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News Briefs

Seattle meeting looks at what divides--and unites--Episcopalians 

     (ENS) Gathered to quietly begin searching for ways to 
encourage reconciliation across the Episcopal Church, 22 clergy 
and lay leaders, a sample of conservative, moderate and liberal 
points of view in the church, met at St. Alban's Parish in 
Edmonds, Washington, from November 8 through 11. They discovered 
a common Christ-centered piety among themselves and confronted 
the myths that had led to stereotyping and demonization of each 
other. 

     Members first were asked to share their spiritual journeys 
with each other, according to a press release issued by the 
group. They moved on to share their perspectives on the conflicts 
in the Episcopal Church, which, they agreed, seem to revolve 
primarily around the issues of the uniqueness of Jesus, the 
approach and interpretation of the bible, abortion and the 
blessing of same-sex unions.

     Some in the group insisted on seeing the conflict as 
identity-based, involving two communities with differing world 
views in the same institutional structure. Others argued that 
that view did not capture the complexity of the conflict. The 
Rev. Canon Elizabeth Kaeton of Maplewood, New Jersey, said, 
"There are not two distinct sides to the crisis in the church; 
indeed the crisis is multidimensional and complex. There is no 
consistent uniform 'conservative,' 'liberal' or 'moderate' 
approach. One can hold a conservative position on one issue while 
being quite liberal on another." 

     Bishop Catherine Waynick of Indianapolis pointed out that 
many laypeople don't even understand why the conflict is taking 
place. They are puzzled as to why these particular issues are 
ones that threaten to cause a schism in the Episcopal Church. 

     As trust began to develop among the participants the 
discussion became candid, awkward, and at times painful, 
revealing feelings of anger, mistrust, marginalization and 
victimization. One Generation X leader, the Rev. Beth Maynard of 
Fairhaven, Massachusetts, said, "Infighting has consumed most of 
the energy of the church all my life, and done immeasurable 
damage to our pubic profile. As a 'postmodern' watching this 
conflict from outside, I'm reminded of the over 50 percent of my 
generation who are children of divorce. This feels like growing 
up watching Mom and Dad fight about issues that were real to 
them, but to us often seemed not to be worth breaking up the 
family over. I want the family to stay together."

     When the group members asked, "What does reconciliation in 
the Episcopal Church look like?" they were able to move from 
defending their different positions to exploring what unites 
them.

     By the final morning most participants were cautiously 
optimistic that reconciliation was possible if conservatives and 
liberals were prepared to treat each other's fears, concerns and 
interests as legitimate. Dr. Stephen Noll of Ambridge, 
Pennsylvania, observed, "On the part of liberals, it involves a 
willingness to let the present formularies and liturgies stand 
and to allow conservatives to follow their sense of godly 
conscience. For conservatives, it means a willingness to live in 
a radically pluralistic church without continually acting and 
speaking defensively, but mobilizing churches to spread the 
gospel."

     As the meeting drew to a close there was no definitive plan 
for reconciliation agreed upon by the group, but there was a 
strong sense among those present that acts, not just statements, 
of reconciliation needed to be moved to a much higher priority on 
everyone's agenda. 

     Those who attended the meeting included: The Rev. Billy 
Alford of Augusta, Georgia; the Rev. Edwin Bacon of Pasadena, 
California; Roger Boltz of Dallas, Texas; Bishop Bill Burrill of 
Rochester, New York; the Rev. Paul Collins of Seattle, 
Washington; the Rev. F. Brian Cox of Santa Barbara, California; 
Dr. Louie Crew of East Orange, New Jersey; Bishop Robert Duncan 
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Rev. John Guernsey of 
Woodbridge, Virginia; the Rev. Canon Mary Hays of Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania; the Rev. Michael Hopkins of Greenbelt, Maryland; 
the Rev. Carolyn Jones of St. Louis, Missouri; the Rev. Canon 
Elizabeth Kaeton of Maplewood, New Jersey; the Rev. Richard Kew 
of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; the Rev. Edward Little from 
Bakersfield, California, bishop-elect of Northern Indiana; the 
Rev. Beth Maynard of Fairhaven, Massachusetts; the Rev. Dorsey 
McConnell of Edmonds, Washington; Ted Mollegen of Glastonbury, 
Connecticut; Dr. Stephen Noll of Ambridge, Pennsylvania; the Rev. 
Jan Nunley of Providence, Rhode Island; Bishop Onell Soto of 
Birmingham, Alabama; Bishop Catherine Waynick of Indianapolis, 
Indiana.

Zimbabwe's black Anglican priests say they are excluded

     (ENI) Black priests in the Anglican church in Zimbabwe have 
alleged that they are not allowed to baptize, marry or bury white 
parishioners.

     According to a report, at least four priests have resigned 

from their parishes in Harare because of the alleged racism. The 
Dean of the Harare diocese, Simukai Mutamangira, admits the 
church has a serious racism problem.

     "We have very capable black priests in the country, but 
appointments to the key positions are rare for them," he said, 
adding that he had been a victim of the segregation in the church 
after suggesting the use of traditional African musical 
instruments in church services. "I was misquoted as having tried 
to impress the gathering, and trying to do away with Western 
instruments. I was simply saying the church should bring in the 
African tradition."

     The Rev. Godfrey Tawonezvi told a local weekly newspaper 
that he had ministered at one parish for three years, "but I 
never baptized a white child, married white couples or buried any 
white person." He added that whenever the white rector was not 
available, white parents would hire white priests from other 
parishes, sometimes miles away, to perform baptisms.

     Black priests are also angry that the Harare cathedral bears 
dedications to colonial settlers who contributed to the formation 
of white Rhodesia. Even the dead dogs of the colonisers are 
mentioned, the priests point out. One inscription in the 
cathedral states: "To the Glory of God and to the memory of all 
transport animals and police dogs that died in service from 1890 
onwards. They helped to make Rhodesia."

     Bishop Jonathan Siyachitema of Harare, said recently that 
the church had made major efforts to address the racism problem. 
However could not give details of the proposed actions. 

     Last year he appointed a five-member social responsibility 
and public relations committee to look into racism and other 
problems faced by the church. The committee drew up a 
questionnaire on racism, but when it was about to be sent out, 
the bishop refused to allow the survey to go ahead. Members of 
the committee resigned in protest, and the committee was later 
dissolved.

Canadian bishop blocks Asian church leader from visiting

     (ENI) Bishop Michael Ingham, of the Diocese of New 
Westminster, has blocked Archbishop Mose Tay, of Asia, from 
visiting British Columbia.

     Conservative Anglicans have accused Ingham of censorship but 
he said he barred the visit because he feared Tay's presence 
would disrupt sensitive discussions within the diocese over 
blessing same-sex unions and the issue of abuse at church-run 
native residential schools.

     According to a report, Tay, who openly opposes homosexual rights 
and believes that totem poles contain evil spirits, was 
invited by Trevor Walters, rector of St. Matthew's Church in 
Abbotsford, to attend a celebration on October 28, 2000. Walters 
said Tay was selected because of his knowledge of church planting 
and establishing new congregations. But Walters also has a 
personal connection to Tay because a number of years ago, 
Walters' wife was ill and Tay prayed for her and prophesied that 
she would recover slowly, and her story would circle the globe. 
Walters' wife has since recovered and her story has been sent 
around the world on cassette tape.

     The Anglican Journal, newspaper of the Anglican Church in 
Canada, reported that parishioners felt "pain and anger" that Tay 
had been banned and said Ingham declined an interview with the 
media but, in a letter to Walters, said the banning of Tay was 
"really a question of a particular person at a particular time 
whose actions would be considered more inappropriate than 
helpful."

     Ed Hird, a local Anglican clergyman who brought Tay to 
Vancouver in the early 1990s to lead a conference on church 
growth, expressed surprise at Ingham's ban on the Asian 
archbishop.

     Hird said many Anglicans were asking why Tay was shut out of 
Vancouver when controversial liberal bishops, such as John Shelby 
Spong of the United States and Richard Holloway of Scotland, had 
been welcomed to the diocese. But Ingham's supporters pointed out 
that many leading conservative Anglicans had come to Vancouver to 
speak publicly without intervention by the bishop.

     The report went on to say Tay caused controversy during the 
earlier visit to Vancouver's Stanley Park, where totem poles 
stand. Tay proceeded to organize prayer meetings to exorcise the 
"evil spirits" from the aboriginal artifacts.

     According to Ingham, "both our relationships with 
aboriginals and our discussions around gay and lesbian 
spirituality would make his [Tay's] presence difficult.

     "I'm all for theological diversity," Ingham told the 
Vancouver Sun before he stopped speaking to the media about the 
issue. "But I'm concerned his visit would harm my attempts to 
create dialogue and mutual listening in the diocese."

     "We have accepted this decision with great sadness and 
frustration but we're not fighting it," Walters told the Anglican 
Journal. 

Carey suggests life in a monastery to cure contemporary vices

     (ENI) Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey supports a call 
for more Anglican monks and nuns, saying they "witness to values 
which are so often scorned in our society."

     Carey was addressing the church's ruling general synod on 
November 17, during a debate about religious communities. 

     He described the traditional monastic vows of poverty, 
chastity and obedience as "a threefold protest against the 
tyranny of materialism, sexual idolatry and unbridled 
individualism that oppress so many today." 

     Carey referred to the communities' catholic nature in 
temperament, history and spirituality, and said: "This archbishop 
is evangelical, but not narrowly so, and religious communities 
also transcend the pigeonholes that some wish to place them in."

     "And no longer is it the case that vocations come only from 
the Anglo-Catholic tradition of our church," he said. "I have met 
a number recently whose pilgrimage started with a conversion 
experience in evangelical churches, and who remain grateful to 
their evangelical heritage."

     The synod heard from the Rev. Adam Mayoss of the Community 
of the Resurrection, that many of the 45 Anglican religious 
communities in England were down to a handful of elderly members. 
Mayoss called for parishes to build closer links with religious 
communities and to be more understanding of their purpose. 

     "Being must always have priority over doing," he said. "That 
is why we believe that seeking vocations is a valid thing."

     Referring to the practice of chastity in what he called "a 
sex-mad age," Mayoss noted that "the vow of life-long celibacy is 
its own witness."

     Carey commented, "The common assumption of many outside the 
church might well be that religious communities are out of touch 
and irrelevant. But my experience has shown that in the praying 
life of religious communities there is the greatest understanding 
of mission and unity, the most awareness of human frailty and 
weakness and the keenest expectation of God's amazing grace and 
mercy."

ELCA council adopts message on suicide prevention

     (ELCA) At a November 14 meeting of the Church Council of the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) a "Message on 
Suicide Prevention" was adopted.

     The message encourages members, congregations and affiliated 
institutions of the ELCA "to learn more about suicide and its 
prevention in their communities, to ask what they can do and to 
work with others to prevent suicide."

     It reads, "Our efforts to prevent suicide grow out of our 
obligation to protect and promote life, our hope in God amid 
suffering and adversity, and our love for our troubled neighbor." 
The message also states that more than 30,000 people in the 
United States commit suicide each year, and nearly 500,000 people 
must receive emergency room treatment because of a suicide 
attempt.

     Elsie and Jerry Weyrauch, members of the Lutheran Church of 
the Resurrection in Marietta, Georgia, and the Rev. John R. 
Stumme, acting director for studies, ELCA Division for Church in 
Society, were instrumental in drafting the message 

     The Weyrauchs have been active in suicide prevention 
advocacy and education since the 1987 death of their daughter, 
Terri Ann. Her death was ruled a suicide. They formed the Suicide 
Prevention Advocacy Network (SPAN USA), and worked with the U.S. 
Congress to issue resolutions on the issue. They also helped 
write "The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Suicide," 
in which, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher said suicide is 
a serious public health problem.

     "What approval of the message means to me is a whole lot of 
people like Terri will be given permission to get help and will 
be encouraged to get help," said Elsie Weyrauch following the 
council's affirmative vote.

     "This message will speak to all churches, all faiths, that 
suicide is no longer an issue that we can ignore," said Jerry 
Weyrauch. "It's an issue we can do something about."

     The message is a resource for clergy and for lay members, he 
said. It may also serve as a resource for young people. The full 
text of the message is available on the ELCA's Web site at 
www.elca.org/dcs/suicide_prevention.html.

     In addition to adoption of the message, the council was told 
that a "Suicide Prevention Endowment Fund" had been established 
through the ELCA Foundation. The fund was established by an 
anonymous donor, said the Rev. Donald M. Hallberg, executive 
director, ELCA Foundation. The fund will make annual 
distributions to the ELCA Division for Church in Society to 
support suicide prevention education programs, Hallberg said.

     Gifts to the Suicide Prevention Endowment Fund may be sent 
to the ELCA Foundation, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, Ill. 60631. 
Information is available by calling 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2972.

Luther Seminary faculty members address CCM issues

     (ELCA) Twelve faculty members at Luther Seminary say they 
are "not persuaded" that concerns raised about a Lutheran 
proposal for full communion with the Episcopal Church are enough 
to warrant rejection of the church's decision to adopt the 
proposal.

     The faculty members made the statement in an October 29 
message to the Luther Seminary community.

     Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota, is one of eight 
seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

     On August 19 in Denver the ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved 
a full communion proposal with the Episcopal Church. The 
proposal, "Called to Common Mission" (CCM) opens the door for a 
variety of cooperative ministries and allows for exchange of 
clergy in congregations under certain circumstances.

     Some members of the ELCA opposed the proposal, most citing 
the ELCA's adoption of the historic episcopate as the reason. The 
historic episcopate, brought to the relationship by the Episcopal 
Church, is a succession of bishops as a sign of unity back to the 
earliest days of the Christian Church. Opponents worked to defeat 
the proposal in Denver, and some continue to voice their 
opposition in the wake of its approval by the ELCA assembly.

     The Episcopal Church will consider adoption of CCM when its 
general convention meets next summer, also in Denver.

     "Whatever evaluation we may have concerning the processes 
leading to it, the ELCA action is now a reality," the 12 faculty 
members said.

     "Furthermore, we believe the seminary community should act 
positively with respect to the decision of the church and look 
forward to the future in hope."

     Luther Seminary's board of directors, following a joint 
meeting October 23 in Berkeley, California, with the board of 
directors of Pacific Lutheran Seminary, addressed the Luther 
Seminary community in a written message on a number of issues, 
including CCM. The message said that for "several hours" the 
board discussed the seminary's role in ecumenical matters, 
including CCM.

     "We encourage your every effort to restrain those who 
indulge in personal attacks or the exploitation of 

disagreements," the board's message said. "We also affirm the 
responsibility of the seminary to be a crucible of discussion for 
issues that challenge our church.

     "Disagreement and even dissent that are faithful to Christ 
will honor the body of Christ," the board's message continued. 
"We call upon our seminary community to invest its expertise and 
critical skills to work out our confessional commitments and 
ecumenical decisions in obedience and freedom as we live into 
these agreements."

Announcements from ECC

     Jewel Jones has joined the Episcopal Church Center community 
as an assistant in Building Services. Prior to joining the church 
center she worked for a real estate firm as an executive 
assistant.

     By a unanimous vote of its board of trustees, the 
Association of Episcopal Colleges will now be known as Colleges 
and Universities of the Anglican Communion.

     This change was initiated because the mission and work of 
the association has expanded into a worldwide association of 
colleges and universities with historic and present ties to the 
Anglican Communion.