lambethJournal

Blogging on Friday

Bishop Alan Scarfe, Diocese of Iowa

The cost of discipleship was written over every one of the bishops’ faces at the end of the day yesterday. Whatever one’s vote for or against deposition, nothing could hide the sadness or the effect of churned stomachs.  There is no joy in discipline, and whether we agreed or disagreed about timing, or procedure, or even appropriateness, neither could there have been any doubt that this action was coming. I could not help contrasting however with the holy moment when the Bishop of Rio Grande in New Orleans took his life decision into his own hands and read his letter of resignation.  He received a standing ovation for his courage and conviction, and once again there were few dry eyes in the House.

If people want to deal with the House of Bishops at a distance, we are easy targets. In some ways we stand large and can seem remote.  Our decisions can readily be cast as following some kind of agenda. Often of course it is the unconscious agenda of the critic in a strange reversed way.  If, however, we want to deal with bishops as sisters and brothers in Christ, who are as strangely in awe of their calling and responsibility as any human being would be, then it might be understood when I say that this is a group of people who genuinely have respect and love for one another, and an acute sense of bringing their people with them into Council.  This is so especially as we handle difficult decisions about one another. We anger each other, but we have learned to let grace handle how long we hold onto it.

I find this especially evident at the Eucharist. There is an intimacy about our daily celebration of what our lives are all about in the proclaiming of Christ’s death and resurrection. The singing is superb, the choices of music and words often so appropriate that I wish we could bring home such immediacy of worship relevance and duplicate it more frequently. The sermons and meditations of the Presiding Bishop and chaplains hit deeply home. God’s transforming power never fails us.

On another level, I must admit that last night I indulged in more than a small bit of bishop envy.  I was not alone.  But what a magnificent Church Center the Diocese of Utah has built for God’s work in the heart of Salt Lake City.  It has given the Church a visible presence in a strategic place.  They have turned God’s blessing in transforming old treasures (one sold hospital) in to a fine ministry center (a well deployed endowment). The Bishop took some credit for the interior details, though the staff also had input into their work spaces.  Bishop Irish said that she believes that beauty opens up the human spirit, and helps make us more creative in the Spirit’s possibilities.  Her ministering environment certainly fits that philosophy. The Diocese offered us wonderful hospitality, with staff and church members leading us around the center, as well as serving us food and drink. It came at a grateful time reminding us all that God’s purposes are always worked out through earthen vessels, which is why we are grateful always for the prayers of God’s people who know that, as this week’s collect has been reminding us: “without you, O Lord, we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord….”

Blogging on Friday

Bishop Stephen T. Lane, Diocese of Maine

The House of Bishops spent Thursday in sober and prayerful reflection about report of the Title IV Review Committee that the Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, had abandoned the communion of this church by his efforts to lead his diocese out of the Episcopal Church. A motion calling the House to act as a committee of the whole permitted every bishop who wished to speak about the matter. The bishops addressed a wide variety of concerns including issues of process, timing, evidence, canonical ambiguity, pastoral concern for both bishop and people, relations with the Anglican Communion, justice and mercy. In the end, two-thirds of the bishops felt compelled to vote for Bishop Duncan's deposition as a matter of our accountability as bishops of the church and to defend the interests of the people of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The Presiding Bishop may now depose Bishop Duncan.

Opinions were divided on several issues. One was the matter of timing. Should the House wait until after the Convention of the Diocese of Pittsburgh? Another had to do with the offense. Was the threat to leave sufficient violation of the bishop's duty to uphold the doctrine, discipline and worship of the church? A third was relations with the larger church. Would this action sour recently strengthened relationships with other Anglican churches.

On the other hand, there seemed to be no doubt that Bishop Duncan was clear in his intentions to pull the Diocese of Pittsburgh out of the Episcopal Church. There was no disagreement about that. And there was little disagreement that such an action would cause great harm to the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the faithful Episcopalians of the diocese.

In my opinion the majority of bishops decided to take Bishop Duncan at his word and determined that his actions and intentions were a clear violation of his duties as bishop.

Both the discussion and the vote made it clear that the decision of the House was not related to theological positions or faithful dissent. The perspectives of all speakers received a respectful hearing. Time was spent in prayer at several points and just before the final vote.

It was a solemn day for us. Many bishops acknowledged long relationships of affection and shared ministry with Bishop Duncan. We are diminished by his departure. And yet it was also a day to be proud of the quality of theological reflection and the depth of respect shown by the bishops. I am happy to be counted a member of the House.

Blogging on Thursday

Bishop Alan Scarfe, Diocese of Iowa 

Maybe it is because my maternal grandparents were Mormons, but I find Salt Lake City a fascinating place. Its location right up against the mountains in such a wide valley is as breathtaking as you fly into it, as it probably was for those first Mormons who literally came across it from the mountain ridge.  As we flew in from the north, I instinctively looked for the spires of the Temple – not quite as gleaming white as I had imagined, and rather lost in the taller skyscrapers around it.  I also find myself wishing we could capture the missionary zeal of the Mormons, their insistence on the tithe and their ability to make people belong as a family. Yet as we gather to reflect upon the Lambeth Conference, we know that we don’t have to go far for our own testimonies on that score. For three weeks in July and August, they were all around us.

Both the ecstasy of being part of the Anglican Communion and its agony are before us as we enter into these two-and-a-half days as Bishops in The Episcopal Church.  In one day, we have managed to relate our experiences, joys and disappointments from Lambeth, with many more positive experiences expressed than not. We have shared the overwhelming opportunity within the relationships that make up the Anglican Communion to engage the serious call of God’s mission, made all the more so as the economic crisis swirls around us, the impact of natural disasters has to keep some bishops at home, and most of our instincts tell us that ministry for, as well as on, this fragile planet is no longer business as usual. Yet as this same day comes to its close, we face the agony of ascertaining when is it that the broader Communion attachment cannot hide us from difficult choices and actions we must make in defining our own actions’ boundaries within the Episcopal Communion. This becomes our central task tomorrow.

There is no doubt that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s goal of helping us become better bishops is still at work within many of us. For myself, I returned home from Lambeth unable to articulate readily the deeper impressions and learnings of the time together. I find I am not alone in this. But it is probably in the theological stimulation of the way arguments were expressed at Lambeth that has given rise to a desire to give more intentional time in my day to my theological processes.  It is clear that with our Bible study members from Lambeth we have a built in network for ongoing discussion and sharing of our common life as bishops.  We may not be able to bring Lambeth any closer to more frequent meetings, but there is a great hunger for opening up more everyday avenues for the relations made at Lambeth to be maintained.

It is our own ability to be honest and true with each other closer to home that makes its demand on us as we tend to our business today. It is also our openness to the Spirit of God that is in demand, who from within each of us seeks to help us discern what is the height and the depth of God’s will. Sometimes that feels very much like being left to our best practices. Perhaps it is all we leave God when we create circumstances that place God’s children on different sided of a divide, and we have been doing that for a while.

Blogging from HOB on Thursday

Bishop Stephen Lane, Diocese of Maine

The majority of the first day of the House of Bishops meeting was given over to Lambeth reflections. Despite various disappointments about one aspect of the Lambeth Conference or another, most bishops found the experience deeply rewarding and spiritually stretching. We have a much greater sense now how all of us, wherever we are, are shaped by the contexts in which we minister. And we have a deeper appreciation of the value of working together for the ministry of Christ and the health of the world. We are partners in ministry whether we think about that often or not, and we are beginning to ask how we can represent the concerns of the larger world in the places where we work.

Two issues presented themselves: How can we effectively share something of the richness and value of the Lambeth experience with the dioceses which we serve? And, how can we maintain the relationships that were strengthened or begun at the Conference? A number of ideas were floated for helping bishops and dioceses visit one with one another more often and to share our lives.

There was also evident great concern for the urgent matter of climate change. Climate change confronts us with profound spiritual and lifestyle challenges. The church has a great deal it could say about this matter, and it is a primary example of the ways were are deeply linked across the globe. As Anglicans and Americans this an issue we must address. A House of Bishops conference on the environment and a Standing Commission on the Environment were among the ideas put forward.

On other matters we heard reports on hurricane damage in the Carribean and along the Gulf Coast and on efforts by ERD and others to assist in the recovery. Both the Dominican Republic and Haiti have sustained severe damage and need our prayers and our checks.

Blogging from HOB

Our blogging bishops are back!  Here is the first entry from the House of Bishops meeting on September 17, 2008 from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bishop Neff Powell, Diocese of Southwest Virginia

"In your Lambeth experience, for what are you most grateful?"

That was the question for our morning session.  We answered this question in small groups of seven sitting at table.  One wall of our room was filled with newsprint reporting the highlights of the table conversation.  Among the many responses were these:

- The retreat with the Archbishop of Canterbury prior to the opening of the conference.

- The daily Bible study groups where we met with some bishops from around the world to study the great “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel according to St. John.  There was always deep loving honesty.

- Spending honest time with people we have never met and with whom we sometimes have differences of culture and theology.

- The day in London when we marched in witness to show our support of the Millennium Development Goals, culminating with a stirring speech by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

- The Lord’s Prayer at each workshop occasion when everyone spoke in their own language was a Pentecost moment every time.

In the afternoon we had an open conversation about our Lambeth experience.  Two of our bishops spoke to us through interpreters. Another witnessed the devastation caused by the recent hurricanes.  Another reflected on how grateful he was for the translators at the Lambeth Conference.

The presence of these bishops and their voices at the microphones was a reminder that The Episcopal Church extends beyond the borders of the United States and that we have our own internal cultural differences and challenges.  And for those challenges, I give thanks to God.

Concluding Thoughts on the Conference

The 2008 Lambeth Conference reached a conclusion today.  We ended as we began---with worship.  From my experience of talking to people this evening, it seems to me that this conference did not meet anyone's expectations.  I think that is, in the end, a good thing. 

Final Hours of the Conference by Neff Powell

We are coming down to the last hours of the 2008 Lambeth Conference.   It is a cool and foggy day here in Kent, only a few miles from the sea.  I am on my way to the final plenary  session before heading down to Canterbury Cathedral for the final eucharist.

The Last Day by Nedi Rivera

Today is the last day, and here’s some of what I celebrate:
•       I haven’t locked myself out of my room – which locks behind me automatically  (. . . so far . . .)
•       I finally learned my way around campus.  Well most of it.  I can get anywhere from my dorm, but not necessarily from some other place. Even though I was terrible about my yoga exercises I walked and walked and walked.
•       Morning & Night Prayer in the Prayer Place. Angels must sing like that!

"An End -- and a Beginning" by Larry Benfield

Within twenty-four hours the 2008 Lambeth Conference will be history. The official souvenirs are already on the markdown table, and the committee that is writing an official reflection of what has taken place here is holding hearings to see if its report is capturing the variety of voices that strain to be heard.

"Varied Voices" by Larry Benfield

The gospel accounts of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday paint a picture of a calm and centered Jesus surrounded by an anxious cast of characters running in different directions as they testify to their take on truth; much the same could be said about the Lambeth Conference during these last three days of work. The problem is discerning who plays the role of Jesus. So far it is not obvious.