President's Report
I have to admit that I'm finding it hard to think or write coherently about the state of affairs in the church postWindsor Report. Of course, the state of affairs in the nation and world does not contribute to any sense of coherence! The leitmotif of my prayer and my speaking has become, "God is still in charge," often followed by "Help my unbelief."
HOWEVER, our focus has to be on the first:
God is, always has been, and always will be, in charge. Our vocation as Christians is to live faithfully in God in these perilous times, to remember that every effort counts, no matter how inconsequential it may seem.
Perhaps the greatest danger, both in the church
and the nation, lies in allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed and no longer paying attention. Awareness followed by action is crucial!
End of rant. Now for some specifics: by the
time you read this, the February 1 deadline for submitting names to the Nominating Committee for elections to the Executive Council, Examining Chaplains, Trustees of The General Seminary and Trustees of the Church Pension Fund will be past. I hope many of you have submitted either your own names or the names of others for possible nomination.
But don't stop now-- start thinking about able
progressives who could serve on the interim bodies, the commissions and committees that carry on the work of Convention under the oversight of Executive Council. Appointments of lay persons, priests and deacons are made by the President of the House of Deputies in consultation with the Presiding Bishop; bishops are appointed by the Presiding Bishop. The 2006 General Convention will see the election of new persons in both positions. It seems especially important that we lift up many good names for consideration.
Almost all dioceses have elected their deputies to General Convention 2006. Pay attention! Contact the deputies from your diocese and let them know your opinions on the issues which will be coming before the Convention. Deputies receive a lot of mail from the "conservative" organizations of the church; we progressives haven't made our voices heard as well in the past, and doing so this time is critical.
And then there is the Windsor Report (WR),
with all the discussion surrounding it. Here I speak only for myself; the EWC Board has not officially taken a position or issued a statement, though you can be sure we've talked about it. I don't think WR bodes at all well for women in the church.
There is a somewhat flawed account of the ordination of the women to the episcopate in paragraphs 12-21, quoting the resolution from Lambeth 1988 which calls for respect and the highest possible degree of communion between provinces that differ on whether women can be bishops.
Well and good. But then there is language such
as, "What is done in one place can and does affect all" (¶ 23), which is already being cited as reason to stop whatever it is that some persons or provinces don't happen to agree with.
The Anglican Communion is just that, a communion, not a world-wide church, and any attempts to impose a legalistic structure or uniformity across provincial lines is both contrary to our historical nature and dangerous to Anglican women and GLBT persons everywhere.
Jesus did pray for us all to be one, but one in
him/God, not one held together by whoever claims power. It's quite obvious to most observers that the current controversy is about power and authority, not gender and sexual orientation. The Episcopal Women's Caucus must remain alert, aware, and active--and we as individuals must deepen our lives in Christ Jesus, so that we may effectively speak truth to power.
Peace,
Elizabeth