Global Mission
Annual Diocesan Convention Address
by the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely
November 4, 2005

Thirty years ago Ann and I worked as mission volunteers with the Highland Educational Project in West Virginia.   Our mission was to go to the people in and around Keystone, West Virginia to share Christ’s love in the form of our human contact and to help them in any way we could.

During that time Ann and I got to know Buck and Virgie Workman, who lived high on a mountain in Keystone. On a good day we could get close to their home by driving a four-wheel vehicle up the riverbed. Ann and I visited them every couple of weeks, as part of our ministry – bringing groceries, or a meal from the Community Center, or perhaps a package from the post office.

Buck was blind and Virgie was bed-ridden with Multiple Sclerosis. She was his eyes and he was her hands and feet. Their home was spotless, and in everything they did it was if they were one body, one mind, one heart, one soul.

At first, we thought we were doing something special for them – being truly “Christian” in our caring for them.  It soon became apparent that it was they who were offering the ministry of Christ to us -- opening to us their lives and teaching the two of us more about commitment, love and faithfulness than we imagined it was possible to know. In them we saw God revealed.  It was for us a Transfiguration experience; and in the process, we were changed. That’s really the Good News of ministry – in the effort to serve we are ourselves transformed.

In this year’s Convention we gather around the theme of Global Mission. Earlier today many of us participated in workshops aimed at deepening our awareness and understanding of God’s Mission in a global context. In our worship this evening and tomorrow we highlight some of the many places around the world where Vermonters have made and now sustain mission connections. Tonight at supper we will hear from Lallie Lloyd about the work of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. And in our business session tomorrow we will consider a resolution calling for our commitment to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the 0.7% financial giving challenge.

It is important to emphasize that the call to engage in God’s Mission in a global context is NOT a call to retreat from God’s Mission in our local communities. Local mission and global mission are parts of a whole, a fullness of expression, a both/and, not an either/or. In calling us together around this theme, my hope is that we will see the transformational power of mission, not only in the lives of others, but in our own lives as well.

Transfiguration and Transformation
The Transfiguration, recorded in the Gospel read this evening, was chosen along with that portion of the Book of Exodus from the readings designated for World Mission Sunday, customarily celebrated on the Last Sunday in Epiphany.

The words transfiguration and transformation share the same root – metamorphoo – the root of the word metamorphosis – the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The butterfly, a long cherished Christian symbol of the Resurrection, has a prominent place at the center of my Pectoral cross. As many of you know, that cross was a gift from the people of the Greater Hartford Regional Ministry, where I served for ten years before you called me to serve among you as bishop.  Much of the gold contained in the cross came from jewelry the people of GHRM donated, and so the cross is a constant reminder of those relationships and our combined engagement in God’s reconciling mission.

Also on this cross is the image of the sun rising over the mountains of Vermont, a constant reminder of the joy, beauty, and preciousness of God’s creation. Each new day offers us an opportunity to engage anew in the reconciling mission of God.

The images of the butterfly and of the sunrise over the mountains remind me that God’s mission springs forth from the reconciling power of God in Christ making all things new. Together, you and I are invited to engage God’s Mission as we Pray the Prayer of Christ (bread and wine), Learn the Mind of Christ (lamp of knowledge) and Do the Deeds of Christ (scales of justice). This Mission statement invites us into a full and rich life of service and baptismal living.

The vine and branches represented on my cross symbolize our connection to God and to one another through participation in the missio dei (Mission of God).   Together, these symbols remind me daily of the power and possibility of our common ministry as the baptized community of Christ.

On the mountain of Transfiguration, the disciples witnessed a great and powerful revelation.  “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him.” It was not, however, as Peter was soon to discover, a revelation meant to be frozen in time. It was not a place to “settle down” but a place from which one was sent. The journey of faith is a journey down from the mountain to engage in God’s Mission in the world.

A year ago, at Diocesan Convention, we adopted a Strategic Plan for Growth and Ministry, constructed around five themes – Formation, Liberation, Communication, Connection, and Celebration. Tomorrow we will hear how we are living into that plan.

Within that plan, as part of our growing commitment to Outreach and Social Justice Ministry, we articulated the goal of assisting every church in the Diocese of Vermont to strengthen or implement an international social justice ministry. As preparation for this Convention Address I re-read Mountain Echo articles from the past few years reporting on the ways in which Vermonters are already engaged in God’s reconciling mission throughout the world. Let me remind us of some of those ministries in the three parts of the world featured in the workshops today.

Mission in Africa
In relationship to the continent of Africa, a growing number of Vermont Episcopalians are engaged in mission through the ministry of CHABHA – Children Affected by HIV/AIDS – a foundation begun by Joe and Susanna Grannis from Saint Luke’s, Chester. One hundred percent (100%) of the funds raised for CHABHA go directly to providers engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS, in places like Rwanda, Namibia and South Africa. CHABHA is reaching out to educate, support and relieve the suffering of orphans, the children of child-headed households and children whose parents have died of AIDS. The statistics of the HIV/AIDS pandemic are staggering, but the reality is that we can make a difference and many in our diocese are doing just that through CHABHA.

The Bikes for Africa project initiated by Saint Michael’s, Brattleboro was a great story reported in the Mountain Echo. Over 400 bicycles were collected and shipped to Ghana to assist the Homeland Youth Empowerment Organization, which set up an entrepreneurial bike repair program that offered an excellent opportunity to train and employ youth. This partnership between the church and community in Brattleboro and people in Ghana helps us realize what is possible when caring and creative people put their minds and hearts on the line to help make a difference.

At Zion, Manchester, another effort aimed at making a difference has likewise produced wonderful results. Dr. Joe and Sue Bamford, with the generous help from members of Zion Church, established a foundation to support the Kagando Mission Hospital in southwestern Uganda. This Anglican hospital has a special mission to serve the physical and spiritual needs of the poor and disadvantaged of that region. Projects like piping pure water from the mountains into the villages will have a tremendous impact on the health and well-being of the community. Once again, Vermonters are making a difference and in the process experiencing the transformational joy of mission.

The presence of the men and now women and children from the Sudan in Vermont has touched and transformed many of our lives. Several parishes in our diocese reached out in love when they first landed in Vermont as refugees. The story of their journey is well known and their ministry among us continues to transform us. Their commitment to education, to making a difference in their own lives and the communities in which they live, and to their homeland is inspiring. In 2003, the Right Reverend Nathaniel Garang, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Bor visited Vermont to be among these young men, many of whom he had Confirmed in refugee camps. Bishop Garang and I spent time together when he shared his ministry with our junior and senior high young people at the Rock Point Summer Conferences. He has invited me to visit the Diocese of Bor and I hope to do so as part of my sabbatical in 2007.

Mission in the Middle East
The Middle East is a region where many of us have deep interest, concern and connection. Most notable, of course, is the ministry of the Reverend Ben Chase and his wife Bobbie. Their ministry in Yemen and throughout the region has helped educate many of us about the complex realities of the Middle East. My own pilgrimages to Israel/Palestine have helped me better understand the importance of our continuing Christian connection to and with the people of that land. Whether it is sitting with a group of Jewish and Palestinian parents in a bereavement circle, or visiting with young people in Bethlehem learning peaceful conflict resolution skills, or listening to Palestinian villagers describe the effects of the separation wall on their communities, or meeting with Israeli Peace groups, the story is always the same – the violence must end and a way found for Israelis and Palestinians to share this land in peace.

One of the projects we are working on with Jewish and Muslim partners here in Vermont is the establishment of a Kids4Peace chapter and summer program to bring Jewish, Muslim and Christian children from Israel/Palestine to Vermont for a time of mutual learning, understanding and peace building with Muslim, Jewish and Christian children from Vermont. This project, in partnership with Saint George’s College in Jerusalem, under the leadership of Vermonter Henry Carse, will need considerable private funding to work. But imagine the transformational possibilities of such an encounter in the lives of those children and their families.

Mission in Central America
Central America is the other area of the world where our Vermont mission focus has long been directed - in particular the countries of Honduras and El Salvador. Mission trips to Honduras, beginning with those sponsored by Episcopal Relief and Development and led by Margy and Sandy Zabriskie, have engaged many in our diocese. The inspirational leadership of Deacon Diana Collins has led to several Honduras mission trips involving folks from Saint Paul’s, White River Junction, Immanuel, Bellows Falls and other parishes, as well. Diana says, “Short term missions are, for me, an opportunity to step out of our comfort zones, to see how God is working in another culture and, in the midst of our uncertainty, to experience how God provides.” That was certainly true of my own experience in 2002 when I was part of a mission trip to Honduras with young people from Vermont.

Perhaps you remember reading about “the haircut” in Peggy Crane’s Mountain Echo story about a 2004 mission trip to Honduras? LeAnn Winter, from Immanuel Bellows Falls, is a beautician and was part of that mission trip. Thinking ahead, she packed all the tools of her trade, just in case they might at some point be useful.  Indeed, they were. As Peggy tells the story, “a haircut in the village of Las Moritas is a ‘once a year’ event that costs much of a person’s hard-earned money, so the excitement as all gathered to watch and enjoy this simple pleasure was awesome indeed. As one woman looked at her new haircut in the small mirror, she exclaimed, ‘this was like a gift from God dropped down from heaven!’” LeAnn, who was obviously transformed by this trip, is quoted in Peggy’s article saying, “Part of me, my heart is there. Part of that church (which they had helped build and in which they worshiped) belongs to me.” Engaging in God’s Mission IS transformational!

I think Steve Fuller from Bellows Falls may have said it best when he answered the question about why he said yes to a mission trip to Honduras: “Love is what drove the desire of our group to go to Honduras.” Love is, indeed, the engine of transformation. We are transformed as we receive and respond to God’s love and join God in Mission. This is God’s way. “God so loved the world….” This is the great mission paradigm of the Gospel – the Incarnation - God sending Jesus in love, Jesus sending the disciples in love, love transforming the world.

The relationship of Vermonters to the Church in El Salvador is also very strong. In addition to mission trips, like those taken by the students from Rock Point School, many of us express our concern for global mission by supporting the ministry of Cristosal, a Vermont based foundation for the support of the Episcopal Church in El Salvador. The Very Reverend Richard Bower, former Dean of the Cathedral in Syracuse, now retired and living in Vermont, is the founder and Executive Director of Cristosal. Dick is a tireless advocate for the mission of the Church in El Salvador. He has been a valuable mentor helping me understand and respond to mission opportunities -- not just for what I might offer, but much more in recognition of what I might receive.

I serve on the Board of Cristosal and we are very grateful for the many ways that Vermonters support our efforts to uphold and strengthen the mission of the Church in El Salvador. In the name of our diocese, I have supported a project that enables two brothers to be trained as evangelists in the small village church of San Pedro y San Pablo in Cuilapa, the Human Rights Office and the new San Lucas Anglican Center in San Miguel – a newly designated Jubilee Center. I encourage your involvement and financial support, as well.

We are indeed blessed to have the Bishop of El Salvador, and the Primate of the Anglican Church in Central America, the Most Reverend Martín Barahona, and his wife Betty, as our honored guests for this Convention. The bishop will be the preacher at the Eucharist tomorrow – so bone up on your Spanish tonight!

In 2004 Bishop Barahona honored one of our own, the Reverend Dr. Lee Alison Crawford, from Saint Mary’s, Northfield, by naming her Canon Missioner of the Anglican Episcopal Church of El Salvador. This appointment made me very proud – proud both for Lee and for our diocese. On the occasion of her installation, Bishop Barahona said, “This morning we recognize someone who for ten years has shown love for this country and for justice. Working for justice is not easy. Please put her in your heart and pray for her.” Lee, we thank you for your witness and ministry!

Many of you have heard this story; but it bears repeating, for it says so much about the people of El Salvador and their bishop. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Episcopal Church in El Salvador sent their full plate and pledge offering for the whole month of September to Episcopal Relief and Development for the relief effort in the Gulf Coast region. The great irony is that just a few short weeks later, Hurricane Stan brought tremendous destruction and loss of life to El Salvador and other portions of Central America.

I am pleased to announce the offering at our Diocesan Convention Eucharist tomorrow will be given to Bishop Barahona to assist in the relief efforts throughout Central America. Tonight, I invite you to ponder the significance of this story of partnership in mission and come to the Eucharist tomorrow with generous and thankful hearts.

Mission through the United Thank Offering and Episcopal Relief and Development
No survey of the global mission involvement of Vermont Episcopalians would be complete without recognizing the generosity of our people expressed through the United Thank Offering and Episcopal Relief and Development. These faithful and powerful expressions of our commitment to Global Mission have connected Vermont Episcopalians to Global Mission for many years. This has been most evident in our response to the current crisis of hurricanes and other natural disasters. Vermonters have been incredibly generous; and the effort underway to support a benefit concert series featuring Elisabeth Von Trapp, a member of Saint Dunstan’s, Waitsfield, is one more compelling example. I am very grateful that Elisabeth is with us and that we will be blessed by her singing at the banquet tonight.

Tomorrow, we will hear reports from our Diocesan Coordinators for UTO and ERD, but tonight I simply want to express my deep appreciation for the many opportunities that UTO and ERD have offered us for participation in God’s transformational mission. Not everyone engages in transformational global mission through mission trips. Those who do, discover a great blessing. Those who give of their financial gifts in support of God’s Global Mission likewise experience blessing and the joy of transformation that comes from helping to make a difference.

Mission through the United Nations Millennium Development Goals
The transformation of our lives through engagement in God’s Mission is both the theme and hope of this Convention. Tomorrow, our agenda includes a resolution to endorse and embrace for ourselves the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Through this resolution, we are invited to join the other New England Dioceses and over 40 other dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the commitment to contribute 0.7% of our personal, parish and diocesan income in support of the Millennium Development Goals. Tomorrow we will debate this resolution. Tonight, I simply want to name those goals and invite you to consider what a transforming difference it will make in our world when those goals are achieved.

I believe each goal is consistent with the teaching of Jesus, the Gospel values we embrace, and our Anglican understanding of partnership in God’s reconciling mission. As our Presiding Bishop has said in support of the Millennium Development Goals, “[They] embody that work of reconciliation we have been called to do. They are humanity’s response, indeed the Church’s response, to a world that stands desperately in need of repair and healing. The Millennium Development Goals reflect God’s passionate desire for justice and mercy, and the work of reconciliation we have been given.”

Here are the goals to consider and embrace as our own global mission goals, with the intention of joining millions of others around the world in the effort to cut global poverty in half by the year 2015.

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental stability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the scope of these goals? That’s not surprising.  Why not pick just one? Pick the one for which you have some passion. Learn more about what you can do to help meet that goal. Find ways to act locally and globally in support of that goal. Give what you can of your time and talent and treasure in pursuit of your passion. Then you will make a difference. And if each of us does that in response to those goals about which we are most passionate, then all the goals will be met. Mission well done! Transformation fulfilled!

The Call to Transformational Mission
In keeping with the theme of our Convention, I have focused on the global mission that you and I are called to embrace and engage in as God’s people, the baptized community of Christ. I do so, not to the exclusion of all the good work we have done this past year and all the opportunities we have for local mission in the year ahead.  I do so, not to the exclusion of all the challenges we are facing here and in the larger church.  I do so, not to the exclusion of all the people I could name who have served so faithfully in ministry at the local, diocesan and national church levels. I do so, not to the exclusion of anything --- except a much longer Convention address!

I trust that in the course of this Convention, we will celebrate what we have accomplished this past year and we will identify the challenges – financial and otherwise – that lie before us. I am convinced God is calling us to all of that – AND MORE! We are called to remember and keep before us the larger context of God’s global mission. We are called to rejoice in its transforming power and the human capacity to make a difference – a difference in the service of God’s reconciling mission of love for the life of the world. As we have been reminded so wonderfully this week through the celebration of the life and witness of Rosa Parks, one person can make a difference.

What I learned in that West Virginia home of Buck and Virgie Workman thirty years ago is still true today – love changes things. Love, incarnate in human lives of caring, compassion and justice, changes people and it changes circumstances. It brings into being – or perhaps better said it brings into focus - all that God in Christ has already accomplished. God has given into our care the ministry of possibility, the possibility of sharing in the transfiguration – not just of our own lives – but the life of the whole world.

God’s mission IS transformational.

The mountain of Transfiguration was not a place of destination - it was a place of departure. Peter, James and John go down from that mountaintop convinced that something powerful is compelling them to a ministry they never imagined for themselves. Witnesses to the transfiguring glory of God, they are sent into the world to be agents of the transforming power of love. So too are we. So too are we.