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.