wfn.org | PRESIDING BISHOP'S ADDRESS FROM THE CHAIR FOR THE EXECUTI

[ENS.parti@ecunet.org]

TITLE:PRESIDING BISHOP'S ADDRESS FROM THE
June 26, 1996
Episcopal News Service
James Solheim, Director
(212) 922-5385
ens@ecunet.org

96-1513
PRESIDING BISHOP'S ADDRESS FROM THE CHAIR FOR THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 

           From Isaiah we read this morning, "Sing to the Lord a new song, his
praise from the end of the earth!"
           By God's grace we gather here this morning to sing to the Lord a
new song. Today's song is born in the fresh well springs of the
living water. We arise and sing a new song each day, and that is what growth
in the Christian life is all about.
           On this day we celebrate the life and witness of St. Barnabas the
Apostle, called the Son of Encouragement, meaning his ministry
was one of encouraging others. Barnabas we know was sent to Antioch to work
with the young church that had begun to mingle Jew and
Gentile. A rich mix. This is an example of the right person in the right place
at the right time. Barnabas was not in the least distressed at
this change in what, even then, was likely thought of as "the tradition." His
life gives evidence that he delighted in it, and in the name--just
then--given to believers, that is CHRISTIANS.
           Barnabas was an apostle. He had been sent, and he witnessed to and
lived the gospel in a way that we, his spiritual descendants,
can take as a model for our own missionary activity.
           Barnabas was an extraordinary man. We COULD say that. He was also a
very ordinary person, as were the twelve to whom
Jesus first said: Follow me. They were ordinary. Just like us. But, by the
power of the Spirit, they were capable of extraordinary things.
And so, my dear sisters and brothers, are we. So are we. As we give thanks
today for Barnabas, let us be emboldened by his witness and
strengthened to do the extraordinary things to which God calls us.
           We also give thanks today for the Diocese of West Virginia and for
the warm welcome. It is very appropriate that while we are
in this diocese we take an early look at the church in small communities,
which we will celebrate in 1997. Bishop John Smith, you may
know, has done a great deal of work around models for ministry in small
communities. I might point particularly to his book entitled
CLUSTER MINISTRY: A FAITHFUL RESPONSE TO CHANGE. If you haven't seen it I
suggest you make a point of doing so. 
           During our time in West Virginia we will learn more about the
ministry of this diocese and about small churches. I would say
that most of us already know small churches, as a matter of personal
experience, but together we will explore some of what it means to
gather in a small congregation, to serve the Lord, and to work out your
salvation in the company of those close at hand.
           You probably all read the parochial reports just for the fun of it,
but, let me share with you some figures from the 1994 reports.
Out of the seven thousand, four hundred and thirteen Episcopal congregations,
average Sunday attendance indicates there are two thousand,
five hundred and sixty eight congregations of from 1 to 50 persons. Thus, more
than one-third of our congregations gather in numbers
significantly smaller than we find in this room right now. I don't know how
many of that one-third gather in groups of ten to twenty
persons, but it is a significant number.
           Additionally, three thousand, one hundred and twenty nine
congregations consist of from 51 to 150 persons. This means that
more than three-quarters of Episcopalians make their church homes in small
congregations. In these congregations, you not only know the
person next to you, you may know their children, their parents and quite
possibly their virtues and their sins. This means you see someone
walk to the rail, to make their communion, and you may have some sense of what
is on their heart. You might know something of their
burdens and their joys. This knowledge informs your prayer with and for that
person. At its best, you have the foundation of a Christian
community: ordinary people, gathered together, who find that through the power
of God they can do extraordinary things.          Roland
Allen said there is no congregation without the skills and grace to be a
ministering community. My own ministry has shown me the truth of
this, again and again. To be bigger is not necessarily to be better. The
intimacy of small congregations can nurture in a special way a
precious intimacy with Jesus. 
           To quote from John Smith's book: "Community lies at the heart of
Jesus' teaching. Kingdom living is rooted in community,
which is focused on its relationship to the Lord."  
           And I say to you: community has been given to us by God. We don't
choose the community or determine the membership. The
call to inclusiveness comes from understanding the nature of the God-given
community. Being inclusive doesn't mean being gracious, or
big-hearted and allowing everyone to join our club. God's community is not a
club. We as Christians live into the community God has
already made for us. As Harry reminded us yesterday in his marvelous homily,
we don't lock the door. We do know this, and yet we need
to rediscover it, as we are tested and tried and challenged in new ways to
live together as God's people.  
           I think you have heard me say that before. Please--don't think of
it as the same old sermon. Think of it as a new song, which it
is. It is a new song to the Lord as I work to live into the community God has
given us, and as I bid you to join me.  
           I have thought a great deal about what I want to share with you
today. I have to say that I have a sense of urgency. This Council
had what I think we might all agree was the best meeting so far in the
triennium in Miami. We have some goals, plans, a great deal of good
energy, and an opportunity for excellent work together on behalf of our
church. We have only three meetings after this one before we get to
Philadelphia, and there is much to be done. Out of that sense of urgency I
have just a few thoughts to share with you.
           My dear friends, our community--our very sense of community--is
being tested and challenged today, as indeed it is in every age.
Barnabas knew about this, and we know about it too. Each age has its own
challenges, and in this age--an electronic age, the age of virtual
reality and instant communications--we are challenged in a particular way.
Unsurprisingly, our challenge has everything to with
communication. Let us look for a few moments at how we communicate with one
another in this household of faith, and how, by virtue of
what we say to each other, we communicate with those who do not yet know
Jesus. As Harry reminded us yesterday of the wonderful Lily
Tomlin telephone operator, we need to ask if we are really reaching the party
to whom we are connected. 
           I can say little this morning about the presentment of Walter
Righter and subsequent events. The date until which the presenters
can file for appeal has not yet come. It is June 14. I have heard nothing
about their intention to file or not file an appeal and it is therefore
inappropriate for me, as the one responsible for implementing the canons, to
comment about the specifics of the presentment, the trial or the
ruling.
           However, this I can say. We all know that our church is in the
midst of some very difficult struggles around issues of sexuality.
Unfortunately, our communications within the church and to the outside world
frequently do not serve us very well.
           From my perspective I would say that some good and faithful
Episcopalians believe that the answers to the questions we have
about sexuality, physical intimacy and our natures as sexual beings are
immediately obvious from scripture, and therefore, why continue
debating what God has made plain? If everyone believed this our troubles would
be over.  But, Episcopalians take the Bible too seriously to
take it literally, and everyone does not believe this. I think we have made
progress in our understanding that faithful Christians who take
seriously the authority of scripture and its primacy can disagree about the
interpretation.  We aren't there yet.  
           Let me say there are those, and perhaps this is the majority of our
church, I can say with certainty that it is the great majority of
our bishops, who speak with restraint and listen with charity. We need to
affirm all such temperate people and pray more will adopt their
way of being. 
           I can also say that it is very clear to me that parties on all
sides of these difficult issues believe they are on the side of the angels.
Unfortunately, many of those the most passionate about the issues are victims
of their own hyperbole, which makes communications difficult
at best. Otherwise perfectly sensible people inch out to the extreme of their
positions until they are left precariously hanging out off the end.
Why is this? I don't know. I really don't know but I can speculate.
           Some are driven to extremes for some very GOOD reasons: because of
passion for the faith or because of a belief that
faithfulness to God demands the defense of a particular interpretation of
scripture.
           Some--and sometimes those same people--are also driven to extremes
for BAD reasons, such as believing that God spoke once in
scripture and has since been silent, or because of a desperate fear that
opening the door and allowing ambiguity into an orderly black and
white world allows in as well a dense gray fog which can smother and engulf
all safety and tidiness. 
           Not only is our communication between ourselves around these issues
difficult, it is also often distorted. Distortion comes when
we look at our common life through the lens of the public media. So often a
part of the life of our church is portrayed as the entire of it.
           I can't tell you what sympathy I feel, what empathy, with the
people, and they are many, who tell me that they are tired of
having to defend the Episcopal Church in their grocery store, on their golf
course, at their job when people say things like: "Well, I see you
Episcopalians are all at it again!" They are tired of reading about one aspect
of the life of their church as if it were the totality. And so I
am. I am weary of it.
           Our struggles around sexuality are not in themselves the problem,
and in fact they are both inevitable and necessary. It is not the
culture that demands our engagement. The world does not set the agenda for the
church. Our struggles are necessary because as long as any
one of us is objectified and marginalized--be it for race, or color or sexual
orientation -- as long as any one is treated as less than a beloved
child of God, we all will suffer. 
           I honestly believe that one distant day our struggles around
sexuality will be understood as having been essential in moving us
closer to the heart of God. Having said that, let us recognize that they are
not the focus of attention of the whole church. There are people
out there, and you know them, who are simply sick to death of issues of
sexuality so dominating the agenda.
           The problem we experience is that these struggles get thrust to
center stage through the overblown pronouncements of antagonists
and protagonists of all points of view, and then magnified and distorted by
the media of a culture that likes big and thinks simple. Jesus
didn't give us his message in a cultural vacuum and his followers don't exist
in one now. You know we are in trouble when the dominant
feature of Times Square in New York City is a billboard three stories off the
ground, projecting sixty feet into the air and depicting a man
wearing nothing but a smirk and his super-fitted under shorts. Doesn't this
give us more than a hint of the various preoccupations of our
culture? Anything that sells.
           In the meantime, I have seen it my responsibility as Presiding
Bishop to keep all parties at the table. That has been
extraordinarily difficult. It would be far less complex to take up one
position or another and advocate for it with all my might. Let me tell
you I have been tempted. But this is not my ministry. However, I can say that
I not only believe, I KNOW, that it is possible for gay men
and women in committed relationships to be wholesome examples. We see such
examples every day. Let us remember here that Jesus said
precious little about sexuality, and nothing specifically about homosexuality,
being more concerned with hardness of heart. Would that we
could turn our attention similarly. 
           I read the comment that for the past twenty years the most hotly
debated issue in the Episcopal Church has been that of
homosexuality. Tell that to a hungry child. Tell that to a single parent
trying to hold the family together. Tell that to someone who fears for
her life in an area of armed conflict.  
           Why is it that we allow sound bite journalism to tell our story to
the world? Why do we allow the totality of our lives be defined
in the public media by one issue?  Why can't we do a better job of telling our
story ourselves? What more should we be doing? These
questions deserve some thought, and prayer.
           Some things we are doing right, and let us congratulate Jerry
Hames, the editor of EPISCOPAL LIFE, and his staff for having
received this spring the highest award of the Associated Church Press, that
for general excellence. EPISCOPAL LIFE is a strong
publication getting better each issue. We might ask ourselves if we don't want
to recommit ourselves to the goal we talked about years ago
of getting EPISCOPAL LIFE into every household in our church. 
           Dear friends, we need to be known in the broadness and the wideness
of our ministry, our mission, our faithfulness to the
gospel. There is a wonderful story to tell, and we are only telling one part
of it. You have heard me say that the Episcopal Church is one of
the best kept secrets in Christendom. Well, I am going to sing that song
again. 
           There is lots of good news out there friends. Lots of hard work
going on. Our visitations have shown that, the wonderful
ministries we have been privileged to share from one end of the church to the
other. We need to celebrate, and communicate, what is
happening in the name of Jesus Christ all around this church. 
           Later in the meeting Diane Porter will be giving us a report about
our various programmatic efforts. As part of that, she will
have some fresh news about our response, along with our ecumenical partners,
to the burning of the black churches. These burnings are
finally getting some serious visibility, and it looks as if there has been
some progress toward identifying perpetrators. Perhaps these
burnings are a wake-up call. This blatant manifestation of racism is
horrifying, and is a reminder that racism in more subtle forms is also
very much among us, eating away at us like a cancer. 
           The Board of the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief adopted a
resolution at their meeting earlier this month. The
resolution calls the bishops of the Episcopal Church to initiate: "prayer for
healing from the insidious disease of racism; financial, human
and spiritual support for the specific churches affected by the violence;
effective programs that will demonstrate the Episcopal Church's
Christian solidarity with the affected churches through education, affirmative
community action, and full participation of its members in
God's church as called for in the gospel."
           The Board also voted to begin a national effort to raise $100,000
for the purpose of restoring congregational life to the affected
communities. This is a beginning. We all need to take the lead in supporting
these efforts in every way we can.
           I want to say just a word here about another anti-racism
initiative. You have received a letter that the President of the House of
Deputies and I sent to church leaders announcing an initiative to begin
dialogue around racism beginning on Martin Luther King Day in
1997. The idea is that at the same time we can honor Dr. King and begin the
hard work of talking together about the sin of racism. To
defeat racism, hearts must be converted and conversion can happen through
conversation. Our own experience in Miami, as we watched the
video, heard the presentations, and then had some conversation, bears this
out. I am very excited about the possibilities of this initiative and
you will be hearing more as the task force working on the dialogue firms up
some innovative plans. 
           I have some good news on the ecumenical front as well. On May 28 I
had an excellent meeting with the Presiding Bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, H. George Anderson. We had a wonderful
exchange and I look forward to cooperating with him
as we move through these next months of considering our Concordat of
Agreement. I venture to say this is going to be the single most
important thing to come before our General Convention. Presiding Bishops get
elected and serve and retire. We come and go. But, the
chance for a new expression of the unity of our two churches, for our mission
together, is a God-given opportunity. This truly is a KAIROS
moment for Christendom.
           We heard yesterday that, as of this date, Council members and staff
teams have visited 84 of our dioceses. Most of you have
been part of one or more visitations and we will spend time around this during
the next days. I am deeply grateful to all of you for the time
you have given. By sitting and talking with the bishops and clergy and lay
leaders of our dioceses, we are getting a little closer to the pulse
of the church. We are hearing what they are doing and learning something of
their vision of partnership, or the perceived lack of
partnership. We are learning what they like about what is happening, and what
they don't like. I would guess all of you have heard some
critical comments, and some downright negative ones. That's fair enough. We
are making the effort because we NEED to hear what people
have to say, both positive and negative. We NEED to be in good communications.
           I want to say a very strong word about our visitations: let us be
aware that as we raise these questions in the dioceses we are also
raising expectations. My dear friends, it is our very serious responsibility
to work hard to fulfill all reasonable expectations. After this
lengthy visitation exercise, if we don't attend very seriously to what we have
learned, we might as well forget it, and our good intentions
will be history as well.
           I challenge you to join me in communicating to the people in our
dioceses, our congregations in as many ways as possible and as
quickly as possible, that we are listening and that the program budget of the
church reflects their priorities. What better way than by
responding as quickly as we can, without waiting for the next triennium? 
           We well understand our process and that these visits are the basis
for our budget proposals for the next triennium that we will
send forward to the Program Budget & Finance Committee. However, I suggest we
need not wait until then. Though we don't have all the
data in yet we have valuable experiential data which you will be sharing
during this meeting.   I propose that, starting with the
Administration and Finance Committee, we look at our funding sources, then
look at where the needs are, based on what we already know
from the visitations, and then adjust our priorities accordingly, putting our
programmatic efforts and the funds we hold in trust where the
needs are. This would send a powerful message to the dioceses of our
seriousness about our partnership and challenge them to respond in
that same spirit of partnership.
           The church in every age has been tested. Barnabas was, and so are
we. I believe that in order to respond to those challenges and
stay the faithful course, we need to pull up from the bottom the best that is
in us. We need to draw on the strengths we have been given.
           My dear friends, The Episcopal Church has been known as a mediating
community. We are known as thoughtful, deliberate. We
are not known for using scripture as a weapon. We are not known for talking
at--rather than to--each other. Let us claim the best of who we
are. Let us affirm our mutual love and our solidarity in Jesus Christ. Acting
out of the best of who we are will only strengthen that part of
ourselves, for the greater honor and glory of God.
           We are thoughtful, let us think. We are deliberative, let us
deliberate together. We are reconcilers, let us be reconciled to one
another and seek to reconcile all people to God. We are loving, let us love
one another, as our Lord has loved us. In so doing, we will
communicate in ways more powerful than we can possibly imagine the incredible
love of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
           Let us begin now. We don't have a moment to waste.

EDMOND BROWNING, PRESIDING BISHOP AND PRIMATE
CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA
JUNE 11, 1996