Episcopal ministry has local and more-than-local rhythm
by the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo, March 2009

Among the many rhythms of my ministry as your bishop is the engagement in the church’s mission within the context of both the local and the more-than-local. Sometimes the cadence of this is like a demanding dance, or, to use a more visual metaphor, like that of a rich tapestry of multiple contexts and personalities woven on the divine loom of relationships.
Most of the time, I quite enjoy it. I am also aware that I am not the only person among us who experiences this tapestry and rhythm. I’ve been especially mindful of this “local/more-than-local” dynamic in my ministry this winter and thought there might be some benefit in sharing some of that experience with you.

Ministry among the congregations, committees, commissions and other entities of our diocese grounds my ministry in the local experience of both church and community here in Vermont. Various ministries beyond Vermont provide the opportunity to engage in the larger church and community in ways that connect the two—local and more-than-local—in dynamic and meaningful ways, not the least of which is the opportunity to share stories of vitality from Vermont with others and to bring back stories of vitality from beyond our local experience.

Alongside the many local ministries here in Vermont there are five significant “more-than-local” ministries engaging my attention in these late winter weeks. Here are a few words about each.

Living Stones is a partnership of 24 Episcopal/Anglican dioceses in the United States and Canada, two seminaries (Episcopal Divinity School and Church Divinity School of the Pacific) and one religious community (Community of the Holy Spirit). Our common life as “partners” is built upon a commitment to the ministry of all the baptized in daily life and to mutual ministry development built on the understanding that the church is a ministering community in which each person’s gifts for ministry are valued and affirmed.

Each partner has a coordinator (ours is the Reverend Diane Root) who remains in contact with the other coordinators throughout the year. The partners gather for an annual “meeting” each February and use a “case study” learning model of mutual consultation developed by the partners to reflect upon some aspect of baptismal ministry development in each of the various local communities/dioceses. This year the Diocese of Vermont invited our partners to reflect with us around our newly formed Companion Ministry Program. The rich exchange of ideas, insights and perspectives from this more-than-local consultation is tremendously valuable, and we took away much from our time in Des Moines.

The Chicago Consultation is a group of Episcopal and Anglican bishops, clergy and lay people committed to the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. We firmly believe that the Gospel and our Baptismal Covenant require this. We began meeting in December 2007 and identified three goals for our work:
• strengthening the movement towards the blessing of same sex relationships;
• advancing the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians in all orders of ministry; and
• strengthening the Anglican Communion’s witness against racism, poverty, sexism, heterosexism, and other interlocking oppressions.

At our just completed February 2009 meeting, we worked on goals and strategies so that, in concert with a broad coalition of advocates, the Gospel agenda of full inclusion of GLBT people in The Episcopal Church will be advanced at General Convention 2009. The contributions from Vermont to this work are many, and the connections back to us from this collaborative work help strengthen our ministry efforts toward full inclusion here at home.

The Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massa-chusetts is one of the eleven accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church. It is my privilege to serve on the Board of Trustees and as a member of the Presidential Search Committee. As those of you who have served on a parish discernment committee know well, this ministry requires a significant commitment of time and energy. The connections between EDS and Vermont are many, and the opportunity to help shape the future of New England’s only Episcopal seminary is an awesome and exciting one. Our search is in full swing as we look to the calling of a new president and dean in the early spring. Please keep this discernment work in your prayers.

Fundación Cristosal is a Vermont-based foundation supporting the work of the Episcopal Church in El Salvador. I serve as a member of the Cristosal Board and will travel to El Salvador in early March for our annual meeting. Many folks from our Vermont congregations have visited El Salvador, and many others generously support the ministry of Cristosal. I am especially looking forward to this meeting so that I can visit with the many friends I made during my sabbatical time there in 2007. The Diocese of Vermont is partnering with the Diocese of El Salvador in submitting a UTO grant application to support Hasta la Cosecha (Until the Harvest), a project designed to assist local farmers with the development of sustainable agricultural under very challenging circumstances. Here again, our connections run deep.

The Episcopal Church House of Bishops meets in mid-March at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Here the connection between the local and the more-than-local is very powerful. It is such an incredible privilege to bring the voices and stories and ministries of Vermont into these gatherings of Episcopal bishops. Likewise, it is an incredible responsibility to try and bring back to Vermont a sense of the more-than-local Episcopal Church in all its rich rhythms and colorful tapestry.

To be sure, these five expressions of the more-than-local dimension of my ministry as your bishop bring richness to my life. Each in its own way expands my awareness of the interconnectedness of all things, and I think, hope and pray that each time I head into that “more-than-local” realm of my ministry I return to the “local” work of serving among you as your bishop with a bit more wisdom, a bit more knowledge and a bit more understanding to share with you, as together we engage Christ’s reconciling mission here in Vermont—and beyond.
Faithfully,
+Thomas

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