shut down, or give up control and allow another church to come in and run everything. Become a campus, a satellite, a sibling.
Members of Trinity believed there was something worth keeping, something valuable behind those oak trees and empty spaces of the church on Augusta Street. They voted, 45 to 15, to seek adoption.
Hunt said adoption wasn't anyone's first choice, but keeping the church going meant so much more than keeping control.
"Adoption is when, for the sake of ministry, one church turns over administration and property rights and everything else to the adopting church," said the Rev. Bob Howell, who is helping to shepherd the adoption. "You transplant the DNA of the thriving church into the other."
He said Buncombe hopes to give new life and new members to its newly adopted church.
Howell is the lead pastor of downtown Greenville's Buncombe Street United Methodist, a church also surrounded with mammoth oak trees.
Like Hunt's oak trees, it takes several people linking hands to reach around the great shade trees outside Buncombe, one of the original churches in downtown Greenville.
The churches share a similar culture and have roots going back and forth, from members who have attended both churches to geography and some of the same personality quirks, Howell said. Several years ago, a pastor at Trinity became ill and a Buncombe Street minister would help the congregation.
Putting a congregation up for adoption
More people and more dirt mean more work at Trinity United Methodist Church, which was recently adopted by Buncombe United Methodist Church in an effort to grow the nearly-faded membership of the church on Augusta Street in Greenville. Mike Ellis/Independent Mail
A contemporary service at Buncombe United Methodist Church in downtown Greenville. Mike Ellis/Independent Mail
The Rev. Bob Powell closes a traditional service at Buncombe United Methodist Church in downtown Greenville. Mike Ellis/Independent Mail
Rev. Dr. Bob Howell, left, Senior Minister at Buncombe Street UMC in Greenville, and Rev. Ben Burt Associate Pastor for Trinity Campus stand in the main sanctuary of the at the Buncombe Street church in Greenville. KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL
Trinity United Methodist Church was failing and its members chose to put the church up for adoption and are now a campus of Buncombe United Methodist Church. c
Rev. Dr. Bob Howell, right, Senior Minister at Buncombe Street UMC in Greenville and Rev. Ben Burt Associate Pastor for Trinity Campus talk in the contemporary service room at the Buncombe Street UMC in Greenville. KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL
Attendance at Trinity United Methodist Church has more than doubled in the month since it became adopted by Buncombe United Methodist Church. Mike Ellis/Independent Mail
Rev. Dr. Bob Howell, left, Senior Minister at Buncombe Street UMC in Greenville, and Rev. Ben Burt Associate Pastor for Trinity Campus talk about saving a church by adopting it, during an interview at the church in Greenville. KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL
Church pews that had been empty are beginning to fill each Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church, now a campus of Buncombe United Methodist Church. Mike Ellis/Independent Mail
Rev. Dr. Bob Howell, Senior Minister at Buncombe Street UMC in Greenville talks about saving a church by adopting it, during an interview at the church in Greenville. KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL
Those close ties built trust between the churches, said the Rev. Sara White, director of congregational development for the United Methodist Church South Carolina conference.
"Anytime you ask people to end something and talk about the legacy going forward, there has to be that trust there," White said. "It's a partnership. One congregation meeting in two spaces, that's a true adoption."
White said she expects more adoptions in the coming years as church attendance broadly declines.
About a half dozen United Methodist churches in the state dissolved in the past year and about half as many new churches formed, White said.
Adoption, rather than starting a church from scratch, is increasingly a way to make something positive out of a failing church.
The formal adoption began July 1 at Trinity, when the church became known as Buncombe United Methodist/Trinity Campus.
Trinity United Methodist Church was failing and its members chose to put the church up for adoption and are now a campus of Buncombe United Methodist Church. (Photo: c)
The membership rolls at Trinity are about 300, but it attracts only a fraction. There are about 2,700 members at Buncombe Street.
A new minister, the Rev. Ben Burt, is now working at the former Trinity campus. Several times each year, Burt, along with two Buncombe Street-based pastors, will rotate to preach another of the three distinct services at the now-unified Buncombe churches.
"I found they were ravenous for ministry," Burt said. "They are passionate, brilliant but were not reaching people effectively."
Every Sunday there are competing services at the downtown Buncombe location: traditional inside a glorious old sanctuary and contemporary inside a gymnasium. Trinity's campus has a traditional service and are working to add a second service, likely early next year and likely contemporary.
Rev. Dr. Bob Howell, right, Senior Minister at Buncombe Street UMC in Greenville and Rev. Ben Burt Associate Pastor for Trinity Campus talk in the contemporary service room at the Buncombe Street UMC in Greenville. (Photo: KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL)
The Buncombe-Trinity adoption is one of two going on now in South Carolina United Methodist churches, along with an adoption by St. Mark United Methodist in Greenwood of a congregation in Coronaca. The adoption process has been gaining ground in the United Methodist family for about a decade.
The Rev. Steven Brown, of St. Mark, said the adoption worked a little differently in Greenwood because the other church, the former Bethlehem United Methodist, had voted to dissolve. State church leaders, and Brown's congregation, saw potential in reviving the 150-year-old building which now hosts a service that's a blend of contemporary and traditional.
It's a supplement to the existing separate contemporary and traditional services at nearly-neighboring sites and marks a third location for St. Mark.
Brown said the attendance has grown nearly 10-fold, to about 70 members, since services began in March at the new location, now called the Coronaca Campus of St. Mark United Methodist Church.
He said the Bible is strewn with examples of dying in exchange for new life, of wheat seeds falling only to create fields and of baby Moses being sent on a river to a new future.
The Rev. Bob Powell closes a traditional service at Buncombe United Methodist Church in downtown Greenville. (Photo: Mike Ellis/Independent Mail)
Catherine Merritt, one of the charter members of Trinity, greeted a Sunday crowd at the newly-renamed Buncombe United Methodist Church at Augusta.
Several dozen Buncombe members came to worship at the 11 a.m. service at the Augusta site. The church drew more than twice as many people as it was drawing a few months ago.
Many of the new faces wore nametags from Buncombe.
"We're seeing a lot of that," Merritt said, as she recognized and hugged people whose parents had attended Trinity years ago and who were coming back.
She said seeing the church continue has been a boost. She never wanted it to die.
Adoption was a tough step, Merrit said, because it meant acknowledging that there were real problems but being adopted also meant that others saw promise and a future in Trinity.
Tommy Sinclair, a lay leader at Buncombe, said Trinity members have likened the adoption to a parent giving up a child to have a better life.
The biggest difference, Sinclair said, is that Trinity members will continue to be part of raising this child, this new day for the church.
Follow Mike Ellis on Twitter @MikeEllis_AIM
Read or Share this story: https://www.independentmail.com/story/news/2017/07/27/trinity-united-methodist-church-greenville-sc/513708001/


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COVID-19 panic sees police threatening pro-life sidewalk counselors' civil rights
In a backward turn of events, pro-lifers following 'social distancing' guidelines are being arrested or threatened with arrest for offering help and hope to moms and dads at risk for abortion.
Mon Apr 6, 2020 - 8:55 pm EST
Brian A Jackson / Shutterstock.com
By Deborah Stilt
PETITION: Support pro-lifers threatened and arrested for praying outside of abortion facilities Sign the petition here.
April 6, 2020 (Personhood Alliance) — The COVID-19 pandemic is surging forward, threatening the medically vulnerable and greatly impacting the lives of people across the country and around the world. Schools and businesses are closed. Routine medical procedures are being delayed or cancelled. Yet abortion facilities are still open — some in direct defiance of orders to close. And in a backwards turn of events, pro-lifers following social distancing guidelines are being arrested or threatened with arrest for offering help and hope to moms and dads at risk for abortion.
Update 4/5/20: The arrest of David Benham of Cities4Life in Charlotte, NC, is the latest example of what is quickly becoming a dangerous nationwide trend. You can watch the Facebook video of Benham's arrest here.
Cities for Life founder David Benham was arrested for praying and offering help outside a local abortion facility on Saturday, April 4th in Charlotte, NC
If you live in North Carolina, we strongly encourage you to reach out your representatives to respectfully express your concern for the constitutional rights of local sidewalk counselors and prayer supporters:
Senator Richard Burr
2000 West First Street, Suite 508
https://www.burr.senate.gov/contact/email
Senator Thom Tillis
9300 Harris Corners Pkwy, Suite 170
https://www.tillis.senate.gov/email-me
Representative Alma Adams
Charlotte District Office (Dist. 12)
801 E Morehead Street, Suite 150
https://adamsforms.house.gov/contact/
North Carolina: Arrests of sidewalk counselors increase
In Greensboro, North Carolina, four sidewalk counselors from Love Life Charlotte were arrested Saturday, March 28th. Seven more were arrested the following Monday for praying at the same abortion facility. These volunteers were outside engaging in constitutionally protected activities, while practicing social distancing guidelines.
Pastor Keith Pavlansky, President of Personhood North Carolina, a Personhood Alliance affiliate that partners with Love Life Charlotte, had this to say about the recent arrests:
After years of fighting court battles to allow Christians to be able to minister to women in desperate need near abortion facilities; now, the city of Greensboro has used the COVID-19 panic to launch an assault against pro-life ministers and against Constitutional rights. We need to pray for these brave men. And we need to petition the mayor and city council to stop this reckless attack on civil rights.
California: Arrests of sidewalk counselors begin
In California, long-time sidewalk advocate Ron Kanopaski was approached on Wednesday this week by police who instructed him to leave. Officers told him that the act of sidewalk counseling was a violation of the city of San Francisco's stay-at-home order, even though he was abiding by the 6-feet social distancing rules. Police told Ron that if he was there the next day, they would arrest him. Not to be intimidated, Ron and fellow volunteers from Pro-Life San Francisco returned on Thursday to advocate for the mothers, fathers, and babies inside the facility. Ron was indeed cited and arrested by police, and the other volunteers received written warnings with threats to be arrested if they return.
Terrisa Bukovinac, Executive Director of Pro-Life San Francisco, said they are working with their attorneys to ensure their constitutional rights as citizens are protected. She said that as long as abortion facilities are open in this period of crisis, pro-life advocates will be there to offer life-saving alternatives.
"During this time of crisis, our unborn brothers and sisters need us more than ever. We are not going to give up. We will respect the law, but we will NOT be silenced."
Wisconsin: Threats to shut down pro-life efforts
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, police responded to a call that sidewalk counselors were in violation of the state's stay-at-home ordinance. At first, the officers allowed them to stay, but later they returned with four squad cars and threatened them with arrest if they did not leave the premises immediately. This incident alarmed pro-lifers throughout Wisconsin who worried about the prospect of arrest during a national emergency, as states throughout the country are closing courts and halting trials.
Dan Miller, State Director of Personhood Alliance affiliate Pro-Life Wisconsin stated,
The judges have all gone home. The courts are at a standstill. How long would it take before a case was even heard?
Sidewalk counseling halted for about a week after the incident, but then resumed. Since that time, sidewalk counselors have been able to continue their work, though the prospect of shutting down their efforts remains. In the meantime, Pro-Life Wisconsin is petitioning Governor Tony Evers to shut down the state's abortion facilities for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency order.
Minnesota: A call to shut down abortion facilities
Minnesota has had a different experience thus far. The state has a voluntary stay-at-home order in place, and local authorities have allowed sidewalk counseling efforts to continue, provided social distancing is maintained. Brian Gibson, Executive Director of Pro-Life Action Ministries, said he believes this is largely due to coordinated efforts to build relationships with local police and city attorneys prior to the stay-at-home order going into effect. Police have monitored their activities, but sidewalk counselors have been free from harassment.
Brian Gibson, Executive Director of Pro-Life Action Ministries, discusses COVID-19 social distancing guidelines with police
Pro-Life Action Ministries is urging people to contact Governor Tim Walz and the Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm to demand that all abortions cease in the state, as they are "non-essential medical procedures" that consume vital personal protective equipment.
The abortion industry is in direct defiance
According to a press release from Faith2Action, nine Governors have issued direct orders to close abortion facilities in their states, but in Texas, a judge issued a temporary restraining order on behalf of Planned Parenthood that prevented those orders from being carried out. The federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the Texas judge's decision and allowed the abortion ban to go back into effect. However, sidewalk counselors in Texas are reporting that abortion facilities there are continuing to operate, despite the federal order to cease.
While Oklahoma and Iowa have mandated that abortions stop, their citizens remain at risk from neighboring states who have not. Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Indiana have issued direct orders to close their state's abortion facilities, but the abortion industry continues to defy those orders, putting the states and nation at risk.
In Mississippi in particular, Governor Tate Reeves has said the sole abortion facility in Jackson is not exempt from the state's health directive, which declares that "given the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in Mississippi and the shortage of protective medical equipment, elective medical procedures and non-essential medical visits must be postponed at this time."
Because the Jackson facility continues to perform abortions in defiance of the state's order, the American Family Association is calling upon Governor Reeves to issue an executive order that specifically bans abortions in Mississippi.
So far, 12 states have attempted to outlaw abortion during the crisis, while 13 states have done the opposite and specifically included it on their list of "essential services." Despite the obvious risk of spreading COVID-19 through these facilities, as well as using up critical medical supplies and personal protective equipment, abortions continue nearly everywhere — either through activist judges or in direct defiance of the orders.
Such was the case in Ohio, where Personhood Alliance affiliate Cleveland Right to Life was involved in successfully persuading Governor Mike DeWine to shut down abortion facilities. Ohio abortion facilities refused to obey the order, then received an injunction from a federal judge allowing them to continue.
A call for help
Such defiance at the state level is causing activists to reach out for help. Janet Porter, President of Faith2Action, is joining with more than 100 national leaders and 30,000 medical professionals in calling for the abortion industry to close to stop the spread of COVID-19.
"We call on President Trump and Vice President Pence to shut the door to the coronavirus by shutting the doors of the abortion industry before the virus spreads even further. In a pandemic, a double standard is deadly."
A call to remain standing
As the pro-life movement works to shut down abortion facilities state-by-state, we must also stand with sidewalk counselors and prayer supporters who are on the front lines of this battle. Sidewalk counselors and prayer supporters have a constitutional right to assemble and to exercise free speech, including during the COVID-19 crisis. We must be responsible to follow social distancing guidelines, and we must be respectful of our state health department rules.
Pro-life sidewalk counselors and prayer supporters following social distancing guidelines in MN
But we must also REMAIN STANDING.
Deborah Stilt is the social media coordinator for the Personhood Alliance and has been active in pro-life media for several years. But most importantly, she's a California mom who is fighting against the lies of the culture and for the protection of every human being without exception.
Published with permission from Personhood Alliance.
abortion, california, coronavirus, minnesota, north carolina, quarantine, sidewalk counseling, wisconsin
COVID-19 panic sees police threatening pro-life sidewalk counselors'… COVID-19 panic sees police threatening pro-life sidewalk counselors' civil rights Opinion By Deborah Stilt


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Lindsay Lohan's Too Good to Kiss Charlie Sheen
Lindsay Lohan gained a small crumb of respectability when TMZ reported that the blackened, cigarette indent on her cadaver-plumped lip refused to touch the blackened, crack-pipe indent on Charlie Sheen's papery, dry, bloodless lips during the filming of their cameo on Scary Movie 5.
According to TMZ Lindsay was supposed to kiss Charlie three times during their "Scary Movie" bedroom scene, but she ultimately refused to do it, and they both had to sign a release saying they didn't have cold sores. (hahahahahahahahahaha!)
The source says they're not sure what the cause of Lindsay's paranoia is (bath salts, perhaps?) but it might have to do with Charlie's sordid past. And even though Lindsay has locked lips with Samantha Ronson's butthole, she somehow draws the line at Charlie Sheen's mouth. Charlie Sheen is a professional though, because he wasn't even bothered by Lindsay's rejection of his maw. Besides, when it comes to the camera, Lindsay likes to get all hoighty-toighty and act like there's things she won't do for a bump of coke. I'll wager that he still managed to wrangle a rim job out of her back in his trailer because he sent her that $100,000.
Image: By Toglenn Uploaded by MyCanon [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
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Russia says Georgia is building up its forces
By Zerin Elci
Reuters 18 November 2008
Theme: Militarization and WMD
Russia's defence minister said on Tuesday that Georgia was trying to build up its military and he warned this could spark even greater instability in the region than there was in the war in August.
"The Georgian side's efforts to increase military potential is causing concern and I think those initiatives could have bigger consequences than what we saw in August," the minister, Anatoly Serdyukov, told a news conference in Ankara.
Russian troops poured into Georgia in August and pushed government troops back after they tried to retake the pro-Moscow rebel region of South Ossetia.
Russia and Georgia have accused each other of starting the five-day war in which Russian forces took control of large swathes of Georgian territory for some time.
Moscow is incensed by the pro-Western course taken by its small ex-Soviet neighbour and particularly its drive to join the U.S.-led NATO alliance.
Outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush had pushed for swift acceptance of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO, but this failed to generate unanimous support among European NATO members.
U.S. and European officials say Washington is now studying whether NATO could give Georgia something short of a formal path to membership to satisfy European opposition.
Serdyukov, who was in NATO member Turkey to discuss military cooperation, repeated that Moscow remained opposed to U.S. plans to deploy a radar in Poland and interceptor missiles in the Czech Republic as part of a proposed missile defence shield.
Washington says the plan is intended to defend against possible attacks from Iran, but Russia sees the project as a threat to its security.
"Efforts to build air defences in Poland and in the Czech Republic has awakened concerns and this is causing Russia to take similar initiatives," he said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier this month announced plans to deploy missiles near NATO's borders to neutralise the missile shield installations.
But on Saturday he said he was ready for compromise and promised to hold off on a possible military response to the project.
(Additional reporting by Ibon Villelabeitia; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
The original source of this article is Reuters
Copyright © Zerin Elci, Reuters, 2008
Articles by: Zerin Elci


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The People History Home
May 5 May 6 May 7 May This Day In History Years and Decades Clothes Through the Decades 100 Years of Toys 20s to 90s Music History Sports History 100 years Food Prices
May 4 significant News Events, History from 4th May
Find Out What happened 4th May This Day in History on your birthday
4 May, 1991 U.S.A. Last Dallas Episode Shown
1991 : "Dallas " goes off the air after running from Saturday, September 23rd, 1978 on CBS for more than 13 seasons.
2007 - U.S.A Greensburg, Kansas Tornado
2007 : An EF5 tornado nearly 2 miles wide travels through the city of Greensburg, Kansas leveling most of the city and killing eleven people, the winds were estimated in the tornado to reach 205 mph. The video gives an idea of the complete devastation caused by the tornado.
4 May, 1970 - U.S.A. Kent State University Shootings
1970 : After a number of days of protest against US invasion of Cambodia the National Guards fired on protesters at Kent State University and 4 were killed and a further 10 were injured. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young sang about it with the song "Ohio"
4 May, 1932 - U.S.A. Al Capone
1932 : Al Capone begins life as convict 40886 in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary serving 11 years for Income Tax Evasion.
1886 - U.S.A. Haymarket Square Riot
1886 : A labor rally held in protest of the killing of a striker by the Chicago police the day before at Haymarket Square in Chicago, Illinois, ends with more violence as a bomb is thrown by the protesters and at the police and police responded with wild gunfire, killing several people in the crowd and injuring dozens more.
4 May, 1920 - Paris Opera House
1920 : The Symphony Society of New York presented a concert at the Paris Opera House. This was the first time an American orchestra made a tour abroad to Europe.
4 May, 1926 - Great Britain General Strike
1926 At the end of the second day of Great Britain General Strike the government has asked for approval of A State of Emergency with powers for the armed forces to take over important industries including transport and power supply, currently there are a number of major cities running on 1/3 of power and with food rotting in docks around the country.
Born This Day In History 4th May
Celebrating Birthday Today
Born: Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston, May 4th, 1929, Brussels, Belgium
Died: January 20th, 1993 Tolochenaz, Switzerland
Known For : Audrey Hepburn attended school in England from the age of five, but returned to the Low Countries on the onset of World War Two. Audrey's maternal grandparents were a baron and baroness. Post war she studied ballet in Holland until her school was closed. She returned to England where was told that she didn't have the height for a prima ballerina and that the deprivations she had suffered from the war would prevent her continuing her lessons in it. She subsequently took to the London stage, before finding a featured role in Sauce Picquant, and started to take classes in speech, modelling and movement. Her attempts at being cast into film roles landed her with the opportunity to play Gigi in a Broadway show, and her Hollywood career started with Roman Holiday, for which she won the 1953 Best Actress Oscar. She remained friends with Gregory Peck for the rest of her life, and married Mel Ferrer. After the birth of her son, Sean, in 1961 she began work on Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her subsequent roles are not particularly well known (despite being nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her part in The Nun's Story), and her acting career was not revitalized until 1975 when she starred in Robin and Marion with Sean Connery, Bloodline and They All Laughed. Audrey was a well-known fan of Jack Russells, and she devoted her last years in working for UNICEF.
From our 1922 Fashions Page
Khaki Riding Suit
Splendid quality two-piece riding habit, made of a very excellent grade of cotton khaki cloth. Outfit consists of attractive tailored coat in smart semi-fitted belted style, and separate breeches. Breeches fasten at both sides and hips. Legs are finished at bottom with eyelets and fasten with laces.
1930 - India Mahatma Gandhi
1930 : The leader of India's civil disobedience campaign, Mahatma Gandhi, was taken into British police custody.
1945 - Holland German Troops Surrender
1945 : German forces in Holland and Denmark surrender to British Troops.
1948 - U.S.A. Rail Strike
1948 : The leaders of the three rail unions have threatened to call a national rail strike which will cripple the countries commerce and the federal government is looking at federal seizure of the railways as a way of keeping transport going.
1959 - U.S.A. Grammy Awards
1959 : The first year of Grammy Awards by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences are presented.
1966 - UK Doctors and Dentists
1966 : Following a pay review body recommendations doctors' and dentists' salaries are to be increased by up to 30%.
1969 - U.S.A. Student Protesters
1969 : More arrests and demonstrations are happening by student protesters on College and University campuses both against the Vietnam War and on grounds of civil liberties for African-American students. As a result, more colleges are calling in National Guardsman to break up demonstrations which is in turn leading to more unrest.
1970 - Kent State University Shootings
1970 : After a number of days of protest against US invasion of Cambodia the National Guards fired on protesters at Kent State University and 3 were killed and a further 10 were injured.
Lance Bass
Born: May 4th 1979 (age 41 years), Laurel, MS
Known For : A member American pop boy band NSYNC ( Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass ) who had hits from late nineties to early 2000's including top hit Singles "Bye Bye Bye", "This I Promise You", "Girlfriend", "Pop" and "It's Gonna Be Me" NSYNC and has sold over 70 million records, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands in history.
1979 - UK Mrs Thatcher
1979 : Mrs Thatcher arrives at Downing Street to take over from the defeated labour leader James Callaghan after winning an overall majority in British Elections.
1982 - Falkland Islands HMS Sheffield
1982 : Argentina strikes back at British Forces following the sinking of General Belgrano sinking the The British warship HMS Sheffield with an Argentine Exocet missile fired from an Argentinean fighter bomber.
1987 - U.S.A. Iran-Contra Affair
1987 : The house and senate committee begin 3 months of hearings into Iran-Contra affair which was the sale of American arms sold secretly to Iran and some of the proceeds were diverted to Contra Rebels seeking to overthrow the Government of Nicaragua.
2000 - UK Ken Livingstone
2000 : Ken Livingstone an independent is elected as London's first elected mayor with a clear victory polling nearly 40% of first preferences in the mayoral election.
2002 - Nigeria Plane Crash
2002 : A Nigerian BAC 1-11-500 aircraft crashes into the town of Kano and explodes in a densely populated section killing 148 people.
2005 - Pakistan Top al-Qaeda Suspect Captured
2005 : Pakistani authorities captured and arrested suspected al-Qaeda chief Abu Faraj al-Libbi. The suspect was thought to be high ranking within the organization and critical to the planning and facilitating of al-Qaeda activities.
Visit our 1950's Music Page
Popular Music from the 1950s, Genres including Rock 'n' Roll, Traditional Pop, Country, Rhythm & Blues, top songs and artists from each year Includes a description of each Genre and the top performers and songs for each year in the Fifties
2006 - US Picasso Painting Sold at Auction
2006 : Picasso's portrait of his lover Dora Maar was sold at an auction at Sotheby's in New York for 95.2 million dollars. The portrait, painted in 1941, was considered the second most expensive painting at the time, under another Picasso painting that sold for 104 million dollars in 2004.
2007 - Haiti Migrants Dead After Boat Capsizes
2007 : At least twenty migrants from Haiti are killed after their boat capsizes in the Atlantic Ocean. The boat carrying about 150 capsized just South of the Turks and Caicos Islands and many other passengers were rescued.
2008 - Obama Wins Democratic Caucus in Guam
2008 : Barack Obama narrowly defeated Hilary Clinton at the Democratic caucus in Guam, a United States territory. While citizens of Guam cannot vote in a United States presidential election they have the ability to choose delegates to help select the Democratic presidential candidate.
2009 - North Korean Ship Saved
2009 : A North Korean cargo ship was saved from an attempted pirate attack by a South Korean warship off the coast of Somalia. The South Korean ship answered the North Korean ship's distress calls and was thanked by the North Korean ship, despite the two countries being at war with each other for over fifty years.
2011 - Prince Charles Meets With President Obama
2011 : Great Britain's Prince Charles made a visit to the White House to discuss the environment and energy issues with US President Barack Obama. The meeting rounded out the Prince's two day trip to the United States, during which he spoke at the Future of Food conference and met with US veterans in addition to meeting with the president.
2012 - United States Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Dies
2012 : Rapper Adam Yauch, MCA of the Beastie Boys, died at the age of forty-seven after struggling with salivary gland cancer since 2009. Yauch was known for being a member of the ground-breaking rap group the Beastie Boys and for his lifetime of activism in the Free Tibet movement.
2013 - Solar Plane Lands in Arizona
2013 : The Solar Impulse plane, an aircraft powered completely by solar energy, successfully completed its first leg of a journey across the United States. The Solar Impulse landed in Phoenix, Arizona eighteen hours after leaving its starting point in San Francisco, California.
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Guidelines for trustees looking to commission an assurance report. The framework has been developed for use by those trustees who wish to be on the Trustee Register.
In 2009, we issued a consultation paper on how we proposed to change how we assess some of the judgment-based conditions for acceptance onto the Trustee Register.
One of the requirements this consultation addressed was for trustees on the Trustee Register to have 'sound administration and accounting procedures'. To help inform this judgement-based decision we indicated in our consultation that we would be adopting an assurance reporting framework to help inform this condition, and most responses were in favour of this proposal.
We must be satisfied that the applicant, operates, and continues to operate, 'sound administrative and accounting procedures'.
We have now developed this assurance reporting framework with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW). The Audit and Assurance Faculty (AAF) of the ICAEW issues good practice guidance for performing assurance engagements on various aspects of operations provided by external organisations. The Supplement resulting from this collaboration has been shared with the equivalent bodies in both Scotland and Ireland.
The ICAEW has published a supplement which provides guidance to trustees who adopt it (referred to as the Relevant Trustee in supplement) and reporting accountants on assurance reporting on the trustee's internal control procedures. This is with reference to a set of control objectives set out in appendix to this supplement.
For the avoidance of doubt, the control procedures subject to the supplement the reporting accountants will report on are those procedures in relation to the trustee's own business operations for providing pension trustee services.
Assurance reporting on relevant trustees (Relevant trustee supplement to ICAEW AAF 02/07).
 Namely the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and Chartered Accountants Ireland. For the avoidance of doubt, the requirements of trustees wishing to be included on the Trustee Register, including by reference the application of the Supplement, apply in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
 An entity that, as part of its business, as a trustee offers pensions trustee services in relation to trust schemes and who either is on the Trustee Register or adopts this framework voluntarily.
start the day after the end point of the previously submitted report.
This report will cover, at least, all of the control objectives detailed in the appendix to the supplement. Trustees may wish to put in place other control objectives. We use the assurance report to help us determine whether the legal requirement to have 'sound administrative and accounting procedures' has been met.
For new applicants we will require an assurance report for a period or a point in time ending or falling respectively within the six months before the submission of their application. There may well be transitional requirements applied to successful applicants up to the first two years they are on the Trustee Register. We will discuss these with the applicant.
However, after the transitional requirements the applicant will be expected to submit an annual assurance report as detailed above. In any event we encourage potential new applicants to discuss these issues and their application generally before they submit their application.
We do not expect it to be common but if a trustee receives a qualified assurance report they must let us know as soon as is possible and not wait until the submission date.
When notifying us we expect the trustee to explain the reasons for the qualification and the steps being taken to address the areas subject to the qualification.
We will consider the materiality of these qualifications and the reasonableness of the steps being taken to address them as part of our consideration of what (if any) action to take.
We also consider that the assurance framework, as outlined in the ICAEW supplement, will be useful for trustees who provide trustee services by way of business but who do not wish to be on the Trustee Register.
We would encourage – as good practice – these trustees to voluntarily adopt the supplement to help demonstrate that they operate 'sound administrative and accounting procedures'. In this situation not all of the control objectives may be directly applicable in this circumstance. Trustees who voluntarily adopt this framework and who are not seeking appointment on the Trustee Register should identify which of the control objectives set out in appendix to the supplement apply as well as any others.
Trustees must evaluate their control procedures, by reference to the principles and control objectives outlined in appendix to the supplement (PDF, 185kb, 27 pages).
Paragraphs 21 to 22 of the supplement makes clear that not all of the trustee's business activities need be considered when evaluating whether the trustee's control procedures meet the control objectives.
See paragraphs 29 – 31 of the supplement (PDF, 185kb, 27 pages).
Download the supplement from the ICAEW website (PDF, 185kb, 27 pages).
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) considers that where the trustee is a sole practitioner they should comply with all of the control principles. However, we recognise that this may well involve the sole practitioner trustee having to put in place certain arrangements which will enable this requirement to be met. There may be alternative approaches, or control procedures, that these trustees may wish establish and operate to ensure that the control objectives are met. One option the trustee may wish to consider may include is setting up mutual support and arrangements with other individuals or businesses offering pension trustee services.
Control objectives that may require such arrangements are likely to include, but not limited to, 3, 4, 7, 16 and 19 of appendix to the supplement. All these control objectives are relevant when an assurance report is obtained for the purpose of applying to be on the Trustee Register.
The application of certain control objectives for appointments (other than sole appointments) will sometimes be constrained by the constitution of the trustee body. TPR recognises that a trustee may not be able to demonstrate the suitability and/or operational effectiveness for certain control objectives in these circumstances, where for example the trustee body does not adopt control procedures of the trustee.
Control objectives that may fall into this category are likely to include, but not limited to, 6, 11, 12, and 14 of the appendix to the supplement. However, all these control objectives are relevant when an assurance report is obtained for the purpose of applying to be on the Trustee Register; and we would expect relevant trustees to design and document control procedures.