New England reports on recent Executive Council meeting

Earlier in March, the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church met in Oregon. Each province of the church sends representatives to the meeting. For New England, our representatives include Lee Allison Crawford and Dennis Stark. Dennis is a parishioner of St. Martin's, Providence, and a member of Diocesan Council. Lee has written an article on the meeting, with assistance from Dennis.

Here's an excerpt:

Perhaps the most eagerly awaited news was what would be Executive Council’s response to the Communiqué issued by the primates in Dar es Salaam (download pdf). Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson appointed eight people, representing several viewpoints and provinces of the church, to draft a letter of response to be considered in plenary on the last day of the meeting.

Council members, as a whole, felt it most important not to pass a resolution, which they thought would box the body and church into a corner. Likewise, they believed it was important not to react precipitously but to respond thoughtfully and deliberately. The final draft (full text available here) represents concerns expressed by Council members in an open and transparent conversation. It states:
• We wish clearly to affirm that our position as a church is to welcome all persons, particularly those perceived to be the least among us. We wish to reaffirm to our lesbian and gay members that they remain a welcome and integral part of the Episcopal Church.
• Further, we offer our prayerful affirmation to all who struggle with the issues that concern us: those who are deeply concerned about the future of their Church and its place within the wider Communion, and those who are not reconciled to certain actions of General Convention. We wish to reaffirm that they too remain a welcome and integral part of the Episcopal Church.

The letter also details the next steps of Council in responding to the primates’ requests. A task force to be appointed by the president of the House of Deputies will draft a complete response to the Communiqué, which Executive Council will receive and consider at its June 2007 meeting in Parsippany, NJ. The International Concerns Committee (INC) was charged with considering how to respond to the draft Anglican Communion covenant (download pdf) presented to the primates in Dar es Salaam by a Covenant Design Group.



















In a touching moment [at the final Eucharist], the children of the congregation gave the presiding bishop a necklace of eight glass beads to remind her of the eight MDGs and the blue waters of baptism. After presenting her with the necklace, which she wore for the rest of the liturgy over her chasuble, they blessed her, inviting the congregation also to stretch out their hands in a blessing drawn from the prayer said after baptism.

Read the whole article.