Reflections on General Convention 2003

By the Right Reverend Thomas C. Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo, September 2003

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ:

Thank you for all your prayers and expressions of support and concern for me and the entire Vermont contingent at General Convention. It is good to be home! It was a full and lively couple of weeks, and through it all the Holy Spirit was powerfully present in word and in action. Prayer, worship, Bible study and Eucharist were at the center of our community life in Minneapolis and provided the firm foundation and the context for our life and work together.

The news media focused the world’s attention on the Episcopal Church, and my assessment is that the world saw us at our best—at least most of the time. I think we may have confused or frustrated the media at times, especially in our willingness to spend significant time in prayer and reflective conversation before acting, but I take that to be a very good thing! Many members of the media did comment on the care and respect with which we treated one another when dealing with difficult matters, as well as on the joy and life that was so present among those gathered in Minneapolis. That was certainly my experience, and I am pleased that it was reported. In his homily on the final day of Convention, the Presiding Bishop dared to name this reality for what it truly is—Love! I agree.

The theme of the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church was Engage God’s Mission, and I think we were faithful to that focus. For me, engaging God’s mission is our baptismal commission. It is at the heart of what we do and how we live our lives day after day. Our engagement of that mission during General Convention was a significant expression of the way in which members of our church participate in the reconciling mission of God in daily life. This edition of the Mountain Echo provides you with a look into some of the ways in which we approached the ongoing mission of the church. My comments in this column will focus on a few aspects of that mission engagement that are of particular concern and interest to me.

Questions of full inclusion
Clearly, most of the media attention at General Convention was focused on our attempt to define better how our engagement of God’s mission would, or would not, embrace the full inclusion of gay men and lesbians in the life and ministry of our church. In the end, we voted consent to the election of the Reverend Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire, and we passed a resolution recognizing the reality and legitimacy of the ongoing pastoral support being offered in many parts of our church—including here in Vermont—for gay and lesbian couples who seek God’s blessing in their relationships.

While we did not authorize the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to develop rites for the blessing of same sex relationships, we did commit ourselves to continued prayer, study and discernment on the pastoral care for gay and lesbian persons. I hope you will be part of that ongoing conversation. Some believe these decisions went “too far.” Some believe these decisions “did not go far enough,” and so we continue to live into the question of what we really mean by The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.

As most of you know, two concerns surfaced late in the consent process for Bishop-elect Robinson that put the process on hold for a day and a half while the Right Reverend Gordon Scruton, Bishop of Western Massachusetts, conducted an investigation. One of those concerns came from a parishioner of a Vermont congregation, and unexpectedly several of us from Vermont found ourselves at the center of a difficult situation. Thankfully, the investigation concluded that, “there is no necessity to pursue further investigation and no reason on these grounds to prevent the Bishops with jurisdiction from going forward with their voting about whether or not to consent to Canon Robinson’s Consecration.”

Much has been written and spoken about this dimension of the convention. What I take away from it all is a profound sense of gratitude that the Episcopal Church is a place where such concerns are taken seriously, the truth is discovered and told, and good pastoral care is provided for all parties. Indeed, here was one of the many examples throughout the two weeks of the Episcopal Church at its best.

While most of the conversation during the discussion about the consent process for Bishop-elect Robinson and the various resolutions on blessing the committed relationships of gay and lesbian couples was respectful, it was also my impression that there were some who were less sensitive to the reality of gay and lesbian persons in our midst than others. I was particularly troubled in our deliberations by those who treated gay and lesbian persons more as objects than as persons. An e-mail I received during Convention from a Vermonter reminded me that often in listening to the calls for “unity” in the church, there is a sense that some people are not fully aware of how that call might be heard by gay and lesbian persons as the church’s willingness to sacrifice their lives, their ministries and their safety for the sake of “unity,” or perhaps more accurately, the appearance of unity.

I was also troubled by those who framed their arguments from the perspective of a biblical literalism or selectivity that I do not think is representative of our Anglican tradition. I fully appreciate the broad range of biblical and theological understanding that is present in the Episcopal Church; however, any narrow reading of scripture that pits one particular section over against the testimony of the fuller biblical witness is in my mind deficient. Deep, thoughtful, reflective study and conversation about scripture and theology is healthy for our church and is crucial for our common life and our engagement of God’s mission.
Concerns about schism

In light of the decisions reached at General Convention regarding Bishop-elect Robinson and the church’s pastoral ministry to and with gay and lesbian couples living in faithful, committed, life-long, monogamous relationships, some have claimed that the Episcopal Church is on the road to schism. Sadly, some appear intent on making this a self-fulfilling prophecy. Clearly, not everyone is in agreement about the decisions we reached in these matters, but we did reach them in the same open, fair and deliberate way that we have reached every other decision of General Convention, including those with which I am not in agreement.

Our polity is such that the Constitution and Canons of our church call us to a high degree of prayerful, participatory decision-making, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Certainly the concerns of the larger Anglican Communion, as well as our ecumenical and inter-faith partners, matter, and I know of no one who was not cognizant of those concerns as we deliberated our decisions. In the end, the Episcopal Church, through the authority of General Convention, made important decisions about the mission and ministry of our church. It seems to me essential that we first live into those decisions before any choice is made to live apart from one another as a result of those decisions.

I believe that in the long run those decisions will strengthen the Episcopal Church, in terms of both our mission and our growth. Some disagree. Of course only time will tell, but in the mean time, the church has important evangelism, mission, outreach and justice work to do. It is my firm belief that this baptismal ministry will not be advanced by any of us saying to another, “I have no need of you.”

Many of you have heard and read that the Archbishop of Canterbury has asked the 38 Primates of the Anglican Communion to gather for conversation in October, presumably to discuss the concerns some have raised about particular actions of our General Convention. While this is understandable, I would hope that such an extraordinary (and expensive) meeting of the Primates would concern itself with issues beyond our seeming preoccupation with sex and sexuality. Surely, a worldwide communion can use its resources more effectively to find common ground around a worldwide mission of global reconciliation and offer the hope, promise and substance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a hurting world. I’ll be watching for that!

Mission budget adopted
Moving to other areas, perhaps the most significant expression of our engagement in God’s mission is the budget we adopted for the next three years. The budget of the Episcopal Church for this triennium totals just under $147 million dollars and is built around five mission priorities. Those priorities are: 1) Young adults and youth; 2) Reconciliation and Evangelism; 3) Congregational Transformation; 4) Justice and Peace, and 5) Partnerships. I am particularly delighted with the many ways in which these priorities translated into resolutions supporting the vitality of congregations, the vision of 20/20, and mission at the local level. I am also delighted to have youth and young adult ministry named as the number one priority for our church and to have experienced the ministry of young adults and youth throughout the convention itself, including the presence of youth and young adults from Vermont.

Other important actions
The General Convention also took an important step in our church’s continuing concern for the safety and well being of children and youth by adopting a resolution directing all dioceses to develop policies for the protection of children and youth from abuse. The bishops issued a pastoral letter on this subject that will be available in all congregations in the near future. This high level of commitment to the prevention of child abuse sends an important signal to the world, as well as to members of the church. I had the privilege of working on the development of this resolution and shepherding it through the convention process.

The focus of our engagement in God’s mission at General Convention had a global dimension to it, as well. Representatives of the church’s mission around the world were abundantly present at the convention, and there were reports and colorful displays about this mission in action. We endorsed and embraced the achievement of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals that pledge to: 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. To support this effort, we reaffirmed the 73rd General Convention’s challenge for all dioceses and congregations to contribute 0.7% of their annual budgets to fund international development programs.

General Convention adopted major revisions of our ministry canons (Title III) that strengthen our commitment to the ministry of all the baptized while clarifying the process of discernment and formation for those called to ordained ministry [see article on page G]. Each diocese will need to clarify discernment and formation requirements, as well as make provision for continuing education and licensing for several baptismal ministries. Our Diocesan Task Force on Christian Formation and the Commission on Ministry are already at work on this.

A resolution to adopt the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) as the official Sunday lectionary of the Episcopal Church passed in the House of Bishops, but not in the House of Deputies. The RCL is the lectionary of choice for many of our ecumenical partners. Many Episcopal congregations in Vermont are using it and appreciate the inclusion of many biblical passages not in the current Book of Common Prayer lectionary. The RCL remains an option, and it is my hope that many more parishes in the Diocese of Vermont will use it during the next three years so we will be better prepared to make the transition should the 2006 General Convention so decide.

Vermont deputation
Our Vermont deputation was extremely faithful and hard working throughout the long days of General Convention. Many were involved with committee assignments, while others followed particular items of legislation. We met together on a regular basis for support and consultation. We enjoyed the hospitality of Minneapolis and the company of one another. Opportunities for Vermonters to have conversation with our deputation will occur during the pre-convention Ministry Fair Days this October, as well as at the Diocesan Convention in November. In addition, the members of our deputation are willing to meet with congregations or deanery groups to share their experience and the decisions of General Convention.

My overall impression of General Convention is that it was a holy time, although not an easy time, for the Episcopal Church. There is much room and need for continued conversation and mutual respect, especially around those issues about which we disagree. On the other hand, thanks to the extensive media coverage, many people were given an opportunity to get to know us better. I suspect many of them may pay us a visit as they travel their spiritual journeys. I trust we will continue to be that welcoming community of faith where God’s love is made real in our worship, education, pastoral care and ministries of outreach and social justice. As we engage God’s mission with renewed vigor and intention my hope is that the powerful, life-giving and life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ will be proclaimed in all we do and that the joy of our life in the Spirit will draw many others into its tether.

Faithfully,
+Thomas