Mission trip to New Orleans: Wednesday and Thursday report

Following up on earlier reports here, this is the latest from the team in New Orleans. No pictures yet, but I'll add them if I receive a fresh batch.

Wednesday morning: hump day. Clare tries to lessen the blow of what often proves to be hardest day to get through by treating us to a French toast breakfast at the Palace. Yum. We linger over the maple syrup and then schlep back to church for more of the same work. We’re a little tired from the week’s escapades, but we manage to still put in a sincere effort to keep the repairs coming. The painting group has started sealing the floor and staining the woodwork in the church. The drywall effort continues, and some raking and weed work happens outside. We eat bologna sandwiches for lunch. It is a good day.

At night, our group splits into two groups. The majority of folks head to the movie theater to see Superman Returns on its opening night. The leftover people stay back at the Palace for a rousing game of Scrabble (George wins) and some down time. The predominant report from the movie is that it’s not that good, especially if you are in the front row of the theater.

After our evening plans we file off to bed. We seem to have no problem sleeping this week – between the work and the heat we knock out fast, regardless of our lodging.

Thursday we are back up and at it again. Today we start a couple of new projects in addition to the dry wall and the painting. A few of us have decided to take on the sacristy of the church, which is in dire need of some TLC. It hasn’t been used since the storm, and the items that were once found there (thuribles, altar linens, tapers, patens and chalices) can be found scattered all over the back hallways of the church. By repairing the walls and cleaning and organizing the sacristy we can make it usable again, which will free up other space in the church. We also start painting the room that will serve as the nursery for the church, a priority for the Grace church community. Finally, we have been asked to stain and repair three large bookcases. In the midst of these new projects, we also keep plugging away on our old ones. The end of our time here is in sight, and we are trying to get as much done as we can before we leave.

As the week has progressed we have adjusted to our surroundings. The closed stores have started to look normal, we are used to the water lines on the area buildings, and the trash on the streets seems commonplace. But then we trip across something that jars us from that normalcy. While cleaning out the sacristy on Thursday we came across one of these things. An old church register was lying in a box on top of a cabinet, its pages purple from the ink and warped from the water. The last date in the register was August 28th, and the lines and pages after that were blank. There were ten people at the service that morning. We learned that some of the people that had been at that service evacuated the area that afternoon, picking up neighbors on their way out of town. They drove to Monroe, Louisiana, where many of them stayed for weeks. These stories are important for us to hear. We do not want to become complacent.

Thursday night brought another exciting event for our group. George had arranged for us to go to a Zephyrs game, Louisiana’s minor league baseball team. We loved having the change of scene. Though sparsely attended, the atmosphere at the game was light and enthusiastic. And the food vendors at this baseball stadium were no joke. We had our choice of Mexican, barbecue, Cajun, burgers, po boys, ice cream, sno-balls, and more. We chowed and cheered, and left at the end of the evening tired and satisfied. But the Zephyrs lost. Bummer.

Friday will be our last day of work here, and we’ll try to accomplish as much as we can at the church. We wish that we can stay longer and do more to help (but we are looking forward to coming home too!).

Summary of all legislation

Several days ago, I posted a link to a fine resource out of the Diocese of Chicago. It lists, on two handy pages, a summary of major legislation passed at General Convention. Today the Episcopal News Service has come out with its own summary of all legslation enacted by the Convention.

Have a look. If you get all excited, you can look up the full text of all resolutions proposed, check the status of each one, and see all the amendments.

As you'll see, fighting and sex made up 2.47% of all resolutions. (I just made up that number, but it seems about right.) For some reason, fighting and sex drew about 63% of all media coverage, while our new Presiding Bishop resulted in 32% (again, just go with me here--I was making a point). Almost all the resolutions were about the ordinary business of being a church, and many of the resolutions (related to slavery, elimination of poverty, etc.) were about making us a better church.

Episcopal Church news and reactions

One thing I forgot to post in my news roundup yesterday was something from the Diocese of Newark. They have announced their slate of nominees to be their next bishop, and one of the people (all men, by the way) is an openly gay man. Some see this as an affront to the clear will of the Anglican Communion and the General Convention, while others will perceive this as the Holy Spirit calling a people forward.

Responses have been pouring in to the news of late. I won't list a bunch of stuff here, but I'd encourage you to read at least four blogs, if you want to follow this stuff. Here are my suggestions. Enjoy.

Finally, another bit of humor, which I gleaned from the Questioning Christian (see "suggestions" above).

Solution to financial problems of schism?

As things get sorted out, there will certainly be some legal expenses, no matter which direction things go. How to pay for these without using mission funds?

How about the sale of action figures? I found this one, of Bishop Iker. Perhaps we could have a whole series of figures, ideal for collectors of all theological persuasions.

Please note this disclaimer, for the humor impaired: this is humor. I picked Iker because I saw him. If someone sends links to Robinson-man or any other bishop, I'd be happy to share the humor equally among right and left. I have suggested this idea to the Bishop's Office here in Rhode Island, and I hope they'll get back to me soon. I'm waiting by the phone, but there's no ringing yet!

(I think I saw the Iker figure first on the Stand Firm site.)

RI Council of Churches opposes gambling

I received this statement from the RI Council of Churches today via email. Ordinarily I'd just link to the statement on their website, but it's not there yet. Please do have a look at their website to learn more about what they do. If you haven't heard, by the way, the Rev'd John Holt is no longer running the place. The current (interim) director is the Rev'd H. A. Pedersen.

Here's the full statement on gambling:

The people of God live neither by chance nor by fate, but rather by the grace of God, and through the victory of Jesus Christ. The plan for our lives as indeed the intended final destination of all humanity is God’s plan, wrought according to God’s decrees in creation, in the creating of humanity in God’s image, and in the redemption of that humanity by God’s Son, our Risen Lord. In the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who spoke through the prophets, discloses God’s will and empowers God’s people to live according to God’s plan and God calls them in this life to bear witness to this good news. This is not a matter of coincidence, or of accident, or of mere fortune.

Games involving throwing dice or other objects were known in biblical times. These games extended to gambling but are only mentioned in reference to Jesus’ clothes (John 19:24). “Casting lots” was a cultural way of determining responsibility and a religious way to know God’s will (Nahum 3:10); (Joshua 18:6); (Acts 1:26). “Casting lots” is never endorsed as a way to get money.

Covetousness and greed, which motivate gambling, are strongly condemned by biblical ethics as contrary to trusting God for our daily bread. Sustenance is the blessing of God (Matthew 6:31-34) and the result of work (Ephesians 4:28). Gambling’s glorification of mere chance denies divine order in nature and disregards the insistence of the church of every age that possessions are entrusted to us and we are accountable for their use. The persistent appeal to self-satisfaction is fundamentally opposed to the unselfishness which was taught by Jesus Christ and the Bible.

Pictures wanted

I've put together a digital scrapbook about General Convention. I'm working on the finishing touches before I burn it to DVDs, send out to parishes, and I believe get it linked to this site. I'm putting out a call for more pictures. I know many of you were at convention, and may have great pictures. You can send these pictures to me via email at BigDee6541@aol.com. The deadline will be two weeks from today July 13th. Thanks a lot for your help in advance.

Episcopal Church news roundup

Golly. Lots of developments in the last 24 hours. In addition to the Archbhisop of Canterbury's statement and the Presiding Bishop's response, there are many other things to report.

During General Convention, the Diocese of Fort Worth (Texas) announced they wanted "alternative primatial oversight." This was in protest of the election of Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the next Presiding Bishop. You can read the statement on their diocesan website.

On Wednesday, three more dioceses joined Forth Worth in seeking oversight by a different Presiding Bishop. The three dioceses are San Joaquin, South Carolina, and Pittsburgh. Of those dioceses, Fort Worth and San Joaquin have refused to recognize the ordination of women priests or bishops. Quincy is unhappy too, as this statement indicates (PDF file).

Pittsburgh's statement proposes the creation of a tenth province in the Episcopal Church, presumably made up of conservative dioceses. It is not clear how this would be adequate, given that all nine current provinces are part of The Episcopal Church, of which the Presiding Bishop is head. Perhaps the dioceses will eventually seek to be the "covenant" presence in the US, while the Episcopal Church would be the "affiliated" presence, following the bifurcation suggested by Archbishop Williams in his theological reflection.

You can read some coverage of this whole scene on various websites. Here's progressive take on the situation, and here's a more conservative take on what's happening. Here's the AP newswire story and the NY Times article.

Frank Griswold, as reported in this ENS press release, had some words about Pittsburgh. (I try to present sources here for people to read and form opinions, but I feel compelled to note that this news release is some of the most overt spin I've seen coming out of 815. One wonders why the facts wouldn't be presented on their own merits.)

I find the action by the Standing Committee and Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh unsurprising and altogether consistent with their implicit intention of walking apart from the Episcopal Church.

The urgency of their appeal indicates an unwillingness to be part of the process of formulating a covenant so clearly set forth in the Archbishop of Canterbury's reflection. I would very much hope that they would remain part of the Episcopal Church as we, along with the other provinces of the Communion, explore our Anglican identity - as the Archbishop has invited us to do.

It does seem to me that Griswold has a good point. What's the hurry? The Presiding Bishop has very little ability to effect any change in the inner workings of a diocese, so why are these four dioceses in such a hurry? What about the Windsor Report's listening process? As if to confirm the thing that wags have been saying for months now, namely that at least some of the conservative impetus is the desire for power, today also brought news that Canon Martyn Minns of Virginia's Truro Church has been elected a bishop in the Anglican Church of Nigeria. That certainly makes clear his desire, or lack thereof, to stay in the Episcopal Church, since Nigeria has declared itself out of communion with the Episcopal Church.

Much happened today. I would encourage prayer for everyone involved. I also hope that all of us (no matter our ideological, theological, or political persuasion) can be honest about who we are, what our motivations are, and what we hope to accomplish. In the last two weeks, we've seen lots of unsavory and perhaps even unchristian machinations emanating from all the extremes in this. It has been reported that some bishops cast their votes in the House of Bishops for a Presiding Bishop candidate whom they felt was unqualified just to further their agenda of schism. Let it stop.

Bishop Wimberly of Texas, no liberal, said this yesterday, in a response to General Convention:

I am going to hold onto the central importance of “communion” and I refuse to trim the notion either by moralizing it or identifying it with confessional agreement.

Wimberly has it right. We need to focus on the important things, on the things the Gospel commands of us. For Anglicans, this is communion, both the literal feasting at the Eucharist and the gathering of the people of God into communities, small and large, local and global. We are to love God with our whole being, we are to love our neighbors, and we are to share our love of God with others.

There are people dying in our world, and there are people who do not know God's love. Those are things worthy of great energy, devotion, and resources.

Mission trip to New Orleans: the work continues

Here's another update from New Orleans. On the previous posts, I said that these were coming from Meaghan Kelly. It turns out that she's sending them, but there are many people collaborating on the writing. Along with Meaghan, these updates are being written by Clare Fischer Davies, Mary Davies, Mary Kesson, Stephanie Monteiro, and Amy Scanlon, among others.

Tuesday morning, and it’s time for our second day of hard work at Grace Church in New Orleans. Again, we broke up into small groups and prepared to continue most of the work projects that we had started the day before. Dry walling, dry walling, and more dry walling. Which lead to a substantial amount of spackling and sanding. Grace Church has a large facility, with many rooms off a long hallway. Just after the hurricane, there was six feet of water in the building. After the initial flooding, the waters receded to four feet, where they stayed for approximately ten days. As a result, the walls throughout the entire building need to be replaced from eye level (depending on your height) down to the floor. Some of this dry walling has already been done, but there is still much work to do.

In other areas, the painting group finished painting the entire floor of the church nave, and washed some of the water lines off of the walls near the door. Others made food for the masses. Day two seemed to go much more smoothly, as our learning curve was not as steep.

In the morning before we started, we were given our question of the day to ponder. “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?” In the evening after our much-needed showers, we met in our small discussion groups to talk about the day and this question. For this group of 33 people, living in community has not always been easy. How do we experience evil or sin? How do we recognize these shortcomings, and work to love one another despite them?

After our small group discussions we piled into the vans and headed into downtown New Orleans to Mother’s Restaurant for some authentic area food. We satiated our hearty appetites with shrimp and oyster po' boys, jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish pie, and debris. With full stomachs we went down to the French Quarter to see the sights, and to appreciate the part of New Orleans that is still bustling with life and joy and enthusiasm. The residents of this city are undoubtedly proud of this part of their culture and their way of life here, and they seem eager to share it with visitors.

Lights went out at 10 p.m. that night – a decision that caused some dissension in the ranks, but essentially was a wise one. We fell asleep quickly, and slept soundly until 6 a.m. on Wednesday…

Presiding Bishop responds to Archbishop of Canterbury

Yesterday the Archbishop of Canterbury issued a theological reflection along with a letter to the primates of the Anglican Communion. Many responses have poured in. There's a decent article (registration required; free) by the NY Times that summarizes Williams' statement and some reaction to it.

Here's a statement issued today by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold.

I am greatly encouraged by the Archbishop of Canterbury's timely call to the provinces of the Anglican Communion to join together in exploring our Anglican identity. I am one with him in his desire to develop a covenant capable of expressing that identity amidst the complexities of the world in which we live. I believe it is possible for us hold up a renewed vision of what it means to be Anglican Christians.

The Archbishop's has helpfully raised up in his text the constituent elements of classical Anglicanism, namely the priority of the Bible in matters of doctrine, the Catholic sacramental tradition and a "habit of cultural sensitivity and intellectual flexibility that does not seek to close down unexpected questions too quickly." This both reminds us of the tradition that has formed us and points us to the future.

The conclusion of this lengthy process is now unknown. Therefore is it misleading that some, in responding to the Archbishop's lengthy theological reflection, have focused their attention on speculations about a yet-to-be determined outcome. And, as we enter into that process of discernment, we must never forget that God can always surprise us, and that the church is not our possession but is an instrument of God's reconciling love in the world.

This statement is posted online by ENS.

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly on GC

There's a great program on PBS called Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. They were in Columbus for much of GC filming for a segment. It's online now. You can read the transcript or watch the whole segment (Real Player required).

If you look carefully, you'll see some Rhode Islanders in the segment. Even though you won't always see your neighbors in the program, I encourage you to watch this show. It's a great way to keep up with the wider picture of a life of faith and ethical living. Check here to see when it's on near you.

(Another tip of the hat to Tracy Sukraw from the Diocese of MA for alerting me to this.)