The First Ordinary Day
Today was the first of ten ‘ordinary days ‘ of the 2008 Lambeth Conference. The ordinary days are marked by a morning bible study of an hour and a half, at least two hours of the indaba groups, self-select sessions, and an evening plenary session on some days or ‘fringe events’ on others. Needless to say, the days are completely full.
The bishops experienced the Indaba groups today for the first time. Indaba is a Zulu word for a gathering for purposeful discussions. The groups here consist of forty bishops gathered to engage one another on matters facing our mission and the various challenges of the Anglican Communion. The idea is not to immediately resolve the issues placed on the table, but rather to ensure that everyone at the table has a voice and that the issues at hand are fully defined and understood by the group.
This kind of engagement requires of me a deep willingness to listen to the other even when it challenges me and to make myself vulnerable by expressing my own point of view. This is quite a challenge in a room full of bishops from a variety of contexts. In my group alone, there are four different languages being spoken and many more cultures.
Most of the time, I cannot be characterized as a patient person. I like to ‘cut to the chase’ and ‘get to the bottom line.’ I am well aware, though, that this approach will not work in our current context. These issues are far beyond any easy answer that can be solved using parliamentary procedure to articulate a specific answer. Besides, as has been pointed out, that hasn’t exactly been working for us. So I will make every effort to listen to my brothers and sisters without the need to defend or critique, but with a heart turned toward what God who might actually be calling me to change.
What this bishop needs to do is listen and speak when prompted by the Holy Spirit several hours a day, every day, for the next two weeks, and probably for the rest of his episcopate.
Sean Rowe, Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania
