Surprises at diocesan conventions are usually few and far between. Attend one of these events, and orderly, predictable agendas are the usual fare. This year’s Central Pennsylvania convention—built on the theme of Global Anglicanism and Local Ministry—promised to be just such a gathering. That is, until the guest speaker got started.
The Rt. Rev. Pierre Whalon is Bishop in charge of the Episcopal Congregations in Europe. His congregations include everything from a cathedral in Paris to parishes in Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany, to a house church in Kazakhstan.
After some introductory descriptions of the geographic scope of the European Episcopal congregations and the Anglican Communion, Bishop Whalon acknowledged that some of the folks in the Communion had been doing a lot of scuffling in recent years. This, he noted, had made some wonder whether the Anglican Communion really does anything or is worth having at all
“So,” said the Bishop, “What happens if the Anglican Communion splits up? Well,” he said, “the short answer is that people will die.”
The Bishop then went on to describe the nature of the work and ministry that goes on in the congregations he serves. “You may think,” he said, “that this is a group of expatriot Americans and Brits, having church while waiting for the next steamer home. That vision, my friends, sank with the Titanic.” He then described parishes whose membership is diverse beyond anything we have in the U.S.: French congregations of Sudanese and other African refugees, blended with Europeans and even a few French; diplomats and NGO leaders in Geneva, Episcopalians in Spain and Italy.
This is an Episcopal church that, while very much an American institution, has much shorter and more direct, more “local” ties to our Anglican brethren than most of our domestic dioceses. Their local ministries are similar to our local ministries, but they nearly always have international connections, and these connections reinforce the connectedness of the Communion itself.
By way of illustration, Bishop Whalon offered this: “Let me give you an example. The rector of our congregation in Geneva had noticed that a number of the leaders of non-governmental organization in Geneva were part of his parish. He got them together and said, in so many words, ‘Why don’t you folks work together to do something about AIDS in Africa?’ That was the beginning of what is now the U.N. AIDS program in Africa.”
He pointed out that, because of the cooperative structures that our Anglican Communion relationships provide, many nationalities can readily cooperate, and people and resources can be brought to bear with fluidity in places where there are real, even desperate needs. It is an effect that is frequently catalytic, not always visible, but never trivial.
Wrapping up his presentation, Bishop Whalon compared the current quarrels in the Communion to a marriage that is “stuck.” “When this happens,” he said, “one of three things can happen. First, the marriage can stay stuck. In that case, both parties remain uncomfortable and nothing changes. Second, one of the parties can give in. This solves the problem, but at the cost of the dignity of at least one partner. However, in the best case, the parties can decide to grow up, back off, and figure out how to continue living together in a way that makes their differences less of a problem.”
Bishop Whalon concluded by voicing his hope and expectation that, at the upcoming Lambeth Conference, the bishops of the church will take their allotted three weeks to decide to grow up, set their differences aside, and get on with the global mission that was the original impetus for the creation of the Anglican Communion.
