Bishop Wolf on the House of Bishops' Meeting

Dear Friends,

By now you may have read the various web-site and media reports regarding the House of Bishops' meeting in New Orleans. When read as a whole they portray a rich glimpse of our deliberations.

The highlights of the meeting, for me, were the reflections of Archbishop Rowan, the addresses from the four members of the Joint Standing Committee, the presentation by Bishop Jeffrey Steenson on his renunciation of orders, and our work day in the city.

The addresses from our Anglican partners were at times painful to hear. As they shared the spiritual and political shape of their dioceses, a sobering spirit descended upon the room. Each in turn, expressed sincere gratitude for the gifts that we have shared in Communion, and the continuing generosity of our Province. On several occasions we were reminded, "Your country and your Church have so much, and to those to whom much has been given, much is expected."

On more than one occasion we were reminded of our political power in the world arena, and how we wield it with little concern for others. One person reminded us that we infiltrate long-standing cultural norms through television, movies, internet, fast food restaurants, cigarettes; securing profits while compromising the fabric of other societies. Many contend that The Episcopal Church is doing the same.

Most of us were humbled by the comments, others thought they were too accusatory.

The process for addressing the issues before us: consent to non-celibate gays and lesbians to the episcopate, and the blessing of same-sex unions, was challenging in its own right. We tried to by-pass legislative action on resolutions, saving a vote for the final message from the House. It's a good idea in theory, but was quite cumbersome in practice.

The democratic process in which majorities make the ultimate decisions, was called into question when dealing with theology and global relationships. The call to honor dissident voices was strong, as I suspect that at times each one thought that their position was in the minority.

Most would agree that the final result was the best that we could do as a group.

Please come and share your thoughts, concerns, questions, Saturday morning, 9-11AM at the Cathedral. Your friends and parishioners are invited, as well. This will help me in hearing the mood of the diocese, and clarifying concerns you may have, to the best of my ability. Doors open at 8:30, with light breakfast offerings.

Thank you for all your prayers, and for the very civilized manner in which we have been able to discuss these concerns over the years. By the grace of God there is respect and kindness, sadness mixed with joy, and a secure, safe place to engage with each other. It only happens because all of you make it so. I am very grateful.

+GW

Ten ways Jesus showed love

I ran across this posting over at the Creedal Christian. Here's a sample, but make sure you read the whole thing.

Jesus expressed his great love for people in ten dramatic ways. The gospels show us his immense compassion for the suffering, his attentive listening presence, and his energetic celebration of the lives around him. Here are ten ways Jesus demonstrated agape – the Greek word for unconditional, self-sacrificing love – and what we can learn from him.

1. The Way of Compassion
Jesus is depicted in the gospels as a healer who responded to the needs of the suffering even on the Sabbath and was roundly criticized for this by the authorities. He responded to those who would otherwise have been stoned to death. Compassion was perfectly captured in his parable of the Good Samaritan, a man who responded immediately and directly to a wounded man bleeding by the side of the road. Nothing could make him act in a way contrary to compassion – not a busy schedule or social stigma, as in the case of the Samaritan woman most others would not talk to. Jesus just did what compassion requires, whenever and wherever.

2. The Way of Attentive Listening
In interacting with others, Jesus was extraordinarily attentive, showing a humble willingness to respond in depth to what others had spoken. In his many healings, people cry out to him in need. Simply by listening and a touch, he offered them hope and wholeness. He listened carefully to his enemies and responded to them thoughtfully. He had immense patience with his disciples even when he had every reason to be impatient.

3. The Way of “Carefrontation”
Jesus was a master of caring confrontation. He practiced nonviolent resistance to evil, and it was his teaching and example that would inspire Gandhi and the great African-American Christian leaders of the civil rights movement. Jesus asked Peter to put down his sword; he said that those who live by the sword die by it. But he also confronted spiritual hypocrites and the many moneychangers who had set up shop in the Temple. He was constantly challenging people to think and act lovingly, and this meant that he had often to take the risk of confrontation when he saw destructive attitudes and behaviors around him.

Bishop Wolf offers resolution at the HoB meeting

Lots of resolutions will be under consideration by the House of Bishops, now meeting in New Orleans. It is reported over at Stand Firm (a conservative blog) that Bishop Wolf is among the signers of a letter and series of resolutions aimed at responding to the requests of many primates of the Anglican Communion.

Here is a sample:

RESOLVED, The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church, mindful that it is the duty of a Bishop to order the public liturgy of the church in his or her diocese, undertakes and covenants not to authorize or permit any public Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in our dioceses or General Convention (consistent with the resolution B020 of the 1991 General Convention and with the recommendations of the Windsor Report, and the teaching expressed in Resolution Bl0l of the 1994 General Convention,2 and in line with the standard of teaching commanding respect across the Anglican Communion, as most recently expressed in Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference),

RESOLVED, The House of Bishops, noting that the Executive Council in their resolution ECO1 1 accepted the report of the Communion Sub-group of the Joint Standing Committee of the Primates Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council as a helpful evaluation of the 75th General Convention’s response to the Windsor Report, concur with the conclusion of that report, that the passing of Resolution B033 of the 75th General Convention means that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a sexual relationship outside of Christian marriage shall not receive the necessary consents, unless some new consensus emerges on these matters across the Communion; be it further

RESOLVED, that, in accord with the pledge of the House of Bishops given in March 20, 2007, and affirmed by the Executive Council in June 14 2007, the House of Bishops undertake to respond pastorally and provide for those groups alienated by recent developments in the Episcopal Church in a way acceptable to them and that enables the Primates to end all interventions. We commend to the Presiding Bishop a renewed consideration of the Pastoral Scheme proposed in the Dar es Salaam communiqué.

Bishop Wolf among eight 'episcopal visitors'

As you may know, the House of Bishops meeting is underway now in New Orleans. Yesterday, Bishop Wolf made the news when she was named as one of eight 'episcopal visitors' to provide pastoral care to dioceses that may not agree with the direction of the Episcopal Church as a whole.

You can read a longer article, but here's a snippet:

[Presiding Bishop Katharine] Jefferts Schori has conferred with [Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan] Williams about the invitations, which she extended after a process of consultation with bishops in the Episcopal Church...

"All eight are true bridge-builders who empathize with the concerns and needs of dioceses that are struggling with the issues of the current time," Robertson said, adding that "while all are sympathetic to to these concerns, each is clear that the Presiding Bishop's ultimate goal is reconciliation."

The eight are active diocesan bishops Frank Brookhart of Montana, Dorsey Henderson of Upper South Carolina (based in Columbia, S.C.), John Howe of Central Florida (based in Orlando), Gary Lillibridge of West Texas (based in San Antonio), Michael Smith of North Dakota, James Stanton of Dallas, and Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island, together with retired Connecticut Bishop Clarence Coleridge.

Robertson said all have agreed to serve as official "episcopal visitors" (the lowercase adjective referring generally to bishops and their ministries rather than the church's denomination), or to provide "Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight" (DEPO), an option provided by the House of Bishops' March 2004 statement "Caring for All the Churches" and a concept affirmed by the General Convention in 2006.

Jefferts Schori's invitation to the eight bishops seeks to delegate the first of three primary canonical duties of the Presiding Bishop, that of visiting each of the Episcopal Church's 110 dioceses during each Presiding Bishop's nine-year term. The Presiding Bishop's other two principal canonical roles are to "take order" for ordaining and consecrating bishops, and to oversee certain disciplinary actions as needed.

The Presiding Bishop's invitation to the eight bishops "offers opportunities for dioceses to have an episcopal visitor other than herself," Robertson said.

"This gives dioceses the pastoral guidance and care they need while remaining faithful and loyal members of the Episcopal Church," he said. "It is also the Presiding Bishop's hope that at some point in the future she would be invited to visit these dioceses."

Welcoming guests

One of my favorite church blogs is running a series on welcoming visitors to churches. I encourage you to check out the blog, and read the whole series (it's still in progress). Here's a sample to get you started:

...for the first time in years I was being welcomed into a church rather than welcoming people into church. Unable to shake my church-planting mentality, I was particularly sensitive to the way churches approached visitors. After visiting a few different churches, I started to realize something: many churches have forgotten what it's like to go to a church for the first time.

The reason for this seems obvious to me: pastors have been attending church for years. Before they became a pastor, most have received some sort of education while attending a church. In fact, before they even feel the call to the ministry, they have been attending church for years as well--in some cases, they even grew up going to church. All those years of faithful church attendance has groomed them to serve Christ’s church. At the same time, all those years form an insurmountable gap between now and the time they first darkened the door of a church.

Consequently, some churches make some very basic mistakes when they welcome a visitor. If they welcomed you to a dinner party like they welcome a visitor to their church you would never want to come over for dinner again. They are so glad to see you that they make an embarrassing scene. After shaking your hand they ignore you, leaving you to fend for yourself. They exclude you by talking about things you’ve never heard of. They even slip into the common jargon of their friends, leaving you out of the conversation altogether. On top of these faux pas, they forget that you are a little nervous to be there in the first place. Who would want to be at that party? Who would put themselves through that a second time?

That was from part one. Here's a snippet from part two:

What do you think is the most pressing issue for a first time visitor to your church? The doctrine? Now I am a doctrinal stickler, but I’m realistic enough to realize that most visitors don’t care much about this. The music style? Good music can give a great first impression--whether traditional or contemporary--but most visitors will just sing along with whatever you have. The sermon? While a sermon could definitely cause people to leave a church, I don’t think this is the most pressing issue for a first-time visitor. First-time visitors care most about not embarrassing themselves.

There are all sorts of things that can embarrass a church visitor. They might have dressed inappropriately--too formal or too casual. Their children might not know how to act “appropriately” in a church and end up embarrassing their parents. They might be put on the spot as an offering plate is passed to them by a stranger, who they feel is pressuring them to give. They might stand up at the wrong time in the service. They might sing out during the wrong part of a song because the church has a different arrangement than they are used to. The most detrimental embarrassing situation can come from a bad welcome, destroying an otherwise great first impression

Some churches work hard to make people feel welcome, but they undermine their efforts by making it impersonal. Some churches make all their visitors stand up in the middle of the service--a terrible choice considering how much most people fear standing up in front of crowds. I once visited a large church that apparently realized how awkward this made their visitors feel so they did the opposite and asked their members to stand. There I sat, surrounded by towering members in this intimidating church, each hanging over me as they offered me an obligatory welcome and handshake.

Bishop Wolf on the House of Bishops meeting

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I write to you out of deep prayer for the life of our Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.

The House of Bishops' meeting begins on Wednesday evening, September 19th, with the first two days spent in the honored company of Archbishop Rowan Williams, Primates from the Joint Standing Committee, and other invited guests.

Primarily, we are being called to offer a response to the Windsor Report (including an Anglican covenant), and the Primates' Communiqué from Dar es Salaam. Once the meeting adjourns, the Archbishop is to consult with other Primates to consider a response to our deliberations and resolutions, after which they will give us a timely response. In addition, we will discuss the MDG's, spend a day working in New Orleans, and visit neighboring parishes on Sunday morning.

On Wednesday, September 26th, I will arrive home about two hours before the regularly scheduled meeting of Diocesan Council, and will communicate with you as soon as I am able.

Please pray for me and all our bishops. I leave for this meeting with a deep sense of anxiety, and my prayers have been for wisdom and humility at a time when there seems to be growing entrenchment and self-righteousness. May we honor one another in the honor and glory that is God's gift through Jesus Christ.

May God bless all of us.

+Geralyn Wolf

You are Invited

The Right Reverend Geralyn Wolf,
XII Bishop of Rhode Island,

invites you to attend the

Seating of the Dean and the Installation of the Chapter and the Canons

The Very Reverend Harry E. Krauss, III
will be seated on
Sunday, September 16th
4:00 PM
Cathedral of St. John, Providence

The Reverend Canon John G. B. Andrew D.D., O.B.E., Rector Emeritus of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue New York, will preach.

Reception in Synod Hall

How long is your Sunday service? Does it matter?

Anglicans Online has this:

Of late, we've noticed a new trend on church signboards and websites; some now indicate the time at which a service begins and the time at which it ends. A few examples: 'Most of the time the service lasts about 57 minutes'. 'Our service lasts 75 minutes'; 'Our worship takes about 40 minutes'. Others have firm start and stop times.

It is understandable that people should like to know when they'll be able to breakfast after communion or join friends for brunch. Others are keen to use what remains of Sunday to get on with some form of recreation: walking in the park or on the beach, finishing or starting a livre du jour, helping children with an essay due soon, or taking part in one of that most hallowed Sunday custom, the early afternoon post-church-and-paper nap. A clue about when a service will finish, as well as when it will start, can be undeniably helpful.

And yet we prefer to see just the starting times of services on signboards and websites. The time we give to Divine Worship is too important to be circumscribed by calculations after the manner of railway departures and arrivals. In this all-too-human world, a sermon inevitably goes longer or shorter than planned; a hymn takes longer to sing than one thought; a baby wails to the point of delaying a baptism for several minutes. The variables in worship are at least as great as those in automobile traffic.

For our part, we're unable to treat time spent in bookshops, museums, churchyards, or fleamarkets as anything but open-ended. In what Kathleen Norris has called 'quotidian mysteries', we enter a kind of supra-chronological time that can't be measured — much less planned — on a clock. This richly textured, expanding, refreshing time is magnified in worship beyond even the loveliness of occasions outside church walls when we browse and meander without recourse to our watches.

What do you think? Is it good or bad to post service lengths? I for one think it's helpful to give first-time guests an idea of what they're in for. That said, I have little patience when people complain that "church was five minutes too long."

Grants available

I just got word of several grants that are available to congregations and clergy. I hope this is useful.

Louisville Institute Offers Sabbatical Grant Program for Pastoral Leaders

Through the Sabbatical Grant for Pastoral Leaders, the Louisville Institute offers pastoral leaders a chance to step out and step back from the pace and pressures of ministry through its Sabbatical Grant for Pastoral Leaders program. The program is designed to provide clergy with the opportunity for personal renewal, study, and reflection. The Louisville Institute will award up to forty grants for eight-week ($10,000) and twelve-week ($15,000) sabbaticals. Recipients must be released from all pastoral duties during the entire grant period. Recipients are free to use the grant award at their discretion. Previous grantees have used their awards for the purchase of books, research material and equipment, conference and seminary expenses, salary replacement, travel, etc. There are no residency or travel requirements or expectations, except for attendance at the preparation consultation in Louisville February 18-20, 2008. All expenses for that consultation are covered by the institute, over and above the grant award. Recipients of a 2007 Sabbatical Grant for Pastoral Leaders shall take this sabbatical between March 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009. The program is open to Christian clergy, church staff members, denominational staff, and others employed in recognized positions of pastoral leadership, ordained and lay. Seminary administrators and faculty members are not eligible for this grant program. In past years, most successful applicants have at least five years of pastoral experience, and anticipate five or more years of active ministry after the sabbatical. The program is open to pastoral leaders in the United States and Canada. Visit the Louisville Institute Web site for complete program and application information. Deadline: September 17, 2007


Fund for Theological Education Invites Congregations to Apply for Grants

The Fund for Theological Education is a national advocate for excellence and diversity in Christian ministry and theological scholarship. To help congregations identify and nurture the next generation of leaders for the church, the fund is offering competitive grants for grassroots programs that cultivate a sense of Christian vocation and the call to ministry among youth.

The grants are awarded through the fund’s Calling Congregations initiative, a national ecumenical effort to encourage and equip churches to play a leading role in the vocational discernment of young men and women and to increase the number of gifted young people considering ordained ministry as a profession. The Lilly Endowment, Inc. funds the initiative.

Grants are made to congregations and are intended to support the "culture of call" within congregations. However, grants may include support for activities that foster partnerships between the congregation and campus ministries, theological schools, camps, denominational bodies, and other congregations in strengthening the congregation’s capacity to nurture vocation and the call to ministry.

FTE will award $200,000 in total grants over three years, beginning in 2007. Grants will range from $5,000 to $12,000 each.

Program information and application forms are available at the fund's Web site. Deadline: October 15, 2007


Wolcott Family Foundation Offers Support for Social Change and Environmental Stewardship

The Wolcott Family Foundation focuses its funding in the areas of social change and environmental stewardship, with emphasis on supporting grassroots organizations for which a small grant can make a real contribution.

Priority is given to organizations that empower individuals and communities to organize for social change; seek to strengthen civil liberties and civil rights issues; build community development that seeks to break the cycle of poverty, create economic opportunity, and build effective leadership in distressed communities; and demonstrate linkages and interdependence of ecosystems and economics with win-win solutions and collaborative approaches.

Consideration will be given to projects that emphasize environmental preservation, advocacy, and community involvement aimed at root causes of societal problems.

Eligible groups are tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations. Organizations based in Colorado are given preference. The foundation does not fund groups with annual budgets over $350,000. Requests will be considered for either general support or specific project support. Grants are for one year and will generally range from $1,000 to $7,500 each. Visit the foundation's Web site for complete program information.

A wing, a prayer, and a new airline?

I've been saying for some time now that we need a diocesan helicopter. You know, to save us from traffic angst before "important" meetings. Plus, think how the local news would love it when a purple helicopter landed in your church parking lot and our bishop emerged for the visitation. It's not only cool, it's evangelistic.

Turns out I wasn't thinking big enough. Pope Benedict, in between re-writing the afterlife and restoring Latin, has decided to launch an airline. I am not making this up.

Maybe we need an Anglican airline. Heathrow and Gatwick are both fairly miserable places to fly into. Maybe we could have direct flights from the US to Canterbury or Lindisfarne. Naturally, the flight would feature good food, prayer books in the seatback pockets, and red doors on the planes. The biggest shift would be rethinking our seating preference. In airplanes, you want to sit as close to the front as possible. Do you think Episcopalians could make that shift?

Now is the perfect time. Our Presiding Bishop is just the person to lead us in this new direction.