According to news reports, when President Obama sat down earlier this week to talk with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the first question Mr. Obama asked was, “So, how did we get here?” For the next forty minutes, Mr. Putin recounted his story of the last thirty years of U.S. - Russian relations. Mr. Obama began a dialogue by listening, and in doing so, he honored the views of his companion, however much the two may agree or disagree on specific issues at the moment.
In what may be a welcome turn from earlier form, it appears that there's a lot of the same sort of thing going on at the current General Convention, particularly regarding the topics related to sexuality. The deputies know that we must deal with the issue, but they also know that there are other pressing concerns, and that the viability of the Episcopal Church does not turn entirely on this one subject. The overarching theme of this convention might best be summed up as, “We're all in this together.” That's progress in and of itself.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Friday, July 10, 2009
DAY 3: Thursday, July 9, 2009
Editor's note: During the General Convention, members of the Central Pennsylvania deputation are providing daily updates to the Diocese. The Rev. Christine Purcell is serving as “recorder and reporter” for these updates.
From Deputation Chair Kate Harrigan:
Early in Convention, much of the work is being done in committee. Resolutions are being heard, deliberated and fine-tuned for later presentation on the floors of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. Your deputies are serving on or following committees devoted to ministry, liturgy, ecumenism, education, small congregations, national and international concerns, and communication, as well as a number of others.
Public Narrative Project: In the second "Mission Conversation" with our table groups, we shared the stories of our lives that led to our call to mission and ministry. We were also coached in how to listen and give feedback to one another.
The Morning Eucharist: The Archbishop of Canterbury preached, and Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles presided. Bishop Bruno explained that whenever young people are present, he chooses a child or young person to stand with him at the altar while he celebrates the Eucharist. Today was no exception, as he celebrated with a young boy standing beside him. Worship over the last two days has included both English and Spanish in the liturgy, in song, in word, and in prayer.
“Committee of the Whole” Discussion of GC2006 B033: During the afternoon legislative session, the House of Deputies used this mechanism to discuss, without debate, this resolution passed at the end of the last General Convention. It called for a moratorium on electing to the episcopate those whose manner of life would be challenge to others in the Anglican communion and a cessation of incursions by bishops from other churches in the communion into dioceses in the Episcopal Church (TEC). Each deputy sat with a person we did not know, to ask and answer three questions: (1) what is our own story with respect to B033 and its implications; (2) what is our story as a church with respect to the issue; and (3) what is God calling us to do now. This process of respectful speaking and listening will continue in the next legislative session.
There is little free time for deputies, bishops, volunteers and others as people rush from committee meeting to worship to legislative meeting. But there is much energy and a true spirit for the life of the church and for God's work, as thousands of people seek to be faithful to God's call to serve the world.
From David Lovelace:
The past two days have been filled with hearings on resolutions for the Ministry Legislative Committee. We have heard and discussed resolutions relating to education of laity, the discernment process for ordination, the dissolution of a pastoral relationship and funding for theological education. Despite the long days, progress is being made to support the many ministries related to the ministry of all the baptized. I am impressed with the desire of all to encourage and support persons as they seek to answer God's call to service. I look forward to the debate and outcome as these thirty plus resolutions come to the floor of the House of Deputies.
From Harry Snell:
The Committee on consecration of bishops consented to the election of The Rev. Luis Fernando Ruiz , Bishop of Ecuador Central.
From Christine Purcell
“There’s nothing new under the sun”, the poet writes in Ecclesiastes. The Standing Commission on Communication is wrestling with many complex issues in the area of communication that are familiar to many of us: internal communication, a management issue vs. external communication and public relations; print vs. electronic media; the implications of demographic differences, to name just a few. And then there are the people issues: lack of coordination leads to the failure of trust. “It’s not what you did, it’s how you did it...”.
The new director of communication at the Church Center put forward a draft budget that called for the “morphing” of Episcopal Life, the monthly diocesan newspaper, into Episcopal Life, the quarterly magazine at the end of 2009. Regular “news” would be communicated in other ways; the magazine could explore issues with more depth. The significant savings realized, with respect to staff resources, would allow more development and utilization of other communications media.
The plan has encountered significant resistance. Many believe that Episcopal Life, the monthly newspaper, has had and continues to have an essential role in dioceses where newer media are less effective due to geography and demographics; and even more importantly, in dioceses where it has been a potent symbol of connection to the larger Episcopal Church. For example, in one diocese its circulation was blocked by a bishop who eventually left the Episcopal Church, taking a number of parishes with him. In another, its display in peoples’ homes signified their resistance to prevailing attitudes with respect to future directions.
Committee discussions and an open hearing have fleshed out the issues and given voice to different constituencies. I am confident that, with an adjusted timeline and some clarification of lines authority, it will be sorted out in the end! In the meantime, it is fascinating to watch.
From Deputation Chair Kate Harrigan:
Early in Convention, much of the work is being done in committee. Resolutions are being heard, deliberated and fine-tuned for later presentation on the floors of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. Your deputies are serving on or following committees devoted to ministry, liturgy, ecumenism, education, small congregations, national and international concerns, and communication, as well as a number of others.
Public Narrative Project: In the second "Mission Conversation" with our table groups, we shared the stories of our lives that led to our call to mission and ministry. We were also coached in how to listen and give feedback to one another.
The Morning Eucharist: The Archbishop of Canterbury preached, and Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles presided. Bishop Bruno explained that whenever young people are present, he chooses a child or young person to stand with him at the altar while he celebrates the Eucharist. Today was no exception, as he celebrated with a young boy standing beside him. Worship over the last two days has included both English and Spanish in the liturgy, in song, in word, and in prayer.
“Committee of the Whole” Discussion of GC2006 B033: During the afternoon legislative session, the House of Deputies used this mechanism to discuss, without debate, this resolution passed at the end of the last General Convention. It called for a moratorium on electing to the episcopate those whose manner of life would be challenge to others in the Anglican communion and a cessation of incursions by bishops from other churches in the communion into dioceses in the Episcopal Church (TEC). Each deputy sat with a person we did not know, to ask and answer three questions: (1) what is our own story with respect to B033 and its implications; (2) what is our story as a church with respect to the issue; and (3) what is God calling us to do now. This process of respectful speaking and listening will continue in the next legislative session.
There is little free time for deputies, bishops, volunteers and others as people rush from committee meeting to worship to legislative meeting. But there is much energy and a true spirit for the life of the church and for God's work, as thousands of people seek to be faithful to God's call to serve the world.
From David Lovelace:
The past two days have been filled with hearings on resolutions for the Ministry Legislative Committee. We have heard and discussed resolutions relating to education of laity, the discernment process for ordination, the dissolution of a pastoral relationship and funding for theological education. Despite the long days, progress is being made to support the many ministries related to the ministry of all the baptized. I am impressed with the desire of all to encourage and support persons as they seek to answer God's call to service. I look forward to the debate and outcome as these thirty plus resolutions come to the floor of the House of Deputies.
From Harry Snell:
The Committee on consecration of bishops consented to the election of The Rev. Luis Fernando Ruiz , Bishop of Ecuador Central.
From Christine Purcell
“There’s nothing new under the sun”, the poet writes in Ecclesiastes. The Standing Commission on Communication is wrestling with many complex issues in the area of communication that are familiar to many of us: internal communication, a management issue vs. external communication and public relations; print vs. electronic media; the implications of demographic differences, to name just a few. And then there are the people issues: lack of coordination leads to the failure of trust. “It’s not what you did, it’s how you did it...”.
The new director of communication at the Church Center put forward a draft budget that called for the “morphing” of Episcopal Life, the monthly diocesan newspaper, into Episcopal Life, the quarterly magazine at the end of 2009. Regular “news” would be communicated in other ways; the magazine could explore issues with more depth. The significant savings realized, with respect to staff resources, would allow more development and utilization of other communications media.
The plan has encountered significant resistance. Many believe that Episcopal Life, the monthly newspaper, has had and continues to have an essential role in dioceses where newer media are less effective due to geography and demographics; and even more importantly, in dioceses where it has been a potent symbol of connection to the larger Episcopal Church. For example, in one diocese its circulation was blocked by a bishop who eventually left the Episcopal Church, taking a number of parishes with him. In another, its display in peoples’ homes signified their resistance to prevailing attitudes with respect to future directions.
Committee discussions and an open hearing have fleshed out the issues and given voice to different constituencies. I am confident that, with an adjusted timeline and some clarification of lines authority, it will be sorted out in the end! In the meantime, it is fascinating to watch.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
General Convention - Day 2
Editor's note: During the General Convention, members of the Central Pennsylvania deputation are providing daily updates to the Diocese. The Rev. Christine Purcell is serving as “recorder and reporter” for these updates.
“Doing the business of getting ready to do business” pretty much sums up the opening legislative session. Appointments, the certification of a quorum, election of Secretary and Treasurer, adoption of a proposed schedule– the stuff that has to be in place so the House of Deputies can do the work of this convention, including but not limited to the consideration of literally hundreds of resolutions.
At the opening Eucharist the Presiding Bishop preached about heart transplants based on the text of Ezekiel 36: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh”. The primate of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines , once a constituent part of the Episcopal Church which became an autonomous member of the Anglican Communion in 1990, presented gifts to the TEC in thanksgiving for its support and in recognition of friendship and solidarity in the face of shared global economic challenges. There was, of course, wonderful music and a deep sense of the presence of the Spirit. This reporter’s high point: at the exchange of the Peace, turning from a warm greeting from a woman from the Diocese of Minnesota’s youth contingent to the outstretched hand of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Late in the day, the PB Katherine Jefferts-Schori, ABC Rowan Williams, and three young leaders in ministry comprised a panel to addressing the impacts of our global economic crisis. William’s remarks centered around his conviction that it is first and foremost a crisis of truthfulness. On the most prosaic level, the business world no longer operates with any expectation of truth-telling between entities. With respect to our relationship with the world in which we live, we have not been truthful with ourselves and one another about the fact that it is limited; we spin the fantasy that endless expansion, production and profit are possible without cost. And finally, as we relate to one another, we have not been truthful about our interdependence and need for one another. More on his comments are available on Episcopal Life Online (ecusa.anglican.org/episcopal_life.htm).
Bearing witness to his remarks were Sarah Eagle Heart, the Episcopal Church's program officer for Native American/Indigenous Ministries, who spoke about the rising suicide rate among Native American youth; Michael Schut, economic and environmental affairs officer for the Episcopal Church who described the impact of the ecological crisis on those living at subsistence level on the edge of toxic waterways; and Dr. Stephen Dzisi, a physician and technical director for NetsforLife®, an Episcopal Relief and Development partnership program that fights malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.
Report on the Public Narrative Project from Stephen Casey:
In response to GC 2006 Resolution D043: Dialogue on Mission of the Church, participants in this 2009 Convention will engage in Public Narrative to enable articulation of and commitment to a greater vision for mission. Public narrative is a method by which individuals communicate values, appreciate the values of others, and draw on those values to act. The process begins with sharing our life stories with one another. Our stories are broken into three parts: the story of self; the story of us; and the story of now.
By telling the “story of self” we communicate why and how we were called to care. By telling the “story of us” we describe what in our community calls us to act; and our “story of now” communicates the urgent challenge we are called to confront as a community – right now. We all possess a story of self, of us, and of now.
The Province meetings which preceded this Convention began this process of Public Narrative, and some Bishops and Deputies volunteered to be trained as coaches to help facilitate this church wide conversation. From the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, Gina Barrett, David Lovelace and Stephen Casey have been trained as coaches. Over the course of this General Convention the bishops and deputies will meet three times to share their individual stories of self, us, and now.
These conversations are not ends in themselves, but rather the beginning of a wider conversation engaging the whole church in a process of Public Narrative. From this convention, Deputies and Bishops and members of the ECW will carry on these conversations in the parishes and deaneries and convocations of their own dioceses. Our hope is that more leaders will be raised up who, through telling their story of self, us, and now in community, will enable the Episcopal Church at all levels to turn our outward to mission in the local community and the world.
“Doing the business of getting ready to do business” pretty much sums up the opening legislative session. Appointments, the certification of a quorum, election of Secretary and Treasurer, adoption of a proposed schedule– the stuff that has to be in place so the House of Deputies can do the work of this convention, including but not limited to the consideration of literally hundreds of resolutions.
At the opening Eucharist the Presiding Bishop preached about heart transplants based on the text of Ezekiel 36: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh”. The primate of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines , once a constituent part of the Episcopal Church which became an autonomous member of the Anglican Communion in 1990, presented gifts to the TEC in thanksgiving for its support and in recognition of friendship and solidarity in the face of shared global economic challenges. There was, of course, wonderful music and a deep sense of the presence of the Spirit. This reporter’s high point: at the exchange of the Peace, turning from a warm greeting from a woman from the Diocese of Minnesota’s youth contingent to the outstretched hand of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Late in the day, the PB Katherine Jefferts-Schori, ABC Rowan Williams, and three young leaders in ministry comprised a panel to addressing the impacts of our global economic crisis. William’s remarks centered around his conviction that it is first and foremost a crisis of truthfulness. On the most prosaic level, the business world no longer operates with any expectation of truth-telling between entities. With respect to our relationship with the world in which we live, we have not been truthful with ourselves and one another about the fact that it is limited; we spin the fantasy that endless expansion, production and profit are possible without cost. And finally, as we relate to one another, we have not been truthful about our interdependence and need for one another. More on his comments are available on Episcopal Life Online (ecusa.anglican.org/episcopal_life.htm).
Bearing witness to his remarks were Sarah Eagle Heart, the Episcopal Church's program officer for Native American/Indigenous Ministries, who spoke about the rising suicide rate among Native American youth; Michael Schut, economic and environmental affairs officer for the Episcopal Church who described the impact of the ecological crisis on those living at subsistence level on the edge of toxic waterways; and Dr. Stephen Dzisi, a physician and technical director for NetsforLife®, an Episcopal Relief and Development partnership program that fights malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.
Report on the Public Narrative Project from Stephen Casey:
In response to GC 2006 Resolution D043: Dialogue on Mission of the Church, participants in this 2009 Convention will engage in Public Narrative to enable articulation of and commitment to a greater vision for mission. Public narrative is a method by which individuals communicate values, appreciate the values of others, and draw on those values to act. The process begins with sharing our life stories with one another. Our stories are broken into three parts: the story of self; the story of us; and the story of now.
By telling the “story of self” we communicate why and how we were called to care. By telling the “story of us” we describe what in our community calls us to act; and our “story of now” communicates the urgent challenge we are called to confront as a community – right now. We all possess a story of self, of us, and of now.
The Province meetings which preceded this Convention began this process of Public Narrative, and some Bishops and Deputies volunteered to be trained as coaches to help facilitate this church wide conversation. From the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, Gina Barrett, David Lovelace and Stephen Casey have been trained as coaches. Over the course of this General Convention the bishops and deputies will meet three times to share their individual stories of self, us, and now.
These conversations are not ends in themselves, but rather the beginning of a wider conversation engaging the whole church in a process of Public Narrative. From this convention, Deputies and Bishops and members of the ECW will carry on these conversations in the parishes and deaneries and convocations of their own dioceses. Our hope is that more leaders will be raised up who, through telling their story of self, us, and now in community, will enable the Episcopal Church at all levels to turn our outward to mission in the local community and the world.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
From General Convention
Editor's note: During the General Convention, members of the Central Pennsylvania deputation are providing daily updates to the Diocese. The Rev. Christine Purcell is serving as “recorder and reporter” for these updates. This is the first of those reports.
DAY 1: Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Committee work has begun so that the legislation will reach the floors of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies early in the Convention. Members of our deputation have been engaged in the various committees they are assigned to or they are following.
We gathered in our table groups to hear opening remarks by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schori and President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson. Schori spoke about crisis and opportunity. Anderson’s focus was mission. Quotable quotes: “This crisis is a decision point –one which may involve suffering. But it is our opportunity to choose which direction we’ll go and what we will build…there will be cross-shaped decisions in our work , but if we look faithfully, there will be resurrection as well” (Jefferts-Schori); “The church does not have a mission. God’s mission has a church” (Anderson).
Professor Marshall Kanz introduced the Public Narrative project, a story-telling based tool to inform our table conversations about Mission. Public Narrative is a model that seeks to mobilize the moral commitment that leads to social change. Kanz teaches at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The son of a Jewish rabbi, he left home, Bakersfield, CA in 1960, to enter Harvard as a freshman. He dropped out before his senior year to go to Mississippi and work as a civil rights organizer. From there he went back to California and worked with Cesar Chavez for sixteen years. He returned to Harvard after 25 years to complete senior year, graduate studies, and now teaches there.
Public narrative works at the intersection between our individual stories, the stories of our faith communities, and the story of our national (or global) community. The motivation to work for cultural and social change comes out of the engagement of our emotions in hopeful vision of an alternative reality to the present.
There will be three more table sessions through the course of the convention which will use Public Narrative as a method for visioning mission. Prof. Kanz has trained coaches at the Province level who are at many of the tables to facilitate process. The Rev. Stephen Casey and the Rev. David Lovelace have received this training.
Reports from members of the Deputation at the end of the day:
From the Small Church Committee (Kate Harrigan and Gina Barrett)
There is no “national church” – we (small churches) are the church.
A resolution to watch – B006 – concerning the condition of detention centers for immigrants.
Communications (Brian Amato picked this up in casual conversation)
The idea of Episcopal Life going to a glossy quarterly (vs. continuing monthly publication) is up against serious opposition from those concerned about the cost of this strategy in terms in terms of the sense of immediacy and connection to the life of the church for many Episcopalians; particularly in dioceses where large contingents have left TEC.
Consecration of Bishops (Harry Snell)
They have passed on two elected candidates for bishop, the Rev. Larry Provenzano from the Diocese of Long Island and the Rev. John Tarrant from South Dakota. Some paperwork is still needed for the Rev. Ruiz from the Diocese of Ecuador – that should be completed Wednesday morning. He is expected to pass as well.
Civil Air Patrol (Bill Alford)
The Discernment Committee for the next suffragan bishop for federal chaplaincies is working on a profile. Bishop Baxter is chairing this committee.
The requirements for this position are daunting - the person selected must be in really good health, as his/her ministry field is the whole world, and needs to provide oversight to many constituencies: all chaplains in all armed forces, prison chaplains, VA hospital chaplains, and civil air patrol chaplains. The position is open to all clergy.
Ministry (David Lovelace)
There are questions about how some changes to constitutions and canons around ministry development are going to be funded – particularly with respect to theological education and Fresh Start. People are coming out of seminary with significant debt and no way to pay it back. A number of resolutions are being put forward around the funding questions.
Constitutions and Canons (Stephen Casey)
The Standing Committee on Constitution and Canons reviews proposed amendments to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and places them in proper form before passing them on to the General Convention for action. In addition they carry out a continual review of current Canons of the Church. At its first meeting of the Convention the Legislative Committee discussed at length the revision to Title IV, which is a major review of the Disciplinary Canons of the Church. The Disciplinary Canons as they now stand were originally set down in 1994. The prevailing attitude to clergy misconduct in those days was to consider it in the same terms as criminal law, in a punitive way. The current revision to go before the house approaches the Disciplinary Canons in a more pastoral and theological manner, moving them towards a reconciliation model for all appropriate circumstances. Later in the day the Committee discussed amendments to the Constitution and Canons that refer to the keeping of archival materials of the church, specifically how these are now garnered from dioceses and provinces of the church in an increasingly electronic age. They also considered amendments to the Canons which refer to the manner in which Diocesan Standing Committees transmit consents for Episcopal Elections.
Bishop Baxter spoke about work on a charter for Christian formation and lifelong learning for lay and ordained persons.
DAY 1: Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Committee work has begun so that the legislation will reach the floors of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies early in the Convention. Members of our deputation have been engaged in the various committees they are assigned to or they are following.
We gathered in our table groups to hear opening remarks by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schori and President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson. Schori spoke about crisis and opportunity. Anderson’s focus was mission. Quotable quotes: “This crisis is a decision point –one which may involve suffering. But it is our opportunity to choose which direction we’ll go and what we will build…there will be cross-shaped decisions in our work , but if we look faithfully, there will be resurrection as well” (Jefferts-Schori); “The church does not have a mission. God’s mission has a church” (Anderson).
Professor Marshall Kanz introduced the Public Narrative project, a story-telling based tool to inform our table conversations about Mission. Public Narrative is a model that seeks to mobilize the moral commitment that leads to social change. Kanz teaches at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The son of a Jewish rabbi, he left home, Bakersfield, CA in 1960, to enter Harvard as a freshman. He dropped out before his senior year to go to Mississippi and work as a civil rights organizer. From there he went back to California and worked with Cesar Chavez for sixteen years. He returned to Harvard after 25 years to complete senior year, graduate studies, and now teaches there.
Public narrative works at the intersection between our individual stories, the stories of our faith communities, and the story of our national (or global) community. The motivation to work for cultural and social change comes out of the engagement of our emotions in hopeful vision of an alternative reality to the present.
There will be three more table sessions through the course of the convention which will use Public Narrative as a method for visioning mission. Prof. Kanz has trained coaches at the Province level who are at many of the tables to facilitate process. The Rev. Stephen Casey and the Rev. David Lovelace have received this training.
Reports from members of the Deputation at the end of the day:
From the Small Church Committee (Kate Harrigan and Gina Barrett)
There is no “national church” – we (small churches) are the church.
A resolution to watch – B006 – concerning the condition of detention centers for immigrants.
Communications (Brian Amato picked this up in casual conversation)
The idea of Episcopal Life going to a glossy quarterly (vs. continuing monthly publication) is up against serious opposition from those concerned about the cost of this strategy in terms in terms of the sense of immediacy and connection to the life of the church for many Episcopalians; particularly in dioceses where large contingents have left TEC.
Consecration of Bishops (Harry Snell)
They have passed on two elected candidates for bishop, the Rev. Larry Provenzano from the Diocese of Long Island and the Rev. John Tarrant from South Dakota. Some paperwork is still needed for the Rev. Ruiz from the Diocese of Ecuador – that should be completed Wednesday morning. He is expected to pass as well.
Civil Air Patrol (Bill Alford)
The Discernment Committee for the next suffragan bishop for federal chaplaincies is working on a profile. Bishop Baxter is chairing this committee.
The requirements for this position are daunting - the person selected must be in really good health, as his/her ministry field is the whole world, and needs to provide oversight to many constituencies: all chaplains in all armed forces, prison chaplains, VA hospital chaplains, and civil air patrol chaplains. The position is open to all clergy.
Ministry (David Lovelace)
There are questions about how some changes to constitutions and canons around ministry development are going to be funded – particularly with respect to theological education and Fresh Start. People are coming out of seminary with significant debt and no way to pay it back. A number of resolutions are being put forward around the funding questions.
Constitutions and Canons (Stephen Casey)
The Standing Committee on Constitution and Canons reviews proposed amendments to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and places them in proper form before passing them on to the General Convention for action. In addition they carry out a continual review of current Canons of the Church. At its first meeting of the Convention the Legislative Committee discussed at length the revision to Title IV, which is a major review of the Disciplinary Canons of the Church. The Disciplinary Canons as they now stand were originally set down in 1994. The prevailing attitude to clergy misconduct in those days was to consider it in the same terms as criminal law, in a punitive way. The current revision to go before the house approaches the Disciplinary Canons in a more pastoral and theological manner, moving them towards a reconciliation model for all appropriate circumstances. Later in the day the Committee discussed amendments to the Constitution and Canons that refer to the keeping of archival materials of the church, specifically how these are now garnered from dioceses and provinces of the church in an increasingly electronic age. They also considered amendments to the Canons which refer to the manner in which Diocesan Standing Committees transmit consents for Episcopal Elections.
Bishop Baxter spoke about work on a charter for Christian formation and lifelong learning for lay and ordained persons.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Watch This Space
The General Convention of the Episcopal Church begins in Anaheim later this week. Members of the Diocesan deputation will be providing daily reports of their activities here, via emails to diocesan clergy, and on the diocesan web site.
Stay tuned for more...
Stay tuned for more...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Faith in Tough Times
If it did nothing else, last week's Diocesan Convention proved that there's nothing like scarcity to focus congregations' attention on priorities. Much of Friday's session involved grappling, in one context or another, with what it means to carry out mission at a time when no one has all the resources they would like.
Fortunately, the convention agenda had already carved out much of Friday afternoon for extended “table discussions” in which designated leaders, recorders, and time-keepers led participants through a discussion of one of Bishop Baxter's four strategic visions. This provided an important opportunity for delegates to hear what other congregations are doing and how they are managing in trying times. Walking around the room, I heard a lot of variations on, “What if we tried... ?”, and saw sympathetic nods as delegates realized that they're not alone, and other folks have grappled with problems similar to theirs.
While there was palpable fear in the comments of several members of small congregations, there was also a common recognition that the Diocese is ultimately limited by the collective resources available from the parishes. The president of the Standing Committee put it most bluntly when he paraphrased a line he is fond of using during parish stewardship campaigns, “We have all the money we need. It's just that most of it is still in your pockets.”
So, while the mood was hardly upbeat, the quality of the dialogue was some of the best to emerge in recent years, with an honest focus on “how can we do it better” issues. One can only hope that the sharing will continue in the months ahead, and that we all will realize that the problem isn't “them;” it's “us.”
I hope you'll share your thoughts about how we can all do better.
Fortunately, the convention agenda had already carved out much of Friday afternoon for extended “table discussions” in which designated leaders, recorders, and time-keepers led participants through a discussion of one of Bishop Baxter's four strategic visions. This provided an important opportunity for delegates to hear what other congregations are doing and how they are managing in trying times. Walking around the room, I heard a lot of variations on, “What if we tried... ?”, and saw sympathetic nods as delegates realized that they're not alone, and other folks have grappled with problems similar to theirs.
While there was palpable fear in the comments of several members of small congregations, there was also a common recognition that the Diocese is ultimately limited by the collective resources available from the parishes. The president of the Standing Committee put it most bluntly when he paraphrased a line he is fond of using during parish stewardship campaigns, “We have all the money we need. It's just that most of it is still in your pockets.”
So, while the mood was hardly upbeat, the quality of the dialogue was some of the best to emerge in recent years, with an honest focus on “how can we do it better” issues. One can only hope that the sharing will continue in the months ahead, and that we all will realize that the problem isn't “them;” it's “us.”
I hope you'll share your thoughts about how we can all do better.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Summer Reading
As usual, Diocesan Convention was a good occasion for compiling a short list of interesting summer reading. First up, an essay by J. Robert Wright, (Professor of Ecclesiastical History at General Theological Seminary) in the June 15 edition of Time entitled “Decoding God's Changing Moods.” You can read it here.
Wright sets out to explain the seemingly contradictory emphases on tolerance and intolerance of one's enemies in both the Bible and the Koran by examining the historical circumstances in which various portions of each were written.
While that's not a new approach, Wright goes on to suggest that during periods in which leaders saw relations with other nations as a “zero-sum” game, tolerance for other religions waned. On the other hand, when leaders saw opportunities for “win-win” scenarios, where each side could gain, in international or inter-tribal relationships, then tolerance increased. It's interesting stuff, and there's more in Wright's new book, The Evolution of God, which has just been published.
Another book that makes the list is Phyllis Tickle's The Great Emergence, The: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. The author makes the case that Christianity undergoes an upheaval every 500 years or so that results in a newer, more vital religion. She postulates that such an upheaval is currently underway, aided in no small part by new communication technologies. Several folks have recommended this one to your editor, and Bishop Baxter quoted from her in his address to the convention. It's available from Amazon here.
We hope you'll find these a starting point for this summer's reading. If you have picks of your own that you'd like to add to our list, please let us know by commenting on this blog.
We'll have more on the recent convention soon.
Wright sets out to explain the seemingly contradictory emphases on tolerance and intolerance of one's enemies in both the Bible and the Koran by examining the historical circumstances in which various portions of each were written.
While that's not a new approach, Wright goes on to suggest that during periods in which leaders saw relations with other nations as a “zero-sum” game, tolerance for other religions waned. On the other hand, when leaders saw opportunities for “win-win” scenarios, where each side could gain, in international or inter-tribal relationships, then tolerance increased. It's interesting stuff, and there's more in Wright's new book, The Evolution of God, which has just been published.
Another book that makes the list is Phyllis Tickle's The Great Emergence, The: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. The author makes the case that Christianity undergoes an upheaval every 500 years or so that results in a newer, more vital religion. She postulates that such an upheaval is currently underway, aided in no small part by new communication technologies. Several folks have recommended this one to your editor, and Bishop Baxter quoted from her in his address to the convention. It's available from Amazon here.
We hope you'll find these a starting point for this summer's reading. If you have picks of your own that you'd like to add to our list, please let us know by commenting on this blog.
We'll have more on the recent convention soon.
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