Archbishop Bates to speak during diocesan conference

Archbishop Craig W. Bates, patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, will visit Southern Nevada next week for a diocesan conference.

The Diocese of the West Clergy Conference will be Thursday through Sept. 26. St. Paul's Charismatic Episcopal Church, 671 Professional Ave., Suite 504, Henderson, will serve as host parish.

In addition, on Sept. 27, Bates will celebrate the Holy Eucharist and preach during the 10 a.m. service at St. Paul. The public is invited to attend.

The events mark the patriarch's first visit to Las Vegas, said the Rev. David A. Hoff of St. Paul's Charismatic Episcopal Church.

St. Paul, founded in 1995, is the only ICCEC church in the valley, Hoff said.

It currently has about 60 members.

The ICCEC, which was created in 1992, is not, and never has been, affiliated with the Episcopal Church USA or the Anglican Communion.

The ICCEC is a "loving, Spirit-filled, Bible-believing, Christ-centered church" that, Hoff says, combines the sacramental and liturgical traditions of the early Christian church with a charismatic, evangelical focus.

For more information, call St. Paul's Charismatic Episcopal Church at 260-0126 or 263-6951 or visit the church's Web site, www.StPaulCEC.org.