Through the Proper Lens

The alleged turmoil in the Anglican Communion, and the Episcopal Church specifically, looks a lot more serious if you’re looking through the wrong lens. Using one that takes in a very narrow field – while making everything seem closer – certainly heightens the illusion that there’s a stampede on. The Rev. Ken Howard, rector of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Darnestown, Maryland, makes just this point in his guest column currently running on the Episcopal Life web site. Speaking of those in his own congregation—which includes those of many viewpoints—he says, “Recognizing that human understanding of the mind of Christ is imperfect at best, they choose to make the love of Christ -- experienced in their common worship of the Living God -- the basis of Christian community, rather than agreement on a broad spectrum of doctrinal principles (unity, rather than uniformity). You can read the rest here.

If there’s anything that might be termed quintessential in Anglican tradition, it is this willingness to admit that we mortals don’t have all the answers, and that—as Jesus stressed over and over—being in community and loving one another is central to God’s plan for his people. The God whom we worship is a very present-here-and-now God, not a being fixed in the past. Begin from these two premises, and the rest falls into place pretty quickly.

Regarding the House of Bishops

Bishop Baxter recently sent the clergy of the Diocese a reminder that they will gather in State College on October 20 for a briefing on the House of Bishops meeting that takes place in mid-September. Writing to the clergy, he said, “The fall meeting will be significant in that the Archbishop of Canterbury and representatives from the Primates’ Standing Committee will be joining us for conversation. This will not be a definitive meeting, but it will be a significant formative experience in our dialogue and discernment as an American House of Bishops and a larger Communion of Bishops.”

If you’re looking for someone for whom to pray in mid-September, I suspect our bishops would welcome being included in your prayers.

Faith and Politics

Two interesting items crossed the editor’s computer screen yesterday. The first was a section of CNN’s web site entitled “God’s Warriors.” It’s the support material for a three-part series done by Christianne Ammanpour that airs August 21-23 from 9-11 pm EDT. Billed as a dispassionate look at fundamentalism in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, it shows the promise of being an interesting tracing of the historical roots of a phenomenon with which all three Abrahamic religions are grappling these days.

Ms. Ammanpour is well-equipped for the task. A native Iranian, she was educated in Britian, works for an American corporation, and is married to former State Department spokesman Jamie Rubin. You can find out more here.

For those who want still more, try reading the article by humanities professor Mark Lilla’s article in today’s New York Times magazine entitled “The Politics of God.” It seeks to explain—in far too little space—why the West experienced the Great Separation of church and state while the rest of the world did not… and why that matters in today’s world. Mr. Lilla also mentions—almost as an aside—that the American experience, which retains both a democratic secular government and a plethora of thriving religious communities, is entirely unique in the world. You can read it here.

Why does this matter to Episcopalians? It matters because we are unique, both as a branch of Anglicanism and also as an American denomination. Understanding both who we are and how others see us can go a long way toward building a better understanding of how we can live in community with brothers and sisters both here and abroad.

Lost No More

The New York Times carried an interesting story today about one of the newest priests in the Diocese of Western Michigan. He is Zachariah Jok Char, a native of Sudan, who serves at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids—once home to Gerald Ford. You can find the entire story here.

Mr. Char is one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, who literally walked away from the turmoil in his native country many years ago. He is one of more than three dozen Episcopal priests who followed the same path, and how now leads communities of his fellow countrypeople who have resettled in the U.S. His ordination enabled the group at Grace Church to hear liturgies in their native Dinka language.

Grace church sought out the Sudanese, making an effort several years ago to help them settle comfortably in the U.S. That concern has been replicated in other congregations, and it has clearly been reciprocated by those who have found a new home in America and the Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Char’s comment sums it all up well: “in Sunday school, we were told when you are a kind person, God will give you a long life. The only way people can stay kind is hearing the word of God every day and staying involved in the community.” Amen, brother.

Ministry Trumps Meetings

If your only barometer of the national and international health of our church were what you read in the media, most Episcopalians could be forgiven for thinking that the world was about to end. Fortunately, the media have either got most of it wrong, or they’re simply looking in the wrong places for something to write about.

The fall Diocesan calendar includes two international events of note to our Diocese. In early September, Bishop Baxter will preach at the consecration of the Rev. Roger Bird as the new Bishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This event will mark a transition to new episcopates in both our Diocese and Sao Paulo, evidence of a partnership that long ago expanded beyond simple personal relationships to become an active network engaged in a rich mixture of ministries.

Later this fall, Bishop Masereka of Uganda will visit Central Pennsylvania. While he is a bishop in Uganda, not of Uganda, our collective support for his work among HIV/AIDS victims in Uganda has become one of the more meaningful and extensive international ministries in the history of the Diocese. People from our Diocese have sent physicians to work there and donated thousands of dollars for construction of medical facilities.

Further proof that effective ministries can trump long-winded meetings and media pronouncements any day.

What Did YOUR Congregation Do This Summer?

The Diocese is looking for photos of recent summer activities – VBS, work projects, picnics, youth programs, etc. – to include in upcoming editions of Tidings. If you have some (the bigger the better), please email them, along with enough explanation to craft a caption, to tidings@diocesecpa.org. Thanks!

Correction to "For Clergy" Post

We apparently got our facts muddled in our earlier post about the Church Pension Fund's Planning for Tomorrow conference. There is an $80 per person charge for the conference, and we failed to state that earlier.

Our apologies for the error.