Closing Thoughts from General Convention

Mission and evangelism are the primary areas of concern that I will take away from General Convention 2009. We have met in small groups where we have shared stories of ministry and our passions for mission. There has been information shared in the exhibits and presentations which sends me away better equipped and inspired for mission. Presiding Bishop Katherine Jeffort Schori's first sermon said that the heart beat of the church is mission. Ched Myers spoke powerfully about the mission work that can be done by the church through community development loans. In his sermon, Bishop Steven Charleston charged us to save the world in a service devoted to an environmental theme.

As we moved toward a budget, it was clear that the convention is strongly committed to mission. There was pain that the current economic situation requires a cut of over $23 million in the budget for 2010 through 2012. Even though there were cuts in most areas, there were increases to address domestic poverty and a new initiative of $250,000 for Latino ministry (even though the strategy called for much more in this the second largest Spanish speaking country in the world). Millennial Development Goals were re-instated after being cut in an earlier draft.

Our chaplain, the Rev. Frank Wade, challenged us all when he spoke of evangelism. He said that as much as we desire a higher budget for mission and evangelism, if we are not sharing the story of the movement of the living God in our lives, the budget is actually all too large. As much as it is necessary to devote funds to maintain an institution, our emphasis must be on the vital tasks of mission and evangelism.

I find myself re-energized for the mission of St. Barnabas.' I am proud of our ongoing work in Honduras, the work of our youth in the Towel Ministry of Western North Carolina, our ministry to children at risk for gang involvement through our after school program, and our outreach to the poor. The President of the House of Deputies sent us forth with a mandate to go home and do mission--start something or strengthen something. I left eager for us to get on with mission here in Northern Virginia and beyond, confident that the spirit of Barnabas is in this place.

In Christ,
Linda+

More from General Convention

The collect for the week of General Convention as found in the Book of Common Prayer was a most fitting prayer: "O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them...." There has been much work in many areas of our ministry, but much attention has been given to Resolution D025 (Anglican Communion: Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion). It was the fruit of careful work by the World Mission Committee and a process of sharing and listening. In addition to the hearings of the committee, the House of Deputies addressed the resolution as a committee of the whole and even had a session of one-on-one conversations for everyone present.

In all the deliberations I was impressed with the spirit of respect and forbearance. People of many viewpoints desired that we find a way to express our commitment to the Anglican Communion as we desire to communicate the reality of the presence of homosexual persons in the life of our church and the reality that God has called and may call such persons into ordained ministry. We were also quite clear that we are not of one mind.

Both the resolution and the conduct of the assembly reflected the spirit of the prayer that asked God for the grace to bring together both truth and love. There was not a contentious spirit but rather a graceful spirit of respect for those who disagree.

I had fully expected the House of Bishops not to concur with the resolution (which would have prevented the resolution from going forward). However, they amended it to include a fuller expression of the mystery of the Holy Spirit involved in the calling of individuals to ordained ministry. To my surprise, the resolution was passed. There was a spirit of prayer and deep reflection throughout the process. It was an experience of grace to be present as this body of the church sought to discern its calling of faithfulness as the people of God.

Later we passed Resolution B056 which was a substitute developed by a group of 26 bishops who deeply listened to one another and sought to find the broadest agreement possible among them. Our Bishop Suffragan, David Jones, presented it on behalf of the group. It commissioned the collection and development of liturgical resources for same-sex blessings in consultation with as many as possible including the rest of the Anglican Communion. There was no authorization. The measure sought to address the pastoral need in states where same-sex marriage is legal while being fully aware that this is only a portion of our church.

IO observed the bishops as they conferred in table groups and then brought forth amendments that reflected what they heard from one another. Clearly they were not assuming action in 2012 but seeking to find out more about pastoral possibilities. Both Bishops Johnston and Jones voted Yes while Bishop Lee voted No. The House of Deputies concurred.

Both these resolutions acknowledge the reality of where the Episcopal Church is and the context in which we minister in parts of our church. I do not see the actions of General Convention 2009 overturning B033, the action at the end of the last convention which called for restraint in consecrating any bishop whose manner of life might raise a problem for others in the Anglican Communion--although some see it that way. I did not experience General Convention casting out those who disagree. In fact, I was impressed with the compassion expressed and the concern to listen to all and move slowly and prayerfully. There were no demonstrations or gleefulness from those who "won" in the voting.

I came away confident that the Spirit of God was indeed in our midst, guiding us to deal with difficult issues as best we can as people with differences seeking to be faithful. I heard people on all sides of the issues eager to end the focus on who is included in our church and to move on to a focus on mission and evangelism in a broken world.

Linda+

Honduras Mission: Greetings

I´m really glad we came. Visits from misson groups and tourists are way down. I can tell that the people here are starting to feel the lack of visitors. Not only economically, but the feel stress from the uncertainty and the fear of loss of foreign aid. I don´t bring up the subject, but several people have told me how Zelaya has ruined the country. No one has told me that he was right. Our projects are going well. The quilting class is a big hit. We had 5 kids from the school helping us paint the outside of the church and got a lot more done than I expected. Tomorrow we visit Don Marcello, a local craftsman, and parisioners in El Sauce, where we will distribute rice and beans. The keyboards here are set up for Spanish-English-French-etc. so typing is a challenge. That´s all for now.

Len

Honduras Mission: Arrived Safely

Greetings from Tela Honduras,

We all arrived safely early this afternoon. Francisco Lone (the priest from Tela) took the bus to San Pedro Sula to ride back with us in case we encountered any road blocks. The only difficulty was crossing a bridge (only one of two spans survived the recent earth quake). Tomorrow, we go out to buy four new sewing machines.

Peace,

Eileen

News from General Convention

On Sunday morning as we chatted after services, I was told by a member of our mission team to say hello to Bishop Frade (formerly of the Diocese of Honduras). I thought to myself, "Sure--in the midst of those thousands of people at General Convention." T o my surprise, I greeted him shortly after my arrival in Anaheim and in a few more hours he was initiating a conversation of some length about Honduras, grieving for the current hardship in that beleaguered country and remembering the mission teams of both Annandale and Baltimore. Then there was my former colleague reporting that he regularly hears news from Annandale by way of Mareea Wilson in the Anti-Racism Committee. It is a small church after all.

Here is just a taste of the family reunion aspect of the General Convention. Repeatedly I have reconnected with people with whome I have shared ministry through the years. It has been gratifying to see a young generation of church leaders finding their place in the councils of our church. The Rev. Michael Pipkin, Priest-in-Charge of the continuing congregation of The Falls Church in our region, was a speaker on the opening day as the director of the public narrative process we are using in our work about mission. A number of recent graduates of the Virginia Theological Seminary keep appearing.

In these first days, my role has been that of listening--observing hearings and legislative sessions, worshiping with our brothers and sisters, engaging in dialogue with many. I was honored to distribute communion on the second day and, as first alternate deputy for Virginia, will sit on the floor of convention for the first time on Sunday afternoon. Stay tuned in the days ahead as I reflect on the ongoing life of General Convention.

Pray for us as we pray for you.

Yours in Christ,

Linda Wofford Hawkins