2007 Convention Address

217th Convention of the Diocese of Rhode Island
27 October 2007
Address to Convention
The Right Reverend Geralyn Wolf

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

So sang the Blessed Virgin Mary in response to the greeting from her cousin Elizabeth. Mary was filled with joy and praised God from a full and generous heart. So, I join with Mary in singing a song of joy in thanksgiving to God who brought Thomas Bair into my life, and for all of you who have showered us with your blessings and best wishes. However, unlike Elizabeth I’m happy to say, there is no babe-a-leaping!

The theme for this convention is about living a life of hope, a life rooted in Jesus’ death and resurrection. The community of his followers has gathered with elation and thanksgiving, celebrating the mystery of the Pascha for almost two thousand years.

The story of Mary and Elizabeth, liturgically known as the Feast of the Visitation, and the Story of Easter contain elements that are beyond our comprehension. To our way of thinking Mary could not have become pregnant, and like Thomas, some doubt the resurrection. As people formed in a scientific, technological age when something is beyond our grasp, it is easy to question its authenticity. However, Scripture reminds us that with God all things are possible.

Yitzak Perelman, the great violinist, had just begun to play a solo piece when one of the strings of his violin broke. Since it occurred at the beginning of the performance, he could have stopped and put on a new string but he decided to keep playing with the three strings that remained. At the end the audience applauded with gusto. Perelman raised his bow to signal for quiet. “You know,” he said, “sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much beautiful music you can make with what you have left.” Instead of focusing on the broken string, he mesmerized his listeners by using the three that remained. What a gift, to make the very best of what you have, with who you are.

Unlike Perelman, vestries often spend endless hours focusing on what is missing. Hope asks us to claim what is ours, even if it’s broken and inadequate, and to offer it faithfully for God’s mission.

Imagine Jesus looking at the 5,000 hungry, tired people and then seeing the meager offerings of two fish and five loaves of bread; not a promising situation. Instead of sending the people away he gave thanks for what he had, broke it in many pieces, and fed them all. When we give our gifts to God and for his purposes, we discover that the impossible is achievable and that hope is revealed through apparent insufficiency.

Michael Ramsey, former Archbishop of Canterbury said, “[The Church] exists to teach men and women to die to self and to trust in a resurrection to new life…”. That is our mission: to break the bread we have, to give it away, and to die to selfish aims and harmful ambitions as we trust in a resurrection to new life. Our diocesan vision statement is, “Live in Christ: Transform the world.” All the parables, all the stories and events portrayed in the Bible, direct us to the breathtaking power of God to transform people and events.

The heart of evangelism is sharing with others how God has been your agent of transformation. Because we are human, it is a story of brokenness leading to healing, of despair finding grace, of going astray and discovering a way home, of losing hope and receiving a new and inspired life. In spite of terrible sins there is forgiveness, and in the depths of heartache, love reaches out and prevails.

There is an old Orthodox legend that says that the Angel Gabriel had been appearing to young women throughout the millennia, serving as God’s messenger, seeking someone to give birth to God’s Word. Gabriel visited hundreds and thousands of young women, and Mary was the first to say “yes.”

The mission of the Church is to give everyone in every condition and culture the opportunity to say “Yes!” Gabriel is the messenger of messengers asking us to join him in proclaiming the glory of God in a culture where many say “No.” Our challenge is to have as much trust in God as Gabriel did, undeterred by negativity, and pressing on to the “yes” of life. Our message is about the transforming power of the Risen Christ to lead people from spiritual fear and defeat to an abundant and confident way of living.

There are many disciplines that assist the seeker in discovering a deeper spirituality. Their common characteristics are that the seeker acknowledges serious personal flaws and shortcomings, better known as sins, recognizes the need for God, and willingly surrenders to God’s care and direction. Congregations need spiritual discipline as well.

My friends, this is what we are talking about: Church as a place for difficult, challenging, growth in the Holy Spirit.

One of the primary ministries of many churches is to create an atmosphere of welcome and hospitality, where everyone is included. I heartily agree. However, our mission goes further. We gather to discover authentic life through the engagement of God’s authentic Word. Everyone is invited into the gathering, but our goal is to be transformed into the way of Jesus. As Christians, we witness to a particular Person, not just any person; to Jesus, the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, in whom is found salvation and grace, forgiveness and love, and everlasting life. Indeed, we welcome people just as they are, but we don’t expect them to stay that way. In trust we say, “Glory to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.”

As you review your church budgets and stewardship programs, there may be moments of anxiety. Some of you will try to figure out ways of getting new members to support rising costs. Others will have fund-raisers. I admit that I enjoy immensely parish yard sales (or any yard sale for that matter), bake sales, spaghetti dinners, and May breakfasts. However, many of us are looking for new members in all the old familiar places. In truth we don’t attract many new members through these projects, and we don’t raise much money by today’s standards.

Want to know how to fill up our churches? Begin by letting God set your hearts on fire. “Were not our hearts on fire,” said the apostles on their way to Emmaus. They knew what it was to be in Jesus’ presence even if it took them a little while to figure it out. Has your congregation really known what it means to be in Jesus’ company, and to experience your whole life turned upside down? What would you need in order to step out and take a bold leap of faith in your church? I’ve seen people in our diocese receive a renewed passion for Jesus’ presence: our young adults who visit Taizé each year, people working in missions in Latin America, those who attend conferences with other Christians, the Credo program, and many others who through the complexities of life have come to know the depths of Jesus’ love.

What’s the purpose of your church? Do you know your spiritual goal? Are you able to articulate your mission and ministry and maintain a healthy flexibility? We fool ourselves if we think that our churches are growing across the diocese. The hand-full of our parishes that are growing are those who have embraced significant changes in attitude and outlook. It takes faith and discipline to move the focus from the budget to the Gospel, from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance, from being spiritually sluggish to being alive in the Lord.

When your hearts are on fire and passion is rekindled, people will want to know what makes you tic. When you exhibit the flame of hope that passes human understanding, people will want to know what’s happening. Lives change through encounters with the God of Hope, shared in the company of others. Through hard, committed work, through passion and joy we become extraordinary witnesses to the gospel and, like Mary, are compelled to run and tell someone.

The fire of the Holy Spirit builds confidence, which leads to a deepening sense of purpose, and a willingness to make sacrifices. It is a flame of passion that does not consume but redirects our whole outlook on life. Ah, but your basket has only five loaves and two fish, what are they amongst so many. The violin has only three strings and you had hoped for four. It really didn’t matter to Jesus, or to Yitzak Perelman, because through their confidence and attitude they had all that was necessary.

Each parish and mission has gifted and wise parishioners, and every church has a special charism. Can you name something in your Church that brings the hope that leads to and transform? Imagine choosing one thing that you do well and exploiting it; discovering every opportunity and technique to reveal the one gift so that it is large and visible, attractive to those who are seeking an authentic Christian community! The primary goal is not to raise money or to increase membership, but to rekindle the spiritual fires you already possess.

The parishes and missions who have chosen to merge with one another often began the project thinking that they did not have enough. Yet in every case they experienced a renewed sense of vitality and mission. Instead of business as usual, they took the risk of putting ministry and mission above security and survival. They learned that church was people and not buildings. They understood their work to be of God’s kingdom and not their own. Instead of losing people, as some feared, these churches have grown.

St. Michael and Grace, Rumford, and St. Martin’s, Pawtucket have become the new Church of the Epiphany. St. George’s Newport, and St. Mary’s, Portsmouth are one in the parish named for St. Mary.

These parishes moved beyond themselves to see the gift instead of the broken string, the blessing within the heartache, the way forward in the midst of distress, the truth that Rhode Islanders can drive an extra mile or two to attend church, and the revelation that you don’t have to sit in the same pew. These faithful people are the ones who reveal to us the power of Christian Hope.

Each of us will have deficiencies until the day we die. Even with a heart of thanksgiving for all that Jesus means to us, we won’t be able to obscure our shortcomings, or the troubles in our churches. We are made in the image of God but we are still human. Our fears and hesitancy will revisit, discord will rear its ugly head, interpersonal struggles will still exist, but we must not focus so heavily upon what is wrong that we miss all the good that counterbalances it. Mistakes are inevitable, but they are healed through forgiveness and love. Christians who are open and honest, who are committed to reconciliation at every turn, become a church that can take faithful risks and endure failure, and begin again.

Our goal is to be better equipped and more intentionally formed in the faith we profess. We have to learn the language of faith intersecting with culture, so that we will proclaim the message of hope with increasing confidence, in an increasingly secular society and global community.

Brian McLaren, in his book Generous Orthodoxy, said, “I seek to better understand Scripture not just for my own sake, but so I’ll be better equipped to serve God and my neighbors.” (p. 119)

As we gather today, members of The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion are praying for the unity that seems to elude us. This is not the first time that the Church has lost its equilibrium, though it is probably the most dramatic since the Reformation. I pray earnestly for the unity of The Episcopal Church and The Anglican Communion with the hope that we will discover a way to be different together, claiming our essential bonds of unity, and the limits of our autonomy. If my invitation to Lambeth stands, I plan to attend, working for unity in the tension of claiming traditional faith and its contemporary expression.

Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with you. Hail Sudanese children, hail governors and senators, and day workers, and immigrants, and teachers; hail to all of you for you are all full of grace. To every corner of the world and in times and places of despair, we must know that in God’s eyes all are full of grace, even the most desperate among us. Today, Gabriel wanders about the universe, seeking people who say “Yes,” to God’s call. It is the poor who are answering “yes” with generous vitality. It is the hungry and destitute who have found the grace of faith. So many in our country seem to be saying, “No”, so let us join courageously with Gabriel the great archangel, reaching out to people everywhere creating opportunity to encounter the living Christ.

In summary, my friends, focus on what you do well, knowing that no one person or group can do everything. Witness from your strengths, it will restore your energy. Open your heart to hope and gratitude and overcome the pettiness that is so detrimental to Christian life. Move from familiar responses to a fresh and vivid way of being Church.

None of us can do these things alone. We need each other to reveal the love of God. Use your diocesan staff as a resource. Call upon parishes in the diocese to help you. Contact churches that have come through challenging times and discover how they did it. Join with one another knowing that you are not as different as you may think, and discover the uniting bonds of our brother Jesus.

I am so grateful for the good spirit that is evident in our diocese; the increasing collegiality amongst our clergy, the success of parish mergers, the young adults who are being considered for diocesan positions here at this convention; these gifts bring hope to all of us. I am grateful for Canon Bob Vanderau, for his gentle and dedicated service, and for Jim Segovis whose term as Vice-President of Diocesan Council brought new directions to our common life. I look forward to a new configuration of my wonderful staff, and in welcoming Liz Crawley to take her part as my new Executive Assistant. I’m grateful to Ty Creason and Betsy Fornal for their wholehearted willingness to take on new and expanded ministries. Their competence and dedication are a blessing to all of us.

In just a few minutes we will offer and give thanks for ordinary creatures of bread and wine, and through God’s grace, they will become our spiritual food and drink: Christ’s Real and Sacred Presence. So, we approach this Gift with profound reverence and thanksgiving for the One who forgives our sins and meets us in complete, sacrificial love. And in that love our souls join with Mary and magnify the greatness of the Lord.