Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Â
Citation preview
CENTRALFLORIDAEPISCOPALIANNEWS FROM THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA WWW.CFDIOCESE.ORG VOLUME 117, No. 6 AUGUST 2015
MORE NEWS INSIDE: BISHOP’S COLUMN P.3 BISHOP BREWERS RESIgNS P. 13 BOOk: “SavINg fLORIDa, P. 17 UPCOMINg EvENtS P. 24
PagE 20 PagE 16
BISHOP MICHAEL CURRYELECTED PRESIDING BISHOP
sÃo paulo mercy ministrySPIRIT OF ADOPTION
gENERAL CONvENTION SETS EPISCOPAL COURSE
FOR NExT THREE YEARS AND BEYOND
As bishops and deputies gathered in record-set-ting heat in Salt Lake City, the presiding officers of General Convention were clear: they saw the church as ready for change, if not even requiring
change for the church’s future health.During her opening remarks to Convention on June 24,
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said the church needs to face its fears and embrace an unknown future.
“What no longer brings life must be laid down to fer-tilize future growth,” she said, drawing as she often has on imagery from science. “We will not all agree about precisely what that includes, but we need to be fearless in examining what will come before us, whether it is marriage, the size of this deliberative body, or where we store up our treasure.”
Bishop Jefferts Schori repeatedly exhorted deputies and bishops to be brave and not cling to vestiges that have served their purposes.
“It is abundantly clear that many of the older plantings have reached the end of their lives,” she said. “We need to find new ways of tending the birds of the air who haven’t found sheltering trees or nourishing fruit.”
Such new ways, she said, include churches in which worship happens around a meal, camps for children of pris-oners, and elder housing.
Structural changes will not be easy because, in debat-ing such proposals, deeper issues are at stake, according to opening remarks from the Rev. Gay Jennings, president of the House of Deputies.
“This story is based on reporting and reflection by The Living Church’s
team at the 78th General Convention:
Zachary Guiliano, the Rev. Jordan Hylden, G. Jeffrey MacDonald, and
Matthew Townsend.”StORY ON P. 7
2
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
The Episcopal ChurchIN CENTRAL FLORIDA
Based in the 15-county heart of our booming, diverse Sunshine State.
Companion to the Diocese of Honduras.
IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION
A global community of 70 million Anglicans in 500 dioceses. Covers 164
countries in 38 member provinces.
Archbishob of Canterbury:
IN THE UNITED STATESA community of 2.5 million
members in 118 dioceses in the Americas & elsewhere. Established in
1789.
Presiding Bishop:
Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer
The Most Rev. Justin Welby
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Continuing The Palm Branch (1894), diocese (1971)
The Rt. Rev. Gregory BrewerBishop
The Rt. Rev. John W. HoweThe Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson
The Rt. Rev. Hugo Pina-LopezThe Rt. Rev. John Said
Retired Bishops
The Rev. Canon Timothy NunezCanon to the Ordinary
The Ven. Kristi AldayArchdeacon
Joe ThomaEditor & Communications Officer
Fina FlorezDesign Editor
Erick PerezSubscription Manager & Social-Media Editor
Central Florida Episcopalian
The Central Florida Episcopalian is published monthly by the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida. Submissions are welcome, but are subject to editing and use at the discretion of
the Central Florida Episcopalian.
Please submit notices two months before event to:
The Central Florida Episcopalian1017 E. Robinson StreetOrlando, FL 32801-2023
Tel.: (407) 423-3567, ext. 316Fax: (407) 872-0006
Email: [email protected]
www.cfdiocese.org
ContentsFRONT COVER:
General Convention - Story on page 7
3 Bishop’s Column
15 Grace Church Celebrates 110 Years in Present Location
16 Bishop Michael Curry Elected Presiding Bishop
18 Anti-Racism Committee Brings Kids to Camp
19 Bishop Brewer Resigns from Board of Trinity School for Ministry
20 São Paulo Mercy Ministry
23 Book: “Saving Florida: Women’s Fight for the Environment in the Twentieth Century
26 UTO Awards 46k to St. Richard’s, Winter Park, for Water Wells in Africa
29 Building a National Children’s Ministry Strategy
30 The One Thing We Learn from Ferguson is That America is Not Reconciled
3W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
THE RT. REV. GREGORY BREWER
Bishop Gregory Brewer has issued the following Pastoral Letter on Same-Sex Marriage and the Diocese of Central Florida. The expectation is that rectors,
vicars and priests in charge will share it with their congregations. Diocesan lay members also are in-vited to share the letter among themselves and the public.
Download the letter in PDF form: SameSex-MarriageinTECandDCF-07-18-15
The Episcopal Church’s Endorsement of Same-Sex Marriage, and the Diocese of
Central Florida
A Pastoral Letter from the Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, Diocese of Central Florida, July 18, 2015
The Episcopal Church has never been very good at being “in the world, but not of the world.” Our tendency is to be in the world at the expense of Biblical faithfulness. I believe that The Epis-copal Church’s recent decision to change its can-ons to reflect a gender-neutral understanding of who may be married in our churches and by our clergy is a reflection of that kind of worldliness; and I believe those actions have been taken at the expense of Biblical faithfulness. While our motivation is our desire to care for people, we put ourselves in a spiritually dangerous position when our actions, however well meaning, put us in conflict with the teaching of Scripture. I am not saying that this is an easy or simple issue – it is not. And so, like the writer of Proverbs, I am “crying out for wisdom.”
I feel no need to change my stance regarding my lack of support for the Church approving same-sex marriages, and I plan to uphold the teaching on Holy Matrimony that is reflected both in the Scriptures and in the Book of Common Prayer.
That is why I signed the Salt Lake City Statement of the Communion Partner Bishops. [see http://www.livingchurch.org/salt-lake-city-statement] I also want to uphold a call to compassion and care, and for the Church to extend grace, love and mercy to those who are in such relationships.
Both the Holy Scripture and the Book of Common Prayer teach that Holy Matrimony was
“established by God in creation,” meaning that our created bodies matter. We are never disengaged from the fact that God made us male and female. Although there are friendships and companion-ships that we all enjoy, all of those friendships and companionships are distinct from the marital union of husband and wife, which is foundational for continuing the created order of humanity. In
A Pastoral Letter from Bishop Brewer on Same-Sex Marriage and the Diocese of
Central FloridaBy Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer
“Holy Matrimony is God’s idea.
God created and established it; and it is a way
that God chooses to care for and provide for the continuation of
the human family.”
4
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
AROUND THE DIOCESE - GENERAL CONVENTIONother words, Holy Matrimony is God’s idea. God created and established it; and it is a way that God chooses to care for and provide for the continua-tion of the human family.
But while the union of husband and wife is foundational to the temporal and created order, it does not continue into the realm of eternity. Je-sus is clear that in Heaven, there is “no marriage or giving in marriage” (Matthew 22:30). Human marriage is not foundational to the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead, through baptism we as Chris-tians, regardless of our marital status, are all eternally united as the Bride of Christ to the one Bridegroom, Jesus Christ . All human relation-ships, both now and in heaven, are subservient to that one and eternal marriage between Christians and Christ. This means that all human relation-ships are to be seen in the light of, and in response to, our primary relationship, which is with Jesus Christ whom we call “Lord.”
It is this distinction between marriage as a part of the temporal and created order, and not part of Heaven – where all Christians (single and married) are united to Christ – that informs my comments about how Christians respond to the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage. In that July 1 document, I wrote that:
1. Christians, all of whom are eternally bound in the Body of Christ, are called to work together, whether they are for or against same-sex
2. In the Body of Christ, we are called to make marital status secondary to the call of developing missionary disciples. All Christians, regardless of marital status, are called to serve together for the exten-sion of the Kingdom of God.
3. Children, regardless of who their parents are, should be welcomed, nurtured and, when the appropriate vows are made, baptized into the life of the Church.
4. Holy Matrimony is to be taught and up-held as “the union of husband and wife in heart, body and mind” (BCP, p. 423).
Therefore, in response to actions of Gener-al Convention, I am upholding the teaching on marriage found in the Salt Lake City Statement of the Communion Partner Bishops, which coheres with both the Book of Common Prayer and Holy Scripture.
As a matter of diocesan policy, I offer the fol-lowing:
1. As chief liturgical officer of the Diocese of Central Florida, I am allowing only the services prescribed in the Book of Com-mon Prayer to be used in the celebration and blessing of a marriage. I do not be-lieve the newly authorized rites for trial use uphold the Scripture’s teaching on marriage and, therefore, are not appro-priate for use in this Diocese.
2. No member of the clergy who is canon-ically resident in the Diocese (whether living in or outside the Diocese) is per-mitted to use the trial use liturgies on marriage in or outside of the Diocese. Choosing to use one of these liturgies would be an act of disobedience to one’s bishop and against our diocesan canons.
3. No church building within the Diocese, or any building affiliated with the Dio-cese (such as, but not limited to, Camp Wingmann, Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center, Diocesan schools) may be the location for these trial use lit-urgies on marriage. This applies to clergy and lay leaders resident both within and outside the Diocese of Central Florida.
While I hope these policies are clear, they do not answer all of the questions that are in front of us. For example, it remains to be seen (and I am in conversation with our diocesan chancellor on this matter) whether our diocesan canons on marriage (though consistent with my policies as bishop) can legally remain intact if they be in con-flict with the canonical changes recently passed by General Convention.
There are also pastoral considerations yet un-answered. I give only one example: should legally married same sex parishioners come forward for a blessing at their anniversary when it is the par-ish’s custom to publicly offer these blessings? My answer would be to welcome them and pray for them – so long as the prayers used do not come from the BCP marriage service.
One prayer for such occasions could be, “O God, we ask that you pour your grace and mercies on N. and N. Guide them with your wisdom, pro-tect them with your love and fill their home with your presence all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. “
There are plenty of other pastoral and canon-ical questions. These require prayer, ongoing con-versation and discernment. To call Jesus “Lord”
means that He, who is Wisdom personified, is the One to whom we turn, asking the Holy Spirit guide to us into all truth (John 16:13). As I do not believe in episcopal infallibility, I acknowledge that I could be wrong about what I have just writ-ten. I am as sinful and fallible as anyone I know. I admit that this and other matters are sending me to prayer like no other time in my life. I would welcome prayerful conversation with my fellow Christians in the Diocese and beyond, as we seek to discern together the mind of Christ.
As I have written in other places, all of our pastoral and moral dilemmas are to be seen in the context of the ongoing missionary purpose of the Church: “that the world may believe in the One whom you have sent, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (BCP, p. 255). The Christian life does not call us to withdraw from the world, but engage it as a people who are learning to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-38). May God grant us all that we need to be His faith-ful and missionary people!
Given under my hand on July 18, 2015 in the fourth year of my consecration.■
+Gregory O. Brewer
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is use-ful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for ev-ery good work.
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, re-buke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
– 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5
5W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
Carta Pastoral del Rvdmo. Gregory O. BrewerDiócesis de la Florida Central, Julio 18, 2015
La Iglesia Episcopal nunca ha sido muy buena en existir “en el mundo, pero no del mundo.” Nuestra tendencia es a estar en el mundo al costo de nuestra fidelidad
bíblica. Creo que la reciente decisión de la Igle-sia Episcopal a cambiar sus cánones para reflejar un entendimiento género neutral de quienes se pueden casar en nuestras iglesias y por nuestro clero es un reflejo de esa clase de mundanidad; y creo que esas acciones se han tomado al cos-to de nuestra fidelidad bíblica. Aunque nuestra motivación es nuestro deseo de ser pastoral, nos ponemos en una posición peligrosa espiritual-mente cuando nuestras acciones, por un lado bien intencionados, nos ponen en conflicto con las enseñanzas de las Sagradas Escrituras. No estoy diciendo que este es un asunto fácil o sencillo, no lo es. Y así, como el autor de los Proverbios, estoy “invocando la sabiduría del Señor.”
No siento necesidad de cambiar mi postura con respecto a mi falta de apoyo en la aproba-ción de la Iglesia en cuanto al matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo, y planeo mantener la enseñanza sobre el matrimonio que se refleja en las Sagradas Escrituras y en el Libro de Oración Común. Es por eso que yo firmé la Declaración de Salt Lake City de los Obispos Asociados de Nues-tra Comunión [ver http://www.livingchurch.org/salt-lake-city-statement]. También quiero man-tener un llamado a la compasión y el cuidado al prójimo, y que la Iglesia extienda gracia, amor, y misericordia a todo aquel que esté en una de estas relaciones.
Las Sagradas Escrituras y el Libro de Oración Común nos enseñan que “Dios estableció en la creación el vínculo y pacto matrimonial,” lo que significa es que nuestros cuerpos como creación importan mucho. Nunca estamos enajenados del hecho de que Dios nos hizo varón y hembra. Aun-
que hay amistades y compañerismos que todos disfrutamos, todos ésas amistades y compañer-ismos son distintos de la unión matrimonial del esposo y esposa, que es la fundación de la con-tinuación de la orden creada humana. En otras palabras, el santo matrimonio es ingenio de Dios. Dios lo creó y estableció este sacramento; es un camino que Dios eligió para proveer el cuidado y la continuación de la familia humana.
Pero mientras que la unión de marido y mu-jer es fundamental para el orden creado y tempo-ral, no continúa en el reino de la eternidad. Jesús
es claro que en el cielo, “ni se casan ni son da-dos en matrimonio” (Mateo 22:30). Matrimonio humano no es fundamental para el Reino de los Cielos. En cambio, a través del bautismo nosotros como cristianos, sin distinción a nuestro estado civil, estamos todos eternamente unidos como la Novia de Cristo a el Novio, Jesucristo. Todas las relaciones humanas, ambos ahora y en el cielo, están subordinadas a ese uno y eterno matrimo-nio entre los cristianos y Cristo. Esto significa que todas las relaciones humanas deben verse en
La Aprobación de la Iglesia Episcopal del Matrimonio Entre Personas del Mismo Sexo y la Diócesis de la Florida Central
By Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer - Translated by Fr. Jose Rodrigues; Revised and edited by Erick Perez
“El santo matrimonio es
ingenio de Dios. Dios lo creó y estableció este
sacramento; es un camino que Dios
eligió para proveer el cuidado y la
continuación de la familia humana.”
6
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
consideración de la luz de Cristo, y en respuesta a nuestra relación primordial, que es con Jesucristo a quien llamamos “Señor.”
Es esta distinción entre el matrimonio como parte de la orden creada y temporal, y no parte del cielo – donde todos los cristianos (solteros o casa-dos) están unidos a Cristo – que me informa mis comentarios sobre cómo los cristianos responden a la decisión de la Corte Suprema de legalizar el matrimonio a personas del mismo sexo. En ese documento, escribí:
1. Los cristianos quienes eternamente están ligados juntos al cuerpo de Cristo , están llamados a trabajar juntos, a pesar de sus creencias diversas en apoyo o contra el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo.
2. En el cuerpo de Cristo, estamos llamados a hacer estado civil secundario a la llama-da del desarrollo de discípulos misioner-os. Todos los cristianos, sin importar es-tado civil, están llamados a servir juntos para la extensión del Reino de Dios.
3. Los niños, independientemente de quienes sus padres sean, deben ser bien-venidos, nutridos, y cuando se realicen los correspondientes votos, bautizados en la vida de la Iglesia.
4. El santo matrimonio debe ser enseñado y como “la unión de esposo y esposa en corazón, cuerpo y mente” (LOC, p. 345).
Por lo tanto, en respuesta a las acciones de la Convención General, mantengo la enseñanza sobre el matrimonio en la Declaración de Salt Lake City de los Obispos Asociados de Nuestra Comunión, que se hace coherente con el Libro de Oración Común y las Sagradas Escrituras.
Como cuestión de política diocesana, ofrezco lo siguiente:
1. Como primer oficial litúrgico de la Diócesis de la Florida Central, estoy per-
mitiendo que sólo los servicios prescritos en el Libro de Oración Común deben ser utilizados en la celebración y bendición de un matrimonio. No creo que los ritos recientemente autorizados para uso pro-batorio sostienen las enseñanzas de las Sagradas Escrituras sobre el matrimonio y, por lo tanto, no son apropiadas para su uso en esta diócesis.
2. Ningún miembro del cuerpo clérigo que reside canónicamente en esta diócesis (si vive en o fuera de la diócesis) es permiti-do utilizar las liturgias probatorias sobre el matrimonio en o fuera de esta dióce-sis. Optar utilizar una de estas liturgias se considerara un acto de desobediencia contra nuestros cánones diocesanos y de su obispo.
3. Ningún edificio de la Iglesia dentro de esta diócesis, o cualquier edificio afiliado a la diócesis (tales como pero no limitado a Camp Wingmann, Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center, y escuelas dioce-sanas) pueden ser la ubicación para estas liturgias probatorias en cuanto al matri-monio. Esto se aplica a los clérigos y líde-res laicos residentes dentro y fuera de la Diócesis de la Florida Central.
Mientras espero que estas políticas sean claras, no contestan todas las preguntas que es-tán delante de nosotros. Por ejemplo, queda por verse (y estoy en conversación con nuestro Can-ciller Diocesano al respecto) si nuestros cánones diocesanos sobre el matrimonio (aunque coher-ente con mis políticas como obispo) legalmente pueden permanecer intactas si están en conflicto con los cambios canónicos aprobados reciente-mente por la Convención General.
También hay consideraciones pastorales aún sin respuesta. Doy sólo un ejemplo: “¿Qué hago si se presentan para una bendición una pareja de fe-
ligreses del mismo sexo casados legalmente para una bendición en su aniversario cuando la par-roquia de encargo normalmente ofrece pública-mente estas bendiciones?” Mi respuesta sería para darles la bienvenida y rezar por ellos – pero que los rezos usados no vengan del servicio de matri-monio en el Libro de Oración Común.
Una sugerencia para ocasiones como esta podría ser, “Dios Todopoderoso, te pedimos que derrames tu gracia y misericordia sobre N. y N. Guíalos con tu sabiduría, protégelos con tu amor y llena su hogar con tu presencia todos los días de sus vidas; a través de Jesucristo nuestro Señor, Amen.”
Hay muchas otras preguntas pastorales y canónicas. Esto requiere oración, conversación continua y discernimiento. Para llamar a Jesús «Señor» significa que Él, quien es la Sabiduría personificada, es Él a quien recurrimos, pidien-do el Espíritu Santo nos guíe a toda verdad (Juan 16:13). Como no creo en la infalibilidad episco-pal, reconozco que puedo equivocarme acerca de lo que he escrito. Soy tan pecador y falible como cualquiera otra persona que conozco. Admito que este y otros asuntos están enviándome a la oración como ningún otro momento de mi vida. Agra-decería conversación intencional con mis com-pañeros cristianos en esta diócesis y en el más allá, al intentar discernir juntos la mente de Cristo.
Como he escrito en otros lugares, todos nues-tros dilemas pastorales y morales deben ser con-siderados en el contexto de la continuación del propósito misionero de la Iglesia: “que el mundo crea en quien te ha enviado, su Hijo Jesucristo nuestro Señor” (LOC, p. 174). La vida cristiana no nos llama para retirarnos del mundo, si no a participar como personas que están aprendiendo a amar a Dios con todo nuestro corazón, alma, mente y fortaleza, y amar a nuestro prójimo como a nosotros mismos (Mateo 22:37-38). ¡Que Dios nos conceda todo lo que necesitamos para ser su pueblo fiel y misionero!■
Come join us in beautiful Mount Dora on Saturday, October 3, 2015 @ 2 o’clock in the afternoon for Tea and Fellowship.
Based on the series of novels by Jan Karon, about the life of an Episcopal priest in the quaint fictional mountain village of Mitford, North Carolina. We will be featuring many of the Home made Recipes and
sharing stories about the colorful characters in the series
Hats and gloves are encouraged. We will be judging hats by several categories.
Seating is limited, so make your reservations EaRLYRSvP: ann Brown [email protected]
SaintEdward's
Mitford Tea
St. Edwards Episcopal Church
460 N. grandview StreetMount Dora, florida, 32757
7W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
GENERAL CONVENTION
“When we’re talking about structure, we’re re-ally talking about our identity,” she said. “We are talking about who we are as the people of God if we are not the church we have always been. We’re talking about what it means to be a deacon or a priest or a bishop if it doesn’t mean what it meant — or what we thought it meant — when we fin-ished a local formation program or seminary.”
In the nine legislative days that followed, dep-uties and bishops approved deep and wide change with respect to marriage, leadership, liturgy, struc-ture, mission, and more.
MarriageIn a 5-4 decision announced on the morn-
ing of June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage is le-gal in all 50 states. Early arguments in open hear-ings by the Special Legislative Committee on Mar-riage gave every indication that Convention would take a similar path.
“How long are we going to allow documents like the Book of Common Prayer to contain lan-guage that is explicitly discriminatory?” asked the Rev. Will Mebane, interim dean of St. Paul’s Ca-thedral in Buffalo and a member of the Task Force on the Study of Marriage. “Demands for the Con-federate flag, a symbol of hate, to come down have been heard. … It is time to remove our symbol that contains language of discrimination.”
“It is time to let our yes be yes, and end what is nothing less than de facto sacramental apartheid,”
said the Rev. Susan Russell of All Saints Church, Pasadena, a member of the marriage task force, at another open hearing.
When news of the Court’s decision reached bishops and deputies at General Convention, cheers broke out in Salt Palace Convention Center.
“We have something to celebrate today,” said singer Ann Phelps of Theodicy Jazz Collective, mere hours after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. She invited those present to sing, dance, and cel-ebrate with the band.
The band opened with “Siyahamba” or “We are marching,” the famous liberation song from South Africans’ long struggle against apartheid. Cheering greeted the song’s beginning, and its conclusion brought a roar of approval. Episcopal News Service reported that some worshipers formed a conga line.
The House of Bishops made its decision by the afternoon of June 29, three days after the Court’s ruling.
The Rt. Rev. Thomas Ely, Bishop of Vermont, reported the work of the Special Legislative Com-mittee on Marriage. Five of the bishops on the committee recommended that a liturgy for bless-ing covenant relationships and “three liturgies of marriage be authorized for trial use in accordance with Article X.” The designation of the liturgies as being for “trial use” sets into motion the process of amending the Book of Common Prayer. Bish-op Ely described this move as “the approach most faithful to our polity.”
He described A054 as “a more practical or-dering of Canon 18.” He noted, however, that the resolution had been amended in committee to in-clude “a more robust declaration of intent” in line with the prayer book. He stated his belief that the proposed canon in A054 does not conflict with the prayer book, thus avoiding “a constitutional crisis.”
The bishops took some time to discuss the resolutions at small-group tables before entering open deliberation. Several bishops wished to make sure that the use of any liturgies would be subject to the permission and supervision of the diocesan bishop or ecclesiastical authority.
A morning session ended without any move-ment of the resolutions, and the House met for about an hour in closed session in the afternoon.
After returning to open session, the bishops quickly passed Resolution A054 (authorizing the rites) and moved to deliberation on Resolution A036 (changing the church’s definition of mar-riage in canon). Several Communion Partner bishops noted their disagreement with the form of A036, although Bishop John Bauerschmidt of Tennessee noted a resolution of some problems: “I think we significantly strengthened this resolution for canonical changes and took care of some nig-gling problems that might come back to plague us later.”
Bishop William Love of Albany read Mark 10:6-9, in which Jesus cites Genesis, and remind-ed the House that Jesus spoke as God incarnate: “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
In the end, the House voted overwhelmingly in favor of changing the canon: 129 for, 26 against, and 5 abstentions.
Lambeth Palace released a statement that de-scribed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s response to the bishops’ decision.
“The Archbishop of Canterbury [on June 30] expressed deep concern about the stress for the Anglican Communion following the US Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops’ resolution to change the definition of marriage in the canons so that any reference to marriage as between a man and a woman is removed,” said an item on the archbish-op’s website. “While recognising the prerogative of the Episcopal Church to address issues appro-
CONtINUED fROM tHE fRONt COvER
8
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
9W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
GENERAL CONVENTIONpriate to its own context, Archbishop Justin Welby said that its decision will cause distress for some and have ramifications for the Anglican Commu-nion as a whole, as well as for its ecumenical and interfaith relationships.”
The archbishop’s concerns had no clear effect on the House of Deputies.
“It’s been two generations we’ve been waiting to do this very thing,” said deputy James Stead-man of Northwestern Pennsylvania. “God is doing something here.”
Deputies voted overwhelmingly for the chang-es. Eighty-two percent voted in favor of the canon-ical change, while 87 favored changing the rites. Before the votes, President Jennings asked dep-uties not to cheer out of respect for one another. Deputies took results in stride, with no outbursts.
The New Presiding BishopEpiscopalians arrived in Salt Lake City under
the leadership of a presiding bishop who has near-ly completed her nine-year term. They knew that one of four men would succeed her in the office. In one simple ballot, followed by what seemed a protracted dance of protocol in the House of Dep-uties, the House of Bishops chose the Rt. Rev. Mi-chael Bruce Curry, 62, Bishop of North Carolina since 2000. Curry will be invested as the church’s 27th presiding bishop Nov. 1 at Washington Na-tional Cathedral.
Curry radiates energy and joy in his preaching and in conversations with others. He is the first Af-rican-American elected to the office (Bishop John T. Walker of Washington was a nominee in 1985 and Bishop Herbert Thompson of Southern Ohio
was a nominee by petition in 1997). He is also the first presiding bishop elected on the first ballot. (For most of the House’s years the office simply fell to the bishop with the most seniority.)
Curry commanded Convention’s attention on June 23, when the four nominees presented themselves for randomly drawn questions on var-ious matters of doctrine, structure, and pastoral style. The other three nominees — Bishop Thomas Breidenthal of Southern Ohio, Bishop Ian Doug-las of Connecticut, and Bishop Dabney Smith
of Southwestern Florida — gave thoughtful and touching answers to questions, but Curry created a sense of palpable excitement.
As the Rev. Tim Schenck of St. John’s Church in Hingham, Massachusetts, put it on Twitter, “For PB we need an Inspirer in Chief who speaks bold-ly & passionately about the transforming power of Jesus.”
Curry showed that he is not unaware of the daz-zling effect of his speaking nor of some remaining questions. In response, he cited a variety of mea-surable accomplishments from his diocese. “Can a preacher be an administrator? Can an orator be an organizer? Ask the Diocese of North Carolina.”
The bishops elected Curry on June 27. In ad-dressing the press after his election, Curry quoted from the Bible in answering question after ques-tion. He noted how Jesus demanded that the tem-ple be a house of prayer, how dry bones came to life in Ezekiel, and how first-century believers did not expect people to come to them but went out to where the people were.
“It’s a challenging time, it’s an exciting time, but the church has been here — read the Acts of
the Apostles,” Curry said. “It’s in the Bible. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again.”
Then early the next morning, Curry capped an anti-gun violence rally with a glimpse of his exuberant preaching style, rooted (among other places) in the African-American churches of the diocese where he has been bishop for 15 years. His voice boomed over the outdoor loudspeakers to the point that he could have awakened anyone sleeping blocks away at 8:20 a.m.
“We must be about the business of the Holy
Trinity,” he said. “We must be about the business of the Jesus who came and taught us.
“You have heard that it was said that life is cheap,” he said in a style similar to one of his he-roes, Martin Luther King, Jr. “You have heard that it was said that violence is the way. You have heard that it was said that racism is okay. You have heard that it was said that poverty doesn’t matter, but I say unto you, ‘Love your enemy!’” The crowd of 1,500 cheered.
Curry’s style marks a radical break from that of Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, who speaks in measured tones and sticks to texts when preach-ing. His passion, style, and commitment to spiritu-al renewal are what the church needs now, accord-ing to bishops and deputies.
In the Episcopal Church, “we tend to be more intellectual than we should be,” said Southeast Flor-ida Bishop Leopold Frade. “His will be a different style: unashamedly a proclaimer of Christ. It’s very important to, let’s say, be more out of our shell.”
Curry preached his first sermon as presiding bishop-elect at the Convention’s last Eucharist. “Her passion’s a little different from mine,” he said
10
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
GENERAL CONVENTION
11W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
of Bishop Jefferts Schori. “I told the bishop I’m gonna get a little bit of cool from her.”
The gospel reading for the service was Mat-thew 28:16-20, the Great Commission. Its assign-ment for the day represented a moment of ser-endipity: Bishop Curry did not know the format and readings for the day very far in advance. But he said, “When I saw the text, all I could say is: ‘There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.’”
He began by reminding the congregation of the enduring presence of Christ: “Remember, I am with you — in the first century and in the 21st — I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
His main focus in the sermon was on going out in gospel mission and transforming the world, following Christ’s teaching. Christ taught us, he said, “to be reconciled and right with God and to be reconciled and right with each other,” an echo of words from the prayer book’s catechism.
Throughout the sermon, Bishop Curry re-turned to many of his favorite themes, especially about God rescuing us “from the nightmare that life can often be into the dream that God has in-tended from before the Earth and the world was ever made.”
When he illustrated “God’s dream” he evoked the prophetic vision in Isaiah 40, speaking of a return from exile and a homecoming: “Every val-ley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain” (Isa. 40:4).
Bishops Curry’s rhetoric soared as he drew in snippets of hymns, scriptural texts, references to movies, stories, and jokes. He cried out; he whis-pered; he evoked shouts of “Amen” and applause. It was undoubtedly a rare experience for many Episcopalians: they were hanging on his words in the 12th minute, and they were still doing so when the sermon ended 12 minutes after that.
Curry ended his sermon on the theme of uni-ty and racial reconciliation, speaking of how the Church unites people of different races and tem-peraments, “traditionalists” and “progressives,” “Republicans and Democrats.”
If you are baptized, he said, “You’re in the Je-sus movement. You’re God’s.”
And he concluded, “As he died to make all holy, let us live to make all free. God’s truth is marching on. Now go!”
Reconciliation and JusticeRacial justice emerged quickly as a prominent
theme and never let go. In opening remarks, Pres-ident Jennings urged deputies “to take concrete action toward ending racism and achieving God’s dream and justice for every single person.”
Concrete action unfolded in stages. First came Curry’s historic election, then a big march to end the gun violence that’s taken many young, Afri-can-American lives [see page 11]. When the bud-get passed, it included $2 million for new racial justice and reconciliation initiatives.
“People want to talk about reparations, but it wasn’t just the White House that was built with slave labor. Our church was,” said Bishop James Mathes of San Diego during a committee meeting.
“I’d like it to be shockingly big enough to where it says we’re really going to double down in this area,” Mathes said. “We need a societal change, and the church needs to lead it. We should walk out of this convention saying, ‘We’re going to lead it. And we’re going to put our money where our mouth is.’ I want it to be astonishingly atten-tion-getting.”
Resolution B014 says that the church recog-nizes “the sin of racism that continues to plague our society and our Church, and that we formal-ly repent of our own historic and contemporary
participation in systemic racism, committing ourselves to racial reconciliation through prayer, teaching, and engagement.” Executive Council and Bishop Curry, as the new presiding bishop, will decide how the $2 million is best spent.
In another major social justice action, Con-vention addressed environmental concerns by divesting from fossil fuels. The Episcopal Church Endowment Fund, the Episcopal Church Foun-dation, and the Investment Committee of the Executive Council will be instructed to purge in-vestment portfolios of fossil-fuel companies. The move follows in footsteps of the United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Association, and the World Council of Churches, all of which have adopted similar policies since 2013.
The House of Deputies voted by a three-to-one margin to concur with the House of Bishops and pass the resolution. It calls for divestment “in a fiscally responsible manner” and reinvestment in clean, renewable energy.
The bishops amended the initial resolution to exempt the Church Pension Group from the rule. Noting that amendment, deputy Patrick Funston of Kansas said: “It shows our brothers and sisters across the hall are more concerned with their pen-sions than with the environment.”
An effort to affect conflicts on the West Bank through divestment failed in both houses. Resolu-tion C003, which urged the church to divest from companies doing business on the West Bank, was rejected by a nearly unanimous vote in the House of Bishops.
Bishop Edward Little of Northern Indiana noted that the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani, has frequently said that divest-ment is not helpful to Palestinians. Little said the House had “already passed superb resolutions” on the topic, referring to A052 (Call for Ubuntu with-
12
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
GENERAL CONVENTIONin the Episcopal Church Regarding Policy Toward Palestine and Israel).
Barry Howe, retired Bishop of West Missouri and assisting in Southwest Florida, said the resolu-tion was fruitless. “We have no investments in any of the corporations that are mentioned by other groups as being particularly those that are affect-ing settlement,” he said.
Leopold Frade, Bishop of Southeast Florida and a Cuban-American, recommended a different approach: “My experience with boycotts and em-bargoes is that they hurt the very people we think we’re helping. Palestinian businesses need invest-ment.”
The bishops of California, Rhode Island, Southern Ohio, and Central Florida, among oth-ers, also rose in opposition.
Deputies likewise stopped short of calling for divestment from companies associated with Isra-el’s presence in West Bank territories. Instead they passed a resolution that authorizes $675,000 for peace-building initiatives in the Holy Land, in-cluding health care and education.
“We believe that the way to our liberation is through the heart of the Jews,” said deputy Susan Haynes of Northern Indiana, as she spoke in fa-vor of the resolution. “Help these nations come together through a process of restorative justice.”
Some deputies believed the resolution did not go far enough.
“I speak against this resolution,” said the Rev. Canon Gary Commins of Los Angeles. “It is fairly benign, banal, tepid, timid. … It does not address the realities of what currently exists in Israel and the occupied territories.”
Liturgical Revision RestartsThe most notable change approved by Gen-
eral Convention will arrive on the first Sunday of Advent, when the majority of dioceses will offer three choices for priests who choose to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. Many dioceses already had granted permission for their priests to perform weddings where civil marriage was made legal.
The only exception will be in dioceses led by bishops who are not convinced the church should offer such blessings, but they will be required to refer same-sex couples elsewhere for such rites.
This General Convention was convinced that more liturgical change is necessary for the 21st century. It authorized the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to begin plans for revising
both the Book of Common Prayer (1979) and the Hymnal (1982). Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori had spoken often of her hope for prayer-book re-vision during the past several months.
Bishop Tom Breidenthal of Southern Ohio ar-gued that prayer book revision is already “happen-ing all around us,” through piecemeal approaches to new rites. He recommended a more intentional process that “commits us to a real conversation.”
The House of Deputies concurred with the House of Bishops on July 2 to begin the process, which could lead to a revision that would “utilize the riches of our Church’s liturgical, cultural, ra-cial, generational, linguistic, gender and ethnic di-versity in order to share common worship.”
“We’re talking about establishing a plan,” said the Very Rev. Kate Moorehead of the Diocese of Florida. “We’re simply embarking on a study and a listening process.”
On July 3, the House of Bishops approved cre-ating a revision process for the Hymnal 1982.
The resolution asks “the Standing Commis-sion on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) to prepare a plan for the comprehensive revision of the Hym-nal 1982” and requests $25,000 for the project.
Bishop Martins of Springfield was the only bishop to speak against the resolution, and he cit-ed three reasons.
First, he mentioned that Church Publishing had conducted “an extensive survey” to see if any-one had a desire to see the Hymnal revised. A ma-jority did not.
Second, he reminded the House that “the SCLM is already drinking from a fire hose” be-cause of General Convention resolutions. The commission has been asked to establish a process for revising the Book of Common Prayer, to revise the Book of Occasional Services, and to review dozens of saints for potential inclusion in A Great Cloud of Witnesses.
Third, he questioned whether, given the avail-ability of electronic resources for church music, the church should publish a new hymnal, when it already has three (Hymnal 1982, Lift Every Voice and Sing II, and Wonder, Love, and Praise).
Other bishops spoke in favor of the resolution. Bishop Mariann Budde of Washington expressed her sense that it is “important to be coherent” in revision: if the church is to revise the Book of Com-mon Prayer, it ought to revise the Hymnal as well.
Convention approved A Great Cloud of Wit-nesses as a supplement to Lesser Feasts and Fasts,
which will remain the primary text for celebrating saints’ days.
Proponents of administering Communion to the unbaptized were turned back by both houses, but by narrower margins than three years earlier. Several bishops attempted to revive the matter in their House, but they could not achieve the super-majority required for such an action.
Resolution C010 dealt with offering Commu-nion in this manner, a widespread practice that violates canon. It is often identified as an act of hospitality and radical welcome.
In 2012, the House of Bishops passed a reso-lution noting its disagreement with this theology while acknowledging a difference in practice. In 2009, the House of Bishops’ Theology Committee ruled it out as well. At that time, as Bishop Greg Brewer of Central Florida recalled, “the commit-tee was universal in its rejection of that sentiment: clergy, lay people, theologians, bishops.”
This new resolution would not approve the practice but appoint a task force to study it.
In a committee hearing, several bishops spoke in favor of the resolution, especially if it were amended to ensure that members would hold a variety of theological views. Bishop W. Andrew Waldo of Upper South Carolina had proposed the amendment to the resolution, which Bishop Shan-non Johnston of Virginia heartily supported: “I would say my experiences have led me to be wary that task forces can in fact be de facto works of advocacy” unless diversity is built in.
Bishop Matthew Gunter of Fond du Lac spoke most forcefully in opposition to the resolution. He said he understood why some congregations prac-ticed “open communion” but he believed that the practice is theologically unsound, “not particular-ly radical, and only superficially hospitable.”
He asked the bishops why they would pass the work to a task force: “Do we want to surren-der our role as teachers every time a doctrine is challenged?”
Restructure in Small DosesMost of the proposals by the Task Force for
Reimagining the Episcopal Church were rejected straight out, referred to committees for the next three years, or folded into other legislation.
Convention approved TREC’s Resolution A001, which urges seminaries, the General Board of Examining Chaplains, and other church bod-ies to “restructure for spiritual encounter.” This
13W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
charge touches on training, bivocational priest-hood, clergy compensation, and congregational development.
Convention also approved TREC’s proposal to eliminate all standing commissions except for Liturgy and Music, and Structure, Governance, Constitution, and Canons (known previously only as Constitution and Canons). Executive Council has freedom to create new task forces to succeed the standing commissions on Anglican and inter-national peace with justice concerns, communica-tion and information technology, ecumenical and interreligious relations, health, lifelong Christian formation and education, ministry development, mission and evangelism, small congregations, so-cial justice and public policy, stewardship and de-velopment, and world mission.
Convention rejected a TREC proposal to “re-structure assets in service of God’s mission.” It also rejected TREC’s proposal to decrease the size of Executive Council.
Convention approved a resolution that makes diocesan assessments mandatory. Dioceses that do not pay their assessment could be deprived of funding from the Domestic and Foreign Mission-ary Society.
Many deputies expressed wariness about a proposed unicameral General Convention, an-other idea that did not gain sufficient traction for approval.
Speakers at a hearing on the issue focused on what would happen to the quality of floor debates if deputies were to find themselves side-by-side with bishops. Some felt a door to greater equality of voices would swing open like a breath of fresh air.
“If we change, it would have a catalytic and transformative impact throughout the church,” said Diocese of Washington Bishop Mariann Ed-gar Budde. “The efficiencies that we would create would be staggering.”
The topic came before the Committee on Gov-ernance and Structure as it dug into the challenge of sifting through resolutions derived from TREC.
None of the speakers at one hearing disputed the notion that a unicameral system would involve less complexity and less duplication than the cur-rent form. As speakers observed, today’s structure requires two bodies to each consider and debate the same proposal before it can be adopted. A sec-retariat must then manage the voluminous admin-istration required by the process.
Support for unicameralism also came from individuals who have observed close-up the Evan-gelical Lutheran Church in America, a full com-
munion partner of the Episcopal Church. The ELCA relies on a unicameral system.
“It’s a partnership that we have with our Lu-theran brothers and sisters,” said John Johnson, a layman from the Diocese of Washington and an ELCA staffer. “As much as we have to teach them, I think they have a little bit to teach us.”
But others worried deputies would be less-than-forthcoming with their true opinions for fear of adverse repercussions if their own bishops were listening nearby.
“If your boss is sitting there and you don’t agree with them, very often you will not say any-thing,” said Sally Sedgwick, an alternate depu-ty from the Diocese of Southern Ohio who has worked at ELCA’s headquarters.
Sedgwick added that some would likely stay quiet because they’re intimidated, or simply shy to speak publicly in front of a crowd that includes dozens of bishops.
Ultimately Convention approved a constitu-tional amendment allowing ad-hoc joint sessions, including simultaneous voting.
Should a supermajority of Executive Council have the power to fire the three top executives of the church? The idea was under debate through much of Convention and died in the House of Deputies.
Convention agreed to have a committee study a proposed stipend for the president of the House of Deputies, rather than agreeing to the stipend as requested in a resolution.
MissionDeputies showed new commitment to
church-planting by amending the proposed trien-nial budget during floor debate Thursday and au-thorizing new spending from endowment returns to the tune of $5.6 million.
The increase came in the process of approving a $122 million budget. Seeing the proposed budget came in far short of requested funding levels for church-planting, deputies quickly rose to object.
“We’ve got to be more intentional about church planting,” said the Rev. Danielle Morris of the Diocese of Central Florida. “It must become a priority, and you can’t do that with the small bud-get that we have.”
As a member of the Program, Budget, and Finance Committee moved to modify the budget that his committee had approved, the Rev. Can-on Frank Logue of the Diocese of Georgia called for an additional $2.8 million for Latino-Hispan-ic congregational development and another $2.8 million to create a churchwide network for plant-
ing up to 30 new congregations. He said funds will be raised by drawing less than .5 percent annually from the Episcopal Church’s endowment.
Funding for a “digital evangelism initiative,” aimed at sharing the gospel and attracting new churchgoers via the Web, ultimately came in well below the $3 million named in a resolution that passed the House of Deputies. The approved bud-get allocated $750,000 for the effort, but deputies were nonetheless hopeful.
Alcohol and The ChurchLargely in response to the death of bicyclist
Thomas Palermo and charges of drunken driving and manslaughter against former bishop Heather Cook of Maryland, Convention adopted three res-olutions about alcoholism and other drug abuse: D014 (Question Ordinands About Addiction), A158 (Task Force to Review and Revise Policy on Substance Abuse, Addiction and Recovery) and A159 (The Role of the Church in the Culture of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse).
“I’m Mark, and I’m an alcoholic,” said Bish-op Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., of Ohio as he began a report by a special committee appointed by the presiding bishop and the president of the House of Deputies.
“There were hundreds of years of sobriety” around the table, Hollingsworth said, and the committee had “a jointly held understanding of the gravity of this issue.”
The resolutions passed after poignant debate spotlighted a culture of drinking that deputies said pervades the Episcopal Church. One after anoth-er rose to tell how local church events feel unsafe to alcoholics because alcoholic beverages are rou-tinely served.
“We have had an unhealthy and unholy rela-tionship with alcohol, and we need to change that,” said Kevin Cross, a deputy from the Diocese of Easton and member of the Legislative Committee on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse.
But Convention ultimately diluted calls for reform. For example, rather than impanel a task force as its name implies, resolution A158 merely commends to congregations and other institutions a set of basic guidelines to follow when serving al-cohol at church functions. No task force was actu-ally created.
In the end, General Convention approved many changes — some dramatic, some incremen-tal — that will play out gradually. Much will de-pend on how dioceses, congregations, task forces, and standing commissions interpret and apply what’s new. General Convention has spoken.■
14
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
Editor’s Note: The 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, meet-ing in Salt Lake City in late June, approved canonical and liturgical changes to the Church’s position on marriage. The canonical changes eliminate language defining marriage as between a man and a woman (Resolution A036) and authorize two new marriage rites with language allowing them to be used by same-sex or opposite-sex couples (Resolution A054). A group of dissenting bish-ops, including the Rt. Rev. Gregory Brewer, Central Florida, have issued the following statement in response:
Communion Partners Salt Lake City Statement
The 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, in passing Resolutions A036 and A054, has made a significant change in the Church’s understanding of Christian marriage. As bishops of the Church, we must dissent from these actions.
We affirm Minority Report #1, which was appended to the text of Reso-lution A036: The nature, purpose, and meaning of marriage, as traditionally understood by Christians, are summed up in the words of the Book of Com-mon Prayer:
“The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored by all people.
The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in pros-perity and adversity; and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord” (BCP, p. 423)
The nature, purpose, and meaning of marriage are linked to the relation-ship of man and woman. The promises and vows of marriage presuppose husband and wife as the partners who are made one flesh in marriage. This understanding is a reasonable one, as well as in accord with Holy Scripture and Christian tradition in their teaching about marriage.
When we were ordained as bishops in the one, holy, catholic, and apostol-ic Church, we vowed to “guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church of God” (BCP, p. 518). We renew that promise; and in light of the actions of General Convention, and of our own deep pastoral and theological convic-tions, we pledge ourselves to
“Maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). The bonds created in baptism are indissoluble, and we share one bread and one cup in the Eucharist. We are committed to the Church and its people, even in the midst of painful disagreement.
“Speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). When we disagree with the Church’s actions, we will do so openly and transparently and – with the Spirit’s help – charitably. We are grateful that Resolution A054 includes provision for bish-ops and priests to exercise their conscience; but we realize at the same time
that we have entered a season in which the tensions over these difficult mat-ters may grow. We pray for the grace to be clear about our convictions and, at the same time, to love brothers and sisters with whom we disagree.
“Welcome one another . . . just as Christ has welcomed [us]” (Rom. 15:7). Our commitment to the Church includes a commitment to our gay and lesbi-an brothers and sisters. We will walk with them, pray with and for them, and seek ways to engage in pastoral conversation. We rejoice that Jesus’ embrace includes all of us.
We are mindful that the decisions of the 78th General Convention do not take place in isolation. The Episcopal Church is part of a larger whole, the Anglican Communion. We remain committed to that Communion and to the historic See of Canterbury, and we will continue to honor the three moratoria requested in the Windsor Report and affirmed by the Instruments of Communion.
We invite bishops and any Episcopalians who share these commitments to join us in this statement, and to affirm with us our love for our Lord Jesus Christ, our commitment to The Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Com-munion, and our dissent from these actions.
Communion Partner signatories:The Rt. Rev’d John C. Bauerschmidt, Bishop of TennesseeThe Rt. Rev’d Gregory O. Brewer, Bishop of Central FloridaThe Rt. Rev’d Daniel W. Herzog, Bishop of Albany, resignedThe Rt. Rev’d Paul E. Lambert, Bishop Pro Tem of DallasThe Rt. Rev’d Edward S. Little II, Bishop of Northern IndianaThe Rt. Rev’d William H. Love, Bishop of AlbanyThe Rt. Rev’d Daniel H. Martins, Bishop of SpringfieldThe Rt. Rev’d Edward L. Salmon, Bishop of South Carolina, resignedThe Rt. Rev’d William J. Skilton, Assistant Bishop of Dominican Repub-lic, resignedThe Rt. Rev’d Michael G. Smith, Bishop of North DakotaThe Rt. Rev’d Don A. Wimberly, Bishop of Texas, resignedOther signatories:The Rt. Rev’d E. Ambrose Gumbs, Bishop of Virgin IslandsThe Rt. Rev’d Julio Holguin, Bishop of Dominican RepublicThe Rt. Rev’d Alfredo Morante, Bishop of Ecuador LitoralThe Rt. Rev’d Jean Zache Duracin, Bishop of HaitiThe Rt. Rev’d Francisco José Duque Gómez, Bishop of ColombiaThe Rt. Rev’d Orlando Guerrero, VenezuelaThe Rt. Rev’d Lloyd Allen, Bishop of Honduras
Episcopalians may register their public support of the above statement at http://www.communionpartners.org/?page_id=212
Please provide name; diocese and congregation; email or mailing address; and indicate whether one is a bishop, priest, deacon or lay person.■
COMMuniOn PARTnERS RESPOnSE TO GEnERAL COnvEnTiOn MARRiAGE
CHAnGES
15W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
AROUND THE DIOCESE
Grace Episcopal Church in Ocala moved up the street a few years ago – actually 110 years ago – and they’ve been there ever since! To celebrate the anniversa-
ry, the church held a special service on Sunday, June 14, reflecting the traditions of the 1905 time period.
Many parishioners dressed in period cloth-ing, with more ladies’ hats present than have been seen in the church since the 1950s. Feet and an-kles were covered, as well. Hand fans were distrib-uted in recognition of the lack of air conditioning at the turn of the century.
In the nave, some parishioners sat within the confines of the original church, marked off by tape. Others sat outside the tape within the addi-tional space added over the years.
The service followed the 1892 Prayer Book, and the Gospel was read from the Bible in use at the church in 1905. No women participated in the service, as this exclusion was standard in those days.
Father Jonathan French’s sermon recognized the history of Grace. He reminded the parishio-ners that through two World Wars, economic col-lapse, dictators rising and falling, hurricanes, crop failures . . . and now terrorism and global warm-ing, it is easy to get lost. But, because of the mus-tard seed of faith planted here in 1905, Grace con-tinues to serve God, the Rock of our Salvation. He concluded by saying if those 110 years have taught us anything, it is the solidity of God’s love for us.
After the service, like all good Episcopalians, the congregation refreshed themselves. Reflec-
tive of the era, lemonade, cookies, and cucumber sandwiches were served in the Parish House.
The event was initiated by parishioner Elea-nor Simons, the church’s communications direc-tor and historian. She was aided by Father Jona-than doing historical research on vestments and services; and Josh Head, worship coordinator, researching period music.
Concurrent with the historical Sunday, the church introduced to the congregation new photo walls and display cases that house original docu-ments and the original Bible. These will be perma-nent displays and will be updated in coming years.
Note: Grace church was founded in 1853 and first built a church building in the 1880s near the square in Ocala. It took five months to disassemble the old church and move it to the present site.■
gRACE CHURCH CELEBRATES 110 YEARS IN PRESENT LOCATION
By Elaine M. Heitman
“Many parishioners
dressed in period clothing, with more ladies’ hats present
than have been seen in the church since the 1950s.”
16
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
The Episcopal Church’s 78th Gener-al Convention has elected Diocese of North Carolina Bishop Michael Curry to be its 27th presiding bishop.
Bishop Curry is well known to Central Flor-ida Episcopalians, having worked with churches and groups here since his election in Feb. 2000 as the North Carolina bishop.
Curry, 62, was elected by the House of Bish-ops from a slate of four nominees, on the first bal-lot. His election was confirmed by the House of Deputies, as outlined in the church’s canons. He will serve a nine-year term that officially begins Nov. 1. On that date, Curry will succeed current Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and he will become the first person of color to hold that position.
A liturgy marking the beginning of Curry’s ministry as presiding bishop and primate will be celebrated Nov. 1, All Saints Day at Washington National Cathedral.
Curry has been North Carolina’s 11th dioce-san bishop since he was ordained and consecrated on June 17, 2000. He was the rector of St. James’ Episcopal Church, Baltimore, Maryland, when he was elected to the see on Feb. 11, 2000. He is also the current chair of Episcopal Relief & Develop-ment’s Board of Directors.
This makes the second time in a row that the General Convention made history with its elec-tion of a presiding bishop. In 2006, Jefferts Scho-ri became the first woman ever elected presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church. She was also the first female among the primates, or ordained leaders, of the Anglican Communion’s 38 prov-inces, a distinction she still holds.
Echoing an old spiritual, Curry said during a video interview after his nomination was an-nounced on May 1 that “our hand must be on the Gospel plow.”
“We are followers of Jesus – Jesus of Nazareth – and the truth is we’ve got a message to proclaim, a life to live and something to share and offer the world,” he said. “There’s a lot of suffering in this world. There’s a lot of heartache, there’s a lot of
nightmare. We are people who believe that God has a dream and a vision for this world, and that Jesus has shown us how to follow him in the di-rection of that and how to help this world live into God’s dream and vision for us now.
“Our work is actually the work of participat-ing in the Jesus movement, which seeks to realize God’s dream and seeks to accomplish God’s mis-sion in this world,” Curry said.
The church must help form disciples who will live like Jesus, Curry said. Such formation must become a priority so that the church is not just creating members, but disciples of Jesus “who ac-tually live out and struggle to live out the teach-ings of Jesus in their lives, and make a tangible difference” in the world. If such churchwide for-mation combined with Episcopalians’ individual commitments to imitate Jesus, “we would trans-form this world,” Curry said.
“After formation, there’s evangelism and I know sometimes folks are afraid of that word, but I’m not talking about evangelism like other folk do it,” he said. “I am talking about the kind of evangelism that is as much listening as it is sharing.” Being present with another person and listening to that person is a “transforming possi-bility” of invitation and welcome.
Episcopalians must also be willing to “witness in the social sphere, witness in the public sphere, through personal service that helps somebody along the way … prophesying deliverance … [and] being a voice for those who have no voice,” Curry said.
To do this, Episcopalians need to partner with Anglicans around the world along with people of other faith traditions, according to Curry.
And “we need to create organizational struc-tures that serve the mission, that help the institu-tion and the church become a vessel of the Jesus movement,” he concluded.
The election processThe other nominees for presiding bishop
were the Rt. Rev. Thomas Breidenthal, 64, Dio-cese of Southern Ohio; the Rt. Rev. Ian Douglas,
56, Diocese of Connecticut; and the Rt. Rev. Dab-ney Smith, 61, Diocese of Southwest Florida.
The names of all four bishops were formally submitted to the General Convention by the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Pre-siding Bishop during a joint session on June 26, the day before the election. There were no additional nominees from the floor during that session.
Anyone intending to make such a nomination had to inform the nominating committee of that intention by May 12 so that additional nominees could undergo the same background screening process that the committee completed for all of its nominees. The committee announced on May 12 that no additional bishops were nominated.
The four nominees spoke to convention par-ticipants during a three-hour session on June 24, the afternoon before the General Convention for-mally convened.
Bishops gathered at the Convention Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. on June 27 in the Salt Palace Conven-tion Center. Following that, the bishops with seat, voice and vote traveled to St. Mark’s Cathedral, where the election session was closed and took place in the context of prayer and reflection.
Bishop Elected Presiding BishopMichael Curry“I’m thrilled to have a presiding bishop who loves to talk about Jesus.”
- Bishop Greg Brewer
Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop gregory Brewer
17W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
AROUND THE DIOCESEAfter Curry was elected but before his name
was announced, Jefferts Schori sent a delegation to House of Deputies President the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings informing her of the result. Jen-nings referred Curry’s name to the House of Dep-uties legislative committee on the Confirmation of the Presiding Bishop without announcing the news to the full House. The legislative committee was charged with recommending to the House of Deputies whether to confirm the election or not confirm. The deputies heard the recommendation at 1:48 p.m. local time, and began to debate the confirmation request.
The House of Bishops remained in session at the cathedral until a delegation of deputies, ap-pointed by Jennings notified the House of Bish-ops of the action taken. No communication was permitted from the House of Bishops during the election and until confirmation was received.
Shortly after receiving word of the confir-mation of his election, Curry came to the House of Deputies. Presiding Bishop-elect Curry will preach at the convention’s closing Eucharist on July 3, and Jefferts Schori will preside.
The roles of the presiding bishopThe presiding bishop is primate and chief
pastor of the church, chair of the Executive Coun-cil, and president of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. The canonical outline of the presiding bishop’s election and term can be found in Title I Section 2 of the church’s Canons.
(The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Soci-ety is the legal and canonical name under which The Episcopal Church is incorporated, conducts business and carries out mission.)
Curry’s election comes near the start of a meeting of General Convention that is consid-ering a number of proposals to change some as-pects of the governance and management of the church-wide structure and, hence, the roles and responsibilities of the presiding bishop.
According to Title I Section 2 in its current form, the presiding bishop is “charged with re-sponsibility for leadership in initiating and devel-oping the policy and strategy in the church and speaking for the Church as to the policies, strat-egies and programs authorized by the General Convention.”
The presiding bishop also “speaks God’s word to the church and world as the representative of this Church and its episcopate in its corporate
capacity,” represents The Episcopal Church to the Anglican Communion, serves as chief consecra-tor of bishops, and leads the House of Bishops. He or she also holds a significant role in the disci-pline and changes in status of bishops.
Also, the presiding bishop exercises a sig-nificant role in the governance of the church by making appointments to various governing bodies, making decisions with the president of the House of Deputies, serving as a member of every churchwide committee and commission, and serving as chair and president of key church governing boards. He or she is the chief executive officer of the Executive Council, which carries out the programs and policies adopted by the Gen-eral Convention, according to Canon I.4 (1)(a). Therefore, the presiding bishop is responsible for staff and operations of the Episcopal Church Cen-ter, with the exception of the executive office of the General Convention.
In its “Call to Discernment and Profile”, the joint nominating committee said the 27th presid-ing bishop would need to be “comfortable in the midst of ambiguity and able to lead the church in the rich, temporal space between the ‘now,’ and the ‘yet to come.’” The person discerned and elected by the church would need to “delight” in the diversity of a “multi-national, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-genera-tional church.” And, because “our polity has many components and complexities,” the 27th presid-ing bishop will need the “skills and wisdom for leading complex and democratic systems through a time of significant change.”
Historically, the office of presiding bishop was filled automatically by the most senior bishop in the House of Bishops, measured by date of con-secration, beginning with the presidency of Wil-liam White at the first session of the 1789 General Convention. That process changed in 1925 when the church elected the Rt. Rev. John Gardner Murray as the 16th presiding bishop.
Presiding Bishop-elect Curry’s past ministry
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 13, 1953, Curry attended public schools in Buffalo, New York, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 from Hobart and William Smith College, in Geneva, New York, and a Master of Divinity de-gree in 1978 from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He has also studied at the College of Preach-
ers, Princeton Theological Seminary, Wake Forest University, the Ecumenical Institute at St. Mary’s Seminary, and the Institute of Christian Jewish Studies.
He was ordained to the diaconate in June 1978 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buffalo, New York, and to the priesthood in December 1978, at St. Stephen’s, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He began his ministry as deacon-in-charge at St. Ste-phen’s, and was rector there 1979-1982. He next accepted a call to serve as the rector of St. Si-mon of Cyrene, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, where he served 1982-1988. In 1988, he became rector of St. James’, Baltimore, Maryland, where he served until his election as bishop.
In his three parish ministries, Curry was ac-tive in the founding of ecumenical summer day camps for children, the creation of networks of family day care providers and educational cen-ters, and the brokering of millions of dollars of investment in inner city neighborhoods. He also sat on the commission on ministry in each of the three dioceses in which he has served.
During his time as bishop of North Caroli-na, Curry instituted a network of canons, deacons and youth ministry professionals dedicated to supporting the ministry that already happens in local congregations and refocused the diocese on The Episcopal Church’s dedication to the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals through a $400,000 campaign to buy malaria nets that saved thousands of lives.
Throughout his ministry, Curry has also been active in issues of social justice, speaking out on immigration policy and marriage equality.
He serves on the boards of a large number of organizations and has a national preaching and teaching ministry. He has been featured on The Protestant Hour and North Carolina Pub-lic Radio’s The State of Things, as well as on The Huffington Post. In addition, Curry is a frequent speaker at conferences around the country. He has received honorary degrees from Sewanee, Virgin-ia Theological Seminary, Yale, and, most recently, Episcopal Divinity School. He served on the Task-force for Re-imagining the Episcopal Church and recently was named chair of Episcopal Relief & Development’s Board of Directors.
His book of sermons, Crazy Christians, came out in August 2013.
Curry and his wife, Sharon, have two adult daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.■
18
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
AROUND THE DIOCESE
Anti-Racism Committee Brings Kids to Camp
Dear Friends,
I thought it fitting to share some good news on race.
Last fall the Anti-Racism Commission secured a $10,000 gift to scholarship minority children to Camp Wingmann. This was in response to a com-ment Fr. Chris Beathwaite had shared that the camp was an incubator for the society we hope to see. The children and staff love each other. Race isn’t an issue and they are seeking Christ together.
That grant has funded almost 40 children to camp this summer. A few more will likely be added in July. It has been a huge success. One youth leader shared that her Latino congregation was “overwhelmed that they were thought of and remembered.”
I am serving as chaplain this week and am happy to report mission accomplished. Rob Moses is provid-
ing the Christian Ed program. This photo is from lunch today.
Many other children are here on scholarships, in-cluding over $8,000 used so far on a tithe of over $30,000 set aside by the Camp Wingmann Board on the Trinity Towers gifts reported in last month’s CFE. Those scholarships are purely need-based.
I do not mean to imply this settles anything, but it is a joy to share in this slice of heaven for a week.
In Christ,Tim■
The Rev. Canon Tim NunezEpiscopal Diocese of Central Florida
1017 E. Robinson StreetOrlando, FL 32801-2023
(407) 423-3567
19W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
Dear Friends in Christ,
It is with great sadness that I am resigning, effective immediately, from the Board of Trustees of Trinity School for Ministry. Dean Terry flew down this afternoon from Pittsburgh and met me at a restaurant at the airport hotel here in Orlando. He stated that the executive committee of
the board had met on Friday and it was their sense that the controversy sur-rounding my decision the approve of the baptism of the adopted child of two gay parents was not settled.
You who attended the most recent meeting of the board of Trustees this past May know that I raised this very subject at that meeting. I passed out to everyone there a copy of the public statement I had written. I invited conver-sation. Our conversation was brief, but that was because no one present voiced any objections. Quite the opposite both bishops present (Bp. Ben Quashi of Jos, Nigeria and Bp. John Rogers) expressed their support for the letter as had Ap. Bob Duncan earlier in an email to Dean Terry on which I was copied.
However, I am keenly aware that their support, as well as the support voiced by others on the Board at that time, does not represent the full spec-trum of opinion among TSM’s constituents. The executive committee feels the same. Their solution is to make this subject the center of conversation at the October board meeting retreat, including some theologians and Biblical scholars who might provide input. The executive committee also wants me to take a leave of absence from the board so that they could talk this through in my absence.
I rejected Dean Terry’s and the executive committee’s invitation to take a leave of absence and chose, instead, to resign. I told Dean Terry that I already have far too many complex pressures in my life than to add to those pressures by going through the next six months with this sword over my head. I stated at the May board meeting that I had no interest in compromising TSM’s rep-utation, and that is a sentiment I still support. I am aware that in this heated climate of theological and moral controversy, there are fewer and fewer places within Anglicanism where we can agree to disagree.
Having still a great love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, my only prayer is that through this, somehow, Christ is honored.
With All Best Wishes and Prayers,+Greg Brewer■
Bishop Brewer Resigns from Board of Trinity School for Ministry
“it is with real regret that i share with the general public my letter of resignation from the Board of Trustees of Trinity School for Ministry. i never wanted this to be a public matter, nor did i want to do anything that would bring reproach to anyone. However, now that the matter is
public, i felt it was important to share my letter of resignation.”
20
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
SPiRiT oF ADoPTioNThe Spirit you received does not make you
slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”- Ro-mans 8: 15
Igor invited us to his room in the shelter. He wanted to show us something. When we walked into his room, the first thing we no-ticed was the array of photos on a once-bar-
ren wall. They were photos that we took for them and our picture with Igor was in the center of it. This wasn’t the thing that he wanted to show us. It was something completely different but our minds were occupied by the photos on the wall.
Seeing our picture in such an auspicious place touched me deeply, but it is also a melancholic re-minder of the reality of these children’s lives. Igor is 22 and he has lived his childhood and adoles-cence without any parental figure. His father died in prison and he has no recollection of him. His mother was brutally murdered when he was eight. Our relationship with him grew by leaps and bounds in the past year. It is a short period of time and, yet, our photo was given a privileged place.
Igor recently told us that he hardly interacts with the social worker in the project where he lives. He thought that she is just doing her job and she does not believe that he will amount to any-thing. When asked to elaborate, he told us that all his life he has only heard negative things about himself. Now he has come to believe these things as well. However, he desires to be surrounded by people who truly believe in his potential to be a good person. He wants to believe this for himself.
Most of the children and teens living in the streets don’t really want us to come up with solu-tions to their problems. There was never a mo-ment when they asked anything from us. They never asked us to buy them clothes or even food. They don’t even expect us to take them to shelters. In fact, among all the social agencies, we offer al-most nothing in the material sense to the children and teens. Yet, they sense the difference in us. They know that we believe in them. We believe that they have the full potential to be who God has created them to be. Most importantly, they are grateful that we believe that God has a plan for their lives. It helps them overcome their great-est fear that they are nature’s mistake. I would say
that this is the greatest mental obstacle that the children and teens face. They believe that they are just mistakes and everyone wants them to just disappear. Each day, our presence with them is testament to the Truth of their worth to God. We believe that everyone reading this can also be part of being God’s witnesses of His love for these little ones.
Many have written to us wondering if they could do more than just support this ministry financially and prayerfully. Some have asked if they could sponsor a child and some thought about sending gifts to the children and teens. Our children are homeless; anything given to them is mostly likely to be stolen or lost almost immedi-ately. Besides this, Brazil has high tax and com-plicated laws on receiving any merchandise even when labeled as gifts. However, for now, the thing that matters most to the children and teens is knowing their existence is important to someone. The number of deaths is rising in the streets and already we have had another five since January. This has impacted the hearts and minds of these little ones. It has brought up some existential questions. They want to know if their lives matter
SãO PAULO MERCY MINISTRY
“They need to know that there are people who believe that they are God’s special gift
to this world and that they are not
nature’s mistakes. The children and teens are open to
religious concepts.”
21W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
AROUND THE DIOCESEat all to anyone. They desire to belong to some-one; to become part of something greater and big-ger that would give their existence a meaning. The Truth is that they do belong to something greater and bigger than we can ever imagine. They belong to God and we belong to God. Therefore, it is our joy and duty to let these little ones know that they are God’s precious children. We are here to do this as your representatives. We sense in our spirit that we need to move from just knowing the stories of these children and teens and discover ways to strengthen the connection between the children and the ones whom we represent.
I would like to challenge churches to adopt at least one of our children and teens. Obvious-ly, I am not suggesting adoption in the traditional sense nor am I talking about a child-sponsorship program. The latter involves sending money and gifts. This is not what we are talking about. We would like to see churches develop a relationship with the children through this ministry. For start-ers, you can pray for them as you would pray for your own child. Prayer is the beginning of all spir-itual action. It opens us up to listen to the Holy Spirit. I would suggest that their names be includ-ed in the weekly Sunday prayer and a special note made to remind the church that the child is the adopted child of the church. It would be wonder-ful for a church to send a card with simple and personal notes reminding the children and teens that they are remembered and loved by a church. They need to know that there are people who be-lieve that they are God’s special gift to this world and that they are not nature’s mistakes. The chil-dren and teens are open to religious concepts. By this, I mean to say that they understand that God can move people thousands of miles away to love someone whom they never met. Most important-ly, they will know that there are people who believe in them like fathers and mothers. They don’t know what it means to have someone always hoping and praying the best for them. God can use you to be that person in the lives of these little ones.
Introducing Some Children and teens….
AlexThis handsome young boy comes from a
neighborhood that is notorious for its drug traf-ficking. It is close to the center where we work and we have visited the area a couple of times. We have come to the unfortunate conclusion that sleeping
in the streets is safer than living in this place. Sad to say that this is the only place his kindly grand-mother can afford. She lives in a small rented room in a rundown historic building that should have been condemned years ago. His father died from drug abuse and his mother had a heart at-tack and died in his presence when he was 10. He described this ordeal to us vividly. His grand-mother had to give him up to the state orphanage. He lived there for a few years and then returned to his grandmother’s house. She already has five oth-er children under her care. She is exhausted and overwhelmed and does not have many resources. When Alex and his brother started going to the streets, she could not leave the rest of the children unattended to search for them. Alex told us that it was extreme boredom that led him to the streets. There might be something more to this story but
this is what he feels comfortable sharing with us for the moment. He and his brother eventually, got accustomed to sleeping in the streets. Now they hardly return home.
Alex is an introvert. Initially we did not real-ize this about him. He would hardly speak to us. Then all of the sudden, one day he approached us and wanted to do an activity with us. He likes to paint. As he sat down and painted his picture, he started sharing his life with us. I realized that be-hind the quiet and sometimes moody appearance, there lives a young vulnerable child with a won-derful sense of humor and openness. He doesn’t stay with the main group of children. He tends to be a loner. We hope that we can have more mo-ments with him and perhaps one day he might trust us enough to walk with him in his journey in this world. Alex will be fifteen on June 18th.
Please read more about our interactions with Alex :http://spmercyministry.com/2015/05/07/an-odd-family-in-streets/
Ruan
It is hard to describe Ruan. He is not the eas-iest child but we have grown to like him. He is always fighting with someone. Sometimes he can be disrespectful. Ruan lived in the same street as Alex. His step-father suffered a serious accident at work and became paraplegic. A social worker told us that Ruan used to accompany his stepfa-ther to his physical therapy and he had never seen a young boy being so helpful and patient with an disabled adult. Unfortunately, his mother di-vorced the stepfather and shortly after this, Ruan changed and started coming to the streets. He usu-ally acts as if he doesn’t care or respect anyone. We believe that this is just a facade. He always wants to play checkers with me and has asked Mary to do art with him and even his nails some day. He likes to have the physical contact with an adult. Behind the hard exterior, there is a young child who wants to have a parental figure who believes in him. Ruan just turned 13 on June 8th.
Please read more about Ruan: http://spmercyministry.com/2015/04/16/
my-brothers-keeper/
Guilherme (William)
22
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
AROUND THE DIOCESEAs you can see from this picture, this lad is a
very sweet and open child. He is relatively new to us. We found him to be extremely intelligent and communicative. He alternates between his home and the streets. His mother travels to different cit-ies to work. He said that she is not allowed to take her children with her even though he would very much like to be with her. From his description, we have gathered that his mother is a sex worker. It is common for sex workers to travel to different states and cities so that they could keep the nature of their work hidden from their families. When we asked about his biological father, Guilherme told us that he lived with him until the time when he was murdered. Guilherme was hiding under the bed when the murder occurred and witnessed his father being stabbed by three men and a wom-an. The murderers also wanted to kill the children so that there would be no witnesses. Fortunately, while they were looking for Guilherme and his brother, they found the money which was the motive for the murder and left the premises. The amazing thing about Guilherme is that he has no hatred and anger in him even though he has seen
things no one should ever witness. He sat down and painted with us for more than hour and talk-ed about his favorite things and experiences. He is lively story-teller who embellishes fact with fic-tion like any good story-teller does. Despite ev-erything that has happened to this young child, he has managed to maintain his innocence. He is 12 years old.
SPEAkiNg oF ADoPTioNOne of the miracles of the Christian Church
is that it is a body that adopts orphans and wid-ows and the disenfranchised. When we stepped out into the mission field, we became orphans in a sense. We did not have a steady source of income and no fixed church to provide for our needs. This was a voluntary act on our part. However, we did it because we knew in our hearts that the Holy Spirit would move the Church to adopt us. The fact that we are still here serving is because the churches and individuals have responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to adopt us. You have made us feel that we are part of an eternal spiritual family. It has given us greater confidence
to share the message of adoption to these orphans who never experienced a safe and loving environ-ment in their young lives.
We thank you for your faithful support and we always tell the children and teens that we are here because we represent a Church that is will-ing to go thousands of miles beyond its borders to share the wonderful and life-transforming Love of our eternal Father.
Many churches and individuals have given generously to this ministry. We wish that we could write to each one to thank you for your participa-tion. It does make us feel proud and privileged to be part of a faithful family of God.■
All contributions are channelled through the diocese. Please make your checks payable to DCF Missionary Outreach and send to:
Diocese of Central Florida1017 E. Robinson St.Orlando, FL 32801
Our e-mail address: [email protected] (I appreciate e-mails and respond to them
immediately)Blog: www.spmercyministry.com
ConferenCe on MinistrySATURDAY, AUGUST, 29, 2015 @ 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
COST: $10.00 PER PERSONChurch of the Messiah, 241 North Main Street, Winter Garden
Presented by the Commission on Ministry For those interested in discerning the direction of their vocation as a Christian
Possible call to Ordained MinistryMore clarity about their call as a lay person
ThiS CONfERENCE iS REquiREd fOR all WhO SEEk ORdiNaTiONhear presentations from
Our Bishop and Diocesan StaffPriests, Deacons, and Lay Persons
Come get answers to your questions.
To Register: CALL the Diocesan Office at (407) 423-3567 or (800) 299-3567 ext. 306 or e-mail: [email protected]
23W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
Dr. Leslie Kemp Poole’s latest book, “Saving Florida: Women’s Fight For The Environment In The Twentieth Century”, is an eye opener for those
who think women were not engaged outside the home until recent decades. Her book includes not only women who left a well recognized lega-cy in environmental spheres but also many lesser known who fought for and achieved unprecedent-ed changes in how Floridians view their natural resources. Notably, many of these women were active even before they had the legal right to vote. One who should be of interest to Episcopalians was Mrs. Evangeline Whipple, wife of the Right Reverend Henry Whipple, an Episcopal Bishop who resided in Winter Park. In 1900, they were both founders of the Florida Audubon Society in response to the widespread killing of birds for feathers with which to decorate ladies hats. Evan-geline served a term as Vice-President, as did her friend, Rose Cleveland, sister of former President Grover Cleveland.
On the one hand many of the women may have been considered upper-class or career women. On the other hand there were and con-tinue to be those who identified themselves as housewives. Together they have fought to de-mand clean air and a clean environment for Florida. “Their advocacy not only made a differ-ence in the creation of parks and the protection of the species”, writes Dr. Poole, “but in how we see our state and the natural world. These wom-en are a testament to the power of grassroots activism and how seemingly powerless people can accomplish great things by working with others.”
The remarkable Dr. Poole was born into the fourth generation of her Florida family on a Christmas Eve. Her mother wanted to name her ‘Holly’ but her father wouldn’t agree to it, thus she became Leslie. Long interested in the role of women in the state’s environmental movement, she received a PhD in history from the Universi-ty of Florida. She has won several awards for her
historical research and writing. As a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, she was nominated for a Pulitzer when she wrote an expose entitled. “Flor-ida’s Shame”. She begins the new school year as a full Professor in the Environmental Studies and History Department at Rollins College in Winter Park.
As a parishioner at St. Richard’s, she has taken charge of the Family Promise Program in which the church hosts several homeless families once a quarter. Additionally, she serves year round as a Lector during services.
Her favorite vacation spot is the town of Steinhatchee, west of Gainesville, on the Stein-hatchee River. She, along with her husband, Mi-chael, and their children have traditionally gone there on Labor Day weekends to enjoy fishing and snorkeling while welcoming the company of bald eagles, frigate birds and sea turtles.
You’ll find “Saving Florida” and her previous book, “Maitland”, in your local bookstore as well as on Amazon.■
“An eye opener for those who think women
were not engaged outside the home until
recent decades.”
St. Richard’s, Winter Park, Member Dr. Leslie Poole Lauds Florida’s Women Warriors
24
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
NEwS FROM DOK AT TRIENNIAL AT ZERMATT RESORT IN SALT LAKE CITY
Cfl-DOk with Honduran priests
25W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
AROUND THE DIOCESE
Nearly thirty CFL Daughters arrived at Zermatt Resort near Salt Lake City on June 18th and 19th to attend the Triennial. This meeting is a time of worship, learning at workshops and fellow-ship for Daughters. Daughters from outside the United States
came from 16 countres.The Opening Eucharist was glorious with Jr. DOK Chaplain Deborah
Jackson, International Chaplain Rt. Rev. Bill Skilton, Rt. Rev. Scott Hayashi, Bishop of Utah, Bishop Slyvestre Romero, DOK Chaplain concelebrating.
During the Province IV dinner on June 19th, Agnes Wichmann was in-stalled as Corresponding Secretary.■
anges Wichmann, President Susan towson and Chaplain Bill Skilton
Mother and Daughter Mary and kate gillette standing in front of Zermatt Resort
Chaplains Jacksonn Skilton, Bishop Hayaskiand Romero
26
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
AROUND THE DIOCESE
At the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, meeting in June, United Thank Offering granted $46,000 to a group from St. Richard’s Episcopal Church, Winter Park, to support the dig-ging of two wells in the arid region of Kondoa, Tanzania.
“The effort is to find water on property owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Konda, to bring the population of surrounding villages to the church for both well water and the living water of love and community,” said the Rev. Allison Harrity, rector of St. Richard’s.
“This project is special in that Pam Taormina, our missioner to Africa from St. Richard’s, is working in partnership with the Africa Windmill Proj-ect (AWP) and Bishop Given Gaula from the Diocese of Kondoa,” she said. “Pam connected to Kimberly and John Drake of the Africa Windmill Project after seeing the great need the people of Kondoa had for a reliable source of water and the good work that AWP was doing to get sustainable farming es-tablished in Malawi.”
The AWP was very interested in the new challenges that dry Kondoa would pose as they have been working in Malawi, where water is more abun-dant. In conversation with Bishop Gaula, it was decided that two bore-hole style wells needed to be established to give people clean, potable, reliable wa-ter.
The alternative, pit wells, commonly get contaminated because they are open to the air. They also dry up. Bore-hole wells are very expensive to survey and drill, but are more sanitary.
“It was clear that the region needed access to water and in January we had the opportunity to apply for the UTO Grant,” Rev. Harrity said. “We
are thrilled that the support of the UTO will make these wells a reality, and change the world for many in Kondoa.”
The parish of St. Richard’s has developed a relationship with the Dio-cese of Kondoa. This East African Anglican Diocese has been in existence since 2001. They have been busy establishing literacy courses for wives of the church leadership. A vocational school has been started. The sewing program has had their first group of graduates. Many churches have been planted. Deacons have been ordained. It has been an exciting a productive time. Bish-op Given Gaula and his wife, the Rev. Lilian Gaula, visited St. Richard’s in September, 2013.
Parishioners from St. Richard’s have traveled to Uganda to help install solar panels on a school, clinic and maternity home. Just as importantly they have been changed through personal contact with the people of Uganda and have helped to change the world.
The Episcopal Church’s United Thank Offering has been distributing funds for worthy projects throughout the world since 1883.
The mission of the United Thank Offering is to promote thankfulness to God for his many blessings by encouraging daily prayers and by making an offering in the UTO’s well-known blue boxes. The UTO is more than a fund drive. Its aim is to be a discipline in members, daily life in Christ. Individual offerings are combined with others from all over the world, and once a year this combined offering is meted out in response to compelling human need.
If you are interested in hearing more about the well project, contact the St. Richard’s church office or Pam Taormina at [email protected].■
UTO Awards 46k to St. Richard’s, Winter Park, for water wells in Africa
27W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
The 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting in Salt Lake City, has elected the Rev. Jabriel Sim-monds Ballentine, rector of St. John the
Baptist Episcopal Church, Orlando, one of two clergy members to the Executive Council.
“Please pray for me…pray for the Church!” Fr. Ballentine posted to his Facebook page after the election on Monday, June 29.
The Executive Council carries out the pro-grams and policies adopted by the General Con-vention. It has 38 members, 20 of whom (four
bishops, four priests or deacons and 12 lay people) are elected by General Convention and 18 — one clergy and one layperson from each of the nine provincial synods — for six-year terms, plus the presiding bishop and the president of the House of Deputies.
The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church is an elected body representing the whole Church. In the course of the three years between convention, known as the “triennium,” the Execu-tive Council will customarily meet once in each of the nine provinces of the Episcopal Church.
From Fr. Jabriel’s bio on the St. John the Baptist web page
Fr. Jabriel S. Ballentine was baptized and confirmed in the Anglican Cathedral Church of All Saints in St. Thomas Virgin Islands. Yet, experiences with other Christians caused him to leave the Church. Restored to the Bible by a friend who was Rasta, Fr. Ballentine spent sev-en years as a Rastafarian. This strengthened his Christian faith and led him to the Ethiopian/Er-itrean Orthodox Church. He spent another sev-en years studying the theology of this 1700-plus year old African Christian tradition, under the direction of several monks, bishops and other clergy of the church.
Fr. Ballentine began his life of service by pub-lishing a social justice monthly. The publication of that newsletter led to a position on former Geor-gia Democratic Congresswoman Cynthia McKin-ney’s D.C. staff, where he served as her Legislative Correspondent, Editor and Grassroots Liaison, ultimately serving as Special Assistant for Com-
munications. In this post, he worked to connect community based organizations with Federal re-sources and managed the Congresswoman’s com-munications.
He left her office to found an Organization-al Development consultancy, where he helped small nonprofits navigate the Federal system. He also served as Chair of the D.C. Black Republican Council and as an Alternate Delegate to the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Ultimately, frustrations with Left and Right politics led Fr. Ballentine to answer God’s call to ministry. In Seminary, he did extensive study in the Church’s role in criminal justice (and prison) reform. His honors thesis explored an alternative theology of Liberation, focused on redemption and racial reconciliation in America. Fr. Ballen-tine graduated from the Virginia Theological Seminary, in Alexandria. He was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on December 21, 2012.
An active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Frater-nity, Fr. Ballentine has served as the Chair of the Racial Justice and Public Policy committee for the Eastern Region and presently serves as a Member of the National Public Policy Committee.
Fr. Ballentine is a graduate of the All Saints Cathedral School in St. Thomas, US Virgin Is-lands and holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College. Fr. Ballentine resides with his wife, Sonya, and his eldest son, Omari. He serves as Rector of The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Orlando, FL.
Please contact Fr. Ballentine at [email protected].■
Fr. Ballentine Elected to Executive Council
SEABURY ALTAR PRESENTED TO HOLY TRINITY EPISCOPAL
ACADEMY
Holy Trinity Headmaster Christo-pher Hayes recovered and restored this altar — traced back to Bishop Samuel Seabury — before present-
ing it to Holy Trinity in May. It was given in honor and thanksgiving for the Rev. Joy Willi-ford’s ministry at HTEA.■
fr. Jabriel S. Ballentine
28
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
AROUND THE DIOCESE
UpcomingEventsSaturday, august 29,
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.Conference on Ministry,
Church of the Messiah, Winter garden
thursday, September 2, 10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
SOUtHEaSt DEaNERY Clericus
Saturday, September 12, @ 11 a.m.Ordinations to the vocational DiaconateCathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando
Sunday, September 13, @ 4 p.m.Ordination to the Priesthood and Celebration of New
Ministry of the Rev. John gullett as Rector, St. alban’s, auburndale
Monday, Oct. 26 Dinner through
Wednesday, Oct. 28 Lunch annual Clergy Conference at Canterbury Centerthe Reverend Dr. Canon ashley Null, keynoter
friday-Saturday, Jan. 22 – 23, 2016
47th annual Diocesan Convention at Holy trinity Episcopal academy and
Holy trinity Episcopal Church, Melbourne, florida
tuesday, february 11, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Clergy Day with Ed Stetzer at Canterbury Conf. Center
29W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
What does it take to bring a nationwide revival? Do you have a heart to see our nation changed? I travel extensively
and see both the state of our nation as well as the frustration of God’s people. I listen to pastors pour out their hearts that they don’t have enough trained volunteers and that they don’t have enough funds to do missions and outreach. I listen to lay people share that their isn’t clear direction for them to use their gifts and talents and that their aren’t enough vol-unteers to help. People mourn the state of the nation and moral decay and problems in so-
ciety. The answer is most certainly that peo-ple need to connect in a relationship to Jesus Christ and the remedy is:1. Engaging people in prayer 2. Helping people meet God through the
scriptures and 3. Building a national outreach to children.
We know from the scriptures that the “en-emy has come to rob, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). We are facing a major spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of our young peo-ple and children. Scripture Union is building a national strategy to reach more children for Christ in more places than at any time. It will be the worlds largest Children’s Min-istries Outreach. We will create opportuni-ties for people to sign up as prayer warriors, volunteers, financiers, teacher/trainers, staff and advocates. Later this month our nation-al field staff will gather in Orlando to begin preparing the ground for their involvement in building strategies across different pockets of the USA. This is only a start. There is much to do. Please be in prayer for us May 26 – 29 as we gather to hear God’s voice and direction and begin to pray, plan and push ahead.
our Auburndale outreachIt is such a joy to see children being im-
pacted socially, emotionally, academically and spiritually. Thanks to the work of so many volunteers from at least 4 different churches headed by St. Alban’s Church to reach chil-dren from various walks of life. The tutoring is making a difference in the children’s lives but the real joy is to watch them grow in their knowledge of Christ and in their love for Christ.■
Find out more about Scripture Union and SuperKids at http://superkidsmission.com/
john-who-jesus
BUILDINg A NATIONAL CHILDREN’S MINISTRY STRATEgY
Children learning about god’s creation story Children’s Ministries Outreach
HAT OF THE MONTH!
As many know, Laura Lee Brewer has a hat for every occasion. Her chapeaus are showcased when she accompanies Bishop Greg Brewer on his weekly visitations to our Central Florida churches. The first person correctly names the church location of Laura Lee’s Hat of the Month, above, will win a valuable prize from the CFE Storehouse of Treasures.
E-mail responses to: [email protected].■
Where’s that Hat?¿Dónde está el sombrero?
30
CENT
RAL F
LORI
DA E
PISC
OPAL
IAN
- AUG
UST
2015
One could say the ultimate goal – Dr. King’s Dream – of the Civ-il Rights Movement was to create a society where people would “live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Where “[t]here is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” And we’re not there yet.
The Gospel Calls us to be ReconciledJust before His arrest and ultimate crucifixion in John 17:21, Jesus says:
“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you.” If that was our Lord’s dying wish, shouldn’t that be our chief aim?
The One Thing We Learn From FergusonWhile coaching youth baseball, my granddad had an idea for using the
sport to teach life lessons to help keep young boys off the street. He remort-gaged his house (a few times over the years) to put up the money for what became a St. Louis Institution: the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club.
In July 1982, President Ronald Reagan awarded my granddad, Hubert Habib “Dickey” Ballentine, with the Presidential Citizens Medal for out-standing service to the community, to St. Louis, and to the United States of America. The citation reads: “The President of the United States of America awards the Presidential Citizens Medal to Mr. Dickey Ballentine. The good works of Dickey Ballentine flow as deeply through the city of St. Louis as the Mississippi River itself. His inspiring contribution to bettering the lives of inner-city youth is a shining example of the power of good.”
And because St. Louis meant so much to my granddad, “the Lou” is in my blood – flowing as deeply through my veins as the Mississippi River itself. The killing of Mike Brown and the explosion of racial tensions in Ferguson has affected me in a personal way. I long to be in Greater St. Louis, instead of Orlando, and to be part of the healing there that’s long overdue.
I am not in St. Louis, but I find myself in familiar surroundings. Like St. Louis, Orlando has suffered from its own set of police and racially charged
killings. The same issues exist. I am a Black father raising a Black son. I have sought to shield him from the violence of the inner city by moving to the sub-urbs. I am troubled that I am not able to protect him from the racism he faces while being Black in America.
I cannot ignore it. How do you see the situation? Do you feel it is system-ic or localized to Missouri, the South, or the Northeast? I believe and wish to suggest that the reality of Ferguson and institutional racism has been in your newsfeed no matter where you call home. The deaths of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, John Crawford, III, Rumain Brisbon, and Renisha McBride demonstrate the breadth of manifestations of racism across Amer-ica.
I focus on Ferguson and Mike Brown because of the complexity of the case. It lacks the clarity some observed in the death of Eric Garner. The video of New York City officers performing a banned chokehold on Garner led to several days of large protests in New York City. It’s easy to feel compassion for Eric Garner.
But Mike Brown’s case is different. His story wasn’t as sympathetic. He was seen as a thug. And thugs deserve to be killed…right? What about the humanity of the young adult who does not fit the popular notions of the sym-pathetic victim?
You Must be “Good” to Deserve Justice?Our culture finds ways to justify the dehumanization of victims of injus-
tice. This allows us to justify our individual and collective inaction. In a sense, we unknowingly begin to justify our own inhumanity to our neighbor.
The One thing We Learn From Ferguson is That America is not ReconciledRegardless of what you think about Ferguson, the evidence is clear that,
in the general sense, we don’t see the same thing. The death of Michael Brown and the differing reaction to the situation in Ferguson provide evidence that America is racially divided. In this Easter Season, let us reflect deeply about ways in which we can move to a vision where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female” and we are instead one in Christ Jesus.■
The One thing We Learn from Ferguson is That America is not Reconciled
By Rev. Jabriel S. Ballentine
31W
WW
.CFD
IOCE
SE.O
RG - A
UGUS
T 20
15
AROUND THE DIOCESE
By Rob Lord
What has been the most signif-icant catalyst of growth and change in my Christian jour-ney? How would you answer
that question? As Fr. Henri Nouwen said so well: “Without silence it is virtually impossible to grow spiritually.”
Silence, and the practice of centering prayer meditation, is for me, the most reliable spiritual practice that helps me pay attention to God, and to fight the incessant distractions of life in this world. And science continues to discover the emotionally healthy benefits of a meditation practice: it literally changes our brains.
Research with Buddhists and Christian monks has demonstrated conclusively how the practice of silence transforms the neurochem-istry of the brain. Why? Silence was always meant to be part of Gods’ plan for transforma-tion of our lives. As the Psalmist says: For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my wholeness, my salvation. Ps 62:1
Studies of people doing meditation showed that after only eight weeks, a 12 minute a day practice changed the brain pretty significantly. But the more you keep working on that change, probably the more change you will see. It is like a muscle, the more you work out, the bigger it becomes.
Consider these findings from – Newberg M.D., Andrew; Mark Robert Waldman. How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Find-ings from a Leading Neuroscientist• If you contemplate God long enough,
something surprising happens in the brain. Neural functioning begins to change.
• Different circuits become activated, while others become deactivated. New dendrites are formed, new synaptic connections are made, and the brain becomes more sen-sitive to subtle realms of experience. Per-ceptions alter, beliefs begin to change, and if God has meaning for you, then God be-comes neurologically real.
• Spiritual practices, even when stripped of religious beliefs, enhance the neural func-tioning of the brain in ways that improve physical and emotional health. Contem-plative practices strengthen a specific neu-rological circuit that generates peaceful-ness, social awareness, and compassion for others.Conclusion: we have to strengthen the
muscle of attentiveness or it will atrophy. Pay-ing attention to God is what centering prayer, silence, meditation is all about. I am convinced it leads to “below the surface” growth, healing, and Christlike love.
With you on the Journey, Rob.■
PAYINg ATTENTION TO gOD AND Centering Prayer
Meditation garden, Encinitas, Ca
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN1017 E. Robinson Street, Orlando, fL 32801-2023
Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIt NO. 4111ORLaNDO, fLORIDa CENTRALFLORIDA
EPISCOPALIANNEWS FROM THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
AUGUST 2015 VOLUME 117, No. 6WWW.CFDIOCESE.ORG
CEnTRAL FLORiDA’S PRESEnCE AT GEnERAL COnvEnTiOn 2015
The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. BrewerLeader of Central Florida’s Presence at General Convention
Central Florida Deputies to General Convention
Lay Order: Sonya Shannon, Council “Butch” Wooten, Krisita Jack-son, Anneke Bertsch; Clerical Order: The Revs. Phyllis Bartle, James Sorvillo, Jon Davis, Brian Garrison
Central Florida Alternates to General Convention
Lay Order: Sid Glynn, Tom Bates, Kate Goodridge, David Onst-ed: Clerical Order: The Revs. Danielle Morris, Eric Turner, Robert Lord, Dawn McDonald.
