wfn.org | Presiding bishop calls communication 'the heart of the gospel'

[ENS@ecunet.org]

2001-99

Presiding bishop calls communication 'the heart of the gospel,' vital for 
Anglican Communion

by Nan Ross

     (ENS) Soon after a U.S. gathering of leaders of the 38 worldwide Anglican 
provinces, Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold told a group of Georgia 
Episcopalians, "If ever there is a communications need, it is with the larger 
Anglican Communion."

     Griswold used a forum created by the Episcopal Media Center, an independent, 
nonprofit Atlanta-based ministry specializing in electronic communication and 
educational resources, to declare how struck he was "by the absolutely separate 
worlds the churches of the Anglican Communion live in and how little authentic 
communication there is between them."

     More than 200 people gathered at Atlanta's Commerce Club March 27 to welcome 
the presiding bishop on his first official public visit to the Diocese of 
Atlanta. The event benefited the Episcopal Media Center, which has been serving 
Anglicans for 56 years. 

     Griswold noted the Media Center's logo bears the words "Linking the Gospel 
to the World." "My hope and my prayer," he said, "is that part of what we attend 
to as we link the gospel to the world is to link the Episcopal Church and other 
provinces of the Anglican Communion together using all the possibilities in 
electronic communication today so we can actually learn from one another and grow 
in deeper appreciation of all traditions and the life we share."

'Take the high road'

     Griswold said there is a lot of "dubious communication that is making its 
way around the church, serving highly partisan ends and serving also causes of 
division and conflict, characterized by untruths and misrepresentation. This 
makes it all the more important to be clear about our communication, be wise … 
and take the high road."

     Griswold quoted the Rev. Louis Schueddig, president of the Episcopal Media 
Center, who wrote recently, "I have long dreamed of a church that speaks with a 
common voice." "I echo that dream," Griswold said, of "a common voice that 
attends to what is clearly part of the common heritage, that which builds up, 
that which illumines and inspires, that which is clear and relevant, that is 
intelligent, that speaks the truth uncompromisingly and weaves into it the 
divergent dimensions of truth that exist among us."

     The presiding bishop said in his travels he sees the Episcopal Church as 
alive and well and not wracked by controversy and conflict, as some choose to 
believe. "There are some estranged people that need to be ministered to in a 
pastoral sense," he said. "We have so many people who are bringing things 
together in Christ and focusing on mission and the work of reconciliation."

     Statistics, which he said are "useful from time to time," show attendance in 
the Episcopal Church is up nine percent over previous years and giving "has 
increased quite markedly across the church."

Communication as communion

     Expounding theologically about communication, Griswold said, "(It) is really 
at the very heart of the gospel," he said. "Communication is what the Bible is 
all about."

     Griswold cited the Old Testament stories of creation, the exodus from Egypt 
and the messages from the prophets as examples of how God speaks to us. "The laws 
and commandments given to us are not so much laws and commandments as they are 
signs of relationship and intimacy between God and God's people."

     In the New Testament, Griswold said, "God speaks to Mary through Gabriel and 
the word becomes flesh and lives among us…in the person of Jesus Christ, who 
addresses us and says, 'If you make your home in my word, you indeed will be my 
disciples. You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.'"

     He said God also communicates through the Holy Spirit, which pours God's 
spirit into us so God can speak through us.

     "It's important to understand that "the communication of God is not about 
information; it's all about relationship," Griswold said. 

     He noted the words "communion" and "communication" come from the same Latin 
word, communio. "Communication and communion are really the same thing. (It's) 
about assisting God's self-revelation, serving the mystery that so deeply grafts 
and forms us, allowing Christ to be Christ in our world through us--through our 
deeds and through our gestures."

     He said such communication must go throughout the world on a "a mission that 
must be carried out with passion, imagination, and--with a word (Southern writer) 
Flannery O'Connor used a lot--'gusto,' along with a deep resiliency and 
willingness to take risks."

'The heart of what we do'

     Griswold said he had recently appointed a director of communication at the 
Episcopal Church Center in New York "because that's at the heart of what we do."

     And he praised the collaborative efforts of the Episcopal Media Center and 
staff at the Church Center on recent and new programs, including a television 
advertising project, "The Episcopal Church Welcomes Hungry Hearts," and the 
proposed new educational resource, "Living With Money."

     "Your mission is an extremely important one and continues to be," Griswold 
told Episcopal Media Center supporters. "I am very grateful for all those who do 
this work, pledge my support and look forward to a glorious future and building 
partnerships together in the service of the gospel." 

--Nan Ross is an Episcopal Communicator and director of marketing for the 
Episcopal Media Center in Atlanta.