wfn.org | [ENS] From the House of Bishops, A Report to the Church

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Episcopal News Service
Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Editor's note: An ENS wrap-up report on the House of Bishops meeting
will
follow.

A Report to the Church from the House of Bishops
September 27, 2005 - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We, the bishops of the Episcopal Church, greet you in the name of the
compassionate and merciful Christ, remembering that, "it is not
ourselves
that we proclaim; we proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as
your
servants, for Jesus' sake." (2 Cor. 4:5)

Our regular fall meeting of the Community of Bishops and Spouses
convened in
Puerto Rico at the gracious invitation of Bishop David and Senora
Maryleen
Alvarez. At the 2003 General Convention, the Diocese of Puerto Rico was
received with great enthusiasm as the newest diocese of the Episcopal
Church. The spirited and warm hospitality extended to us and the
tremendous
mission being carried out by this community of 37,000 members encourages
us
greatly. Their ministry to the poor and the homeless, to the aged and
the
dying, and to all who are living on the edges of our common life
inspires
us. The hospitals and medical centers established by this diocese are
the
premier institutions for healing and wholeness in Puerto Rico. The
Diocese
of Puerto Rico is the third largest private sector employer on the
island.
Our spirits have been enlightened and lifted by the grace of the Lord so
evident in this portion of God's vineyard.

We arrived in Puerto Rico with the suffering from Hurricane Katrina
foremost
on our hearts and minds. Hurricane Rita deepened our concern all the
more.
We altered our agenda in order to focus on this ongoing crisis and our
response. On our first day we heard from Duncan Gray, Bishop of
Mississippi,
Charles Jenkins, Bishop of Louisiana, and Philip Duncan, Bishop of the
Central Gulf Coast, who described the devastation in their respective
dioceses. Six churches and nine rectories in Mississippi were destroyed.
In
Louisiana a significant percentage of churches were damaged, some likely
beyond repair. Bishop Duncan reminded us of the impact of Hurricane
Ivan,
one year ago, and the continuing challenges now added by virtue of
Katrina
and Rita. In the face of such tragedy, we weep with those who weep and
mourn
with those who mourn.

We also heard accounts of valiant and generous responses to this
life-altering crisis, reminding us of God's grace in action and calling
us
to heightened action ourselves. We are grateful to God for the
outpouring of
generosity throughout our Episcopal Church and through the work of its
agencies. Robert Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief and Development,
reported ERD has raised nearly $6 million to date. Richard Parkins,
Director
of Episcopal Migration Ministries, described their work in assisting
those
displaced by Katrina and offered ways for us to share in that ministry.
George Packard, Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies, told us of the heroic
work being done by Episcopal Church chaplains who are responding to
emergency needs in the Gulf Coast area. We are profoundly grateful to
them
for their compassion, courage, and service, both here and in other parts
of
the world. Bishop Packard also announced plans for We Will Stand With
You, a
response system that will assist dioc
 eses, congregations and institutions wishing to partner with
congregations
in hard-hit disaster areas. More information about this system and other
resources is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/help.

Our response to the devastation caused by Katrina and Rita, like our
response to the Tsunami, will need to be sustained for years to come. As
bishops we pledge our church and ourselves to join with our brothers and
sisters in this long process of resurrection. The epistle read this past
Sunday reminds us to, "look to each other's interests and not merely to
your
own. Let your bearing towards one another arise out of your life in
Christ
Jesus." (Philippians 2: 4-5)

Spouses of bishops meeting together framed a response to the needs of
those
affected by Katrina, including raising funds for the purchase of
merchandise
certificates for clergy families. We rejoice in this expression of
compassion and commitment.

The harsh wind of Katrina exposed fundamental injustices and
environmental
neglect and abuse, and blew away any pretense that the inequities of
race
and class have been overcome in our nation or among ourselves. As a
Church
we must act on our commitment "to strive for justice and peace among all
people, and respect the dignity of every human being." (BCP 305) Toward
this
end, we adopted a resolution "expressing our opposition to the
suspension of
the provisions of the Federal Guidelines of the Davis-Bacon Act, which
call
for the paying of prevailing wages in federal contracts for relief and
rebuilding areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita." A crisis like
Katrina strengthens our resolve to challenge racial, economic and other
social injustices, and to respond to unmet needs around the world, as
well
as close to home.

Professor Philip Sheldrake of the University of Durham, England, invited
us
to consider reconciliation and discernment not as tasks to be
accomplished,
but as processes in which we suspend pre-judgment of others and
ourselves
for the sake of learning to embody God's reconciling action in the
world.
Such processes invite individuals and communities of faith to turn our
hearts towards one another in all circumstances, even when our minds may
not
be in agreement.

We heard encouraging and challenging stories from several bishops
concerning
their recent visits to churches in Africa. In addition, Catherine
Roskam,
Bishop Suffragan of New York, gave an account of the June meeting of the
Anglican Consultative Council in Nottingham, England. She reported on
the
presentation made by the committee appointed by the Presiding Bishop in
response to the Windsor Report's invitation to explain "from within the
sources of authority that we as Anglicans have received in scripture,
the
apostolic tradition and reasoned reflection, how a person living in a
same
gender union may be considered eligible to lead the flock of Christ."
(Windsor Report # 135) We commend this report entitled To Set Our Hope
on
Christ (available from Episcopal Books and Resources) to the members of
the
Episcopal Church and indeed to the Anglican Communion as part of our
ongoing
conversation regarding human sexuality. We continue to encourage the
Church
to read and discuss the Wi
 ndsor Report, and will re-engage our own conversation about this report
at
our meeting in March of 2006.

>From Phoebe Griswold we heard a troubling reminder about the overall
status
of women in the Anglican Communion, especially within its
decision-making
structures. Among the "Instruments of Communion" (The Archbishop of
Canterbury, Anglican Primates, Lambeth Conference of Bishops, and the
Anglican Consultative Council) only 30 of the more than 800 persons
involved
in those ministries are women. Therefore, many concerns of women go
unheeded, and their ministries are under-affirmed and not fully
supported.
In response the Anglican Consultative Council adopted a resolution which
affirms, in part, the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of
equal
representation for women in governance at all levels.

We were greatly blessed by the presence of Michael Nuttall, retired
Bishop
of Natal of the Province of Southern Africa, Khotso Makhulu, Archbishop
Emeritus of Central Africa, Michael Baroi, Moderator of the United
Church of
Bangladesh, and Andrew Hutchison, Primate of the Anglican Church of
Canada.
These eminent guests from around the Communion contributed to our
conversation by their witness of courageous faith and insight that
challenge
our understanding of the bonds of affection which unite us. Our
Communion-wide relationships deepen and strengthen our shared life in
Christ
and our mission in the world. For this we are profoundly grateful.

Throughout this meeting, we have been reminded that in sharing the grief
of
so many along our nation's Gulf Coast, and in considering our
relationships
one to another and within the larger Church, we do so always bearing
hopeful
witness to the power of the Resurrection. The everlasting love of God,
in
raising Jesus from the dead, embraces the world's grief within the very
heart of God. The Resurrection of Christ shows us the power of God the
Holy
Trinity to bridge every divide and division. The abiding Communion of
the
Trinity undergirds our common life and sustains us, together with you,
for
the service of God's mission in the world. "Glory to God whose power,
working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory
to
God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for
ever and ever." (Eph. 3:20-21)

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