A Bench of Bishops

Posted By: The Rev. Canon Matthew Stockard

Sitting with Nancy Broadwell as we both visited the House of Bishops on Friday morning, I was struck by a strange sight on the platform. The Presiding Bishop sat in the middle of a table of folks, presiding over this House of The General Convention. This PB is a she and that was different, but she’s someone we choose as a church in 2006 and she’s a friend as well – I knew where she’d be…so that wasn’t my surprise. My surprise was a couple of faces seated just behind the PB…two former PB’s….Bishops Griswold and Browning. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for these two gentle men, who each provided decisive and faithful leadership for this church during some difficult times. The norm at General Conventions is to sort of let such leaders fade into the distance. But these folks weren’t fading. Both looked great, healthy and happy.

E Pluribus Unum

Posted By: Ms. Keri Dixon

Imagine sitting in a warehouse-like room as the sound of over 6,000 voices wash over you in song.  Now imagine the sound of over 6,000 chairs scraping against the concrete floor as over 6,000 people stand up and sit down during worship.  Now, imagine hearing the readings in your native language, and then hearing another reading in one that is foreign to you, but native to the person sitting to your left.  Imagine hearing the Presiding Bishop’s voice echo throughout the cavernous space as she gives her sermon on transplanting the heart.  This is opening eucharist.  A rich mixture of habitual and warm with the foreign and unusual.

It is a Small World!

Posted By: The Rev. John Pollock

I was really pleased today to hear both the Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, and President of the House of Deputies Dr. Bonnie Anderson talk about Mission in their opening remarks.  Katharine Jefferts Schori spoke about the challenges which face us as being an opportunity to step up and meet the needs of those who suffer in the world.  She said, “There may be ‘cross-shaped’ decisions to make.  But there is always resurrection on the other side.

I was happy to hear Bonnie Anderson give the same quote which I gave in my blog entry entitled “Getting Ready”  from Jeffery Sachs.  “We have the means to end global poverty now.  They only thing we lack is the will to do it.”  Let nothing get in our way of remembering our call to serve the poor in the world.  Divisiveness will only serve to distract us from this task.

The Presiding Bishop reminded us that we have an obligation to reach out and be responsive to the global community.  She encouraged us to remember the command to love our neighbor.  This is done by denying ourselves in order to seek the good of others, and to serve them as Christ Himself.

During our next week and a half, we will be asked to begin articulating our own personal “Public Narrative” regarding mission.  Each of us will be asked to identify our passion and energy for mission by telling our “Story of Self” as it connects with the “Story of Us” and “The Story of Now.”  Like the Presiding Bishop said, “The is no ‘I’ in Ubuntu.”  There is only our personal connections to “we” and “us.”