wfn.org | Church center staff retreat explores new possibilities for collaboration

[ENS@ecunet.org]

2001-319

Church center staff retreat explores new possibilities for collaboration for the 
sake of mission

by Jim Solheim
jsolheim@episcopalchurch.org

     (ENS) Members of the program staff of the Episcopal Church Center gathered 
for an intensive two-day retreat, to discuss what they can best do to grow and 
strengthen the church and support its mission. 

     In small group discussions and quiet walks in the woods surrounding Stony 
Point Conference Center up the Hudson River from New York, staff members delved 
deeply into the mission of the church and their specific roles--especially 
seeking new and fresh ways of looking at mission and possibilities for 
collaboration.

     Five general groupings were used as a framework for the discussion:

     Growth and development of congregations

     Leadership development

     Faith formation and spiritual development

     Justice and peace

     Partnership with the Anglican Communion and other ecclesial bodies

     Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold opened the meeting with an extended 
reflection on mission as participation in God's work. "Our vocation at its 
deepest and truest is to participate in the work God has given us. God gives us 
this work because he loves us, not just so we can be useful. As we do it, that 
work becomes the ground of our joy," he said.

     In a memo to the whole staff at the church center following the retreat, 
Griswold reported that "it was an extremely productive time that I believe will 
serve all of us, as we are all part of a common enterprise." 

     The church center's management team met immediately after the retreat "to 
begin to think through the learnings," taking "some important next steps in an 
evolving process. It is clear," Griswold noted, "that our mission will be well 
served if we gather up the wisdom and expertise of our staff--and that it is 
important to have a group that meets regularly to talk about how the mission work 
carried out through staff can be strengthened and connected with various mission 
initiatives abroad in the life of the church." He announced the formation of that 
group and set a date of November 27 for the first meeting.

     "We have sketched out some preliminary expectations for how the group will 
operate over the next six months," Griswold said. The meetings will address the 
areas of work discussed at the retreat "for sustaining and growing the church and 
enabling the participation of its people in God's project of reconciliation." 
Another larger group of program staff will be focusing on "how the 20/20 vision is 
woven through our life." Their work is now in the planning stages.

     The 20/20 initiative to double the active church participation in the coming 
years was endorsed at a recent meeting of the Executive Council. 

     "Such times are always wonderful ways to reconnect both our lives and our 
ministries," said Pat Mordecai, assistant to the presiding bishop for 
administration, in a follow-up memo to participants. "I believe that our dialogue 
provided tremendous food for thought and will lead to some real clarity about our 
direction going forward. There is clearly much energy and passion for what we are 
about which, I believe, will strengthen our new ways of being and new 
initiatives."

--Jim Solheim is director of Episcopal News Service.