ECW Test Site #2

Author: Lisa Towle

  • A Relentless Focus on Mission

    The Very Rev. David du Plantier, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans, visited the ECW plenary along with Bishop Duncan Gray of the Diocese of Mississippi and Bishop Charles Jenkins of the Diocese of Louisiana. Their central message was this: \”Thank you for your constant and relentless focus on mission and ministry, not just since Hurricane Katrina but since your founding.\”

    Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies, echoed that when she spoke to the ECW delegates earlier this week: \”The ECW are unfailingly a group that keeps your eye on the prize – the world as it should be, the way God made it. Thank you for reminding us that we are a part of something that passes all understanding.\”

    We all have a place in this beloved Church of ours, and I do believe that, yes, in ways seen and unseen we, the Episcopal Church Women, are most directly about mission.

    Here\’s just one example. Every Triennial the National ECW Board works to make sure ECW connect with and address the needs of the underserved residents of the area where Triennial/General Convention is being held. This year the \”Community Connection\” gift recipient is Project Dignity, based in Garden Grove, California. Project Dignity works with perhaps the most misunderstood of all the homeless: people, un- and under employed,  living in low-income residential motels. Currently they\’re working with 500 families spread among 23 motels best described as fleabags. And given the state of the economy, the numbers are rising.

    A table set-up in a corner of our meeting hall in the convention center was the collection point for donations to Project Dignity, which has 1 1/2 staff people and operates on a shoestring budget. In less than a week the large table was overflowing with towels, washcloths, socks, personal hygiene and grooming items, and school supplies. Cash donations for things like bus passes came to $1,201, and there hundreds of dollars more in giftcards for meals and such. On Thursday it was all boxed up and ready for pick-up and distribution.

    Many, many thanks to those members of North Carolina\’s diocesan ECW board who made contributions to this effort. I was proud to add those donations on your behalf.

    The theme of this Triennial was grace. One definition we received was, \”grace is love at work.\” Episcopal Church Women wanted to make sure we didn\’t just take from our hosts but that we gave back, leaving Orange County, California a little better than we found it.

    There was grace.

     

  • Seen

    Some North Carolinians taking care of business in Anaheim:

    \"\"The Rev. Kevin Matthews of Greensboro

    \"\"The Rev. Lawrence Womack and the Rt. Rev. William Gregg of Charlotte

    \"\"The Rev. Timothy Kimbrough of Chapel Hill

    \"\"The Rev. Lisa Fishbeck of Chapel Hill/Carrboro and the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry

    \"\"The Rev. Lorraine Ljunggren of Raleigh with her son Jake Melynk, who\’s part of the Youth Presence at GC

    \"\"… and then when it all gets to be a bit too much there\’s Barnabas with his human, Mike. Every morning Mike offers people heading into the convention center an opportunity to give the big pooch a pat and scratch behind the ears. As the sign says, \”it\’s therapeutic.\” No word from Barnabas how he feels about the situation.

  • Church Comments on $23 Million Budget Cut

    Here is a statement from the Church, issued today, July 15, about proposed budget cuts:

    The Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F) Committee of The Episcopal Church today presented a budget to the General Convention that proposes a $23 million reduction in the 2010-2012 triennial.

    “This is a very difficult day,” said Pan Adams-McCaslin, chair of PB&F. “For the committee and for me personally, the decisions are heart-wrenching and emotional. We are being called to be accountable and transparent in our mission and ministry to the Church, knowing that the decisions that have been made will be difficult and painful. As a Church of mission and ministry this is even more difficult because we work for a higher calling.”

    Earlier this week, PB&F sent a special letter to both houses of General Convention explaining that there would be reductions. The weak economy caused PB&F to take a very close look at all the Church does, and where and how it does it, as well as how some programs may be consolidated. In finalizing the budget, PB&F followed a well-traveled path consistent with the spirit and practice of the Church – seeking to give to others first and ourselves second, and to help dioceses and parishes continue their focus on ministry.

    The reductions, which affect both programs and staff, will occur over the next several months. The Diocesan commitment also is being reduced from 21 percent in 2010, to 20 percent in 2011, and 19 percent in 2012.

    The proposed budget addresses every part of the Church: Corporate, Canonical and Program (Mission). While specific program details, in most cases, are still being worked out, approximately 30 positions will be affected, with staff being notified beginning today. The Church will be providing outplacement services and severance packages, as well as pastoral care.

    “Our hearts go out to those affected by the changes,” Adams-McCaslin said. “With God’s help, hope and faith, we will seek to renew our efforts to share God’s mission in this difficult time.”

  • Heard

    Budget results are starting to trickle in. A big win for the Millennium Development Goals. The .7% has been returned as a line item. The recommendation of the bishops that the MDGs be returned as a line item and upped to 1%, while a wonderful gesture, was never going to happen. I\’m just grateful the Church has recommitted for the triennium.

    Ecumenical and interfaith relations has taken a big hit, as has racial justice and the women\’s ministries desk at \’815\’. The Committee on the Status of Women is down but not out. It\’s to receive $20,000.

  • UTO Grants 2009: $2 million+

    I blogged earlier about Bishop Curry\’s address at the United Thank Offering Sharing Dinner last Friday.

    \"\"On Sunday the UTO Ingathering was the focus of the Eucharist service.

    \"\"Alice Freeman, our UTO Coordinator, represented the Diocese of NC during the traditional parade of the dioceses at the Ingathering (each provincial UTO rep calls the diocesan coordinator forward one by one, and they file across the stage/altar area to greet the Presiding Bishop and president of the House of Deputies.) Here\’s Alice in her UTO blue, waiting with other diocesan coordinators for the procession to begin.

    On Tuesday, the national UTO Committee brought their grant recommendations to the floor of the ECW plenary for a vote of adoption. The delegates voted unanimously in favor of the recommendations. Then it was announced the offering collected at Sunday\’s Ingathering totaled $28,168.92, a 37% increase over the offering three years ago.

    In all, 63 grants totaling $2,065,472.43 will be made this year.

    And yes, the Diocese of North Carolina is on the list of grant recipients. However, I can\’t announce that information until formal notification has gone out.

  • Movement on the Matter of Same-Sex Holy Unions

    Thought you\’d find the text of the following resolution interesting. (The 77th General Convention will take place in 2012).

    Resolved, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, collect and develop theological resources and liturgies of blessing for same-gender holy unions, to be presented to the 77th General Convention for formal consideration;

    and be it further Resolved, that the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, in consultation with the House of Bishops Theology Committee, devise an open process for the conduct of its work in this matter, inviting participation from dioceses, congregations, and individuals who are or have already engaged in the study or design of such rites throughout the Anglican Communion;

    and be it further Resolved, that all bishops, noting particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships’ are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church;

    and be it further Resolved, that honoring the theological diversity of this Church, no bishop or other member of the clergy shall be compelled to authorize or officiate at such liturgies;

    and be it further Resolved, that the Anglican Consultative Council be invited to conversation regarding this resolution and the work that proceeds from it, together with other churches in the Anglican Communion engaged in similar processes.

  • Ending the Ban on Gay Bishops

    The bishops have voted to open “any ordained ministry” to gay men and lesbians. This effectively counters the moratorium on ordaining gay bishops that the church passed at the last General Convention. The resolution was written in a nuanced way, however. It allows dioceses to consider gay candidates to the episcopacy, but does not mandate that all dioceses do so.

    A similar measure was passed on Sunday by the House of Deputies, which is made up of laypeople and clergy. Today, the bishops’ version will probably go back to the House of Deputies for reconsideration. But given the bishops 2-to-1 approval, and the fact that the deputies\’ version passed by a similar margin, a quick concurrence is expected. In a classic Anglican touch, though, the resolution acknowledges our Church \”is not of one mind\” about the matter.

    If you read my post from a few days ago about the Archbishop of Canterbury\’s visit to convention, this is, I believe, exactly what he was thinking about when he said, \”I hope and pray that there won’t be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart.\”

    What\’s interesting is the atmosphere at this convention versus that of 2003, when the Rev. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, was elected as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. In 2006, the moratorium was passed at convention in an attempt to calm conservatives in the Anglican Communion and in the Episcopal Church.

    \"\"Here\’s a picture of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson that I took on Sunday after Eucharist.

    The turmoil of the past six years has been replaced by a kind of calm. That\’s not to say there aren\’t strong opinions on both sides of the issue, but you just don\’t feel schism coming. The moratorium had never really pleased anybody. If what people wear is a gauge of where the thinking and emotions are, then an oft seen button and a big-selling T-shirt say alot: \”My Church Has No Outcasts\” reads the button, while the brightly colored tees say, \”Here I Am, Send Me! I am a witness to God\’s inclusive love\”

  • Elected: Lynn Hoke

    \"LynnThe board of the national Episcopal Women\’s History Project, meeting in Anaheim, has elected three new board members, including Lynn Hoke, the ECW of NC\’s archivist and historian.

    \"\"Susan Johnson of the Diocese of West Texas (pictured here), is president of EWHP, one of three affiliated Episcopal women\’s organizations represented at the ECW Triennial. (The other two are the Church Periodical Club and the United Thank Offering.)

    The Episcopal Women\’s History Project was organized in 1980 by a handful of Episcopal Church Women in New York City. Formed to raise the consciousness and conscience of the Episcopal Church to the historic contributions of its women, EWHP has continued to gather the life stories of Episcopal Church Women. It has inventoried written source materials, gathered oral histories, published a newsletter, supported research, given grants, and encouraged interest at all levels through conferences and workshops.

    Since going to work for the ECW in 2007, Lynn has, among other things, professionalized our archives at Diocesan House, advised women in parishes throughout the diocese about ways to preserve their history and tell their story, and envisioned and organized the well-received Bishop Tuttle School Day at Saint Augustine\’s College in Raleigh, one of three historically black Episcopal schools in the country.

    Congratulations, Lynn!

  • North Carolina Connections

    \"\"On Sunday, immediately after the Festival Eucharist and UTO Ingathering, which ran long because of the thousands of people present, I hightailed it from the convention center to the hotel where the Province IV ECW luncheon was being held. Stepping from the bright California sun into the hotel\’s lobby caused momentary blindness, so I didn\’t immediately see who was standing right before me.

    \"\"Then I heard, \”So I don\’t even get a hello? That\’s a fine howdy.\” Things came into focus and I saw who was talking, Lauren Stanley! Lauren is a missionary of the Episcopal Church whose work is supported by the church women of North Carolina — specifically, the ECW of the Winston-Salem Convocation, and she\’s a frequent visitor to the diocese. In fact, she\’ll be preaching and teaching in Winston-Salem next month before heading off to her new assignment in Haiti.

    \"\"Lauren was with her older brother and the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, the Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Virginia, her sponsoring diocese.

    Seeing the name of my diocese on my name badge, the bishop asked in what part of North Carolina I live. I told him and it turns out he knows the area well. Though he\’s a native of Alabama, his family put the Johnston in Johnston County. They also owned big chunks of Raleigh and Wake County. Well, the story goes on and it\’s a juicy one, involving shady deals and nefarious characters, and fortunes lost and somewhat regained, and a kind of penance that resulted in the giveaway of land upon which now sits a part of North Carolina State University. Devereux Street in Raleigh and the prime real estate around it? That too was part of the Johnston\’s portfolio once upon a time; Devereux is a family name. Easy come, easy go, eh?

    None of this, of course, has anything to do with setting the course for the Episcopal Church for the next three years, but it sure was a fun conversation with home folk and down home folk and good all around Episcopalians. Lauren, her brother and the bishop left for their lunch and I headed to one of the hotel\’s ballrooms for mine. It just goes to show you never know who you\’ll run into at General Convention.

    \"\"L to R: Alice Freeman, Sharon Curry, Lisa Towle and Vivian Edwards

  • Young is a State of Mind

    Eighteen representatives of the official “youth presence” at General Convention visited the ECW plenary to thank Episcopal Church Women for their support of youth and campus ministries in many dioceses and parishes, to share their dreams and eloquently advocate for their priorities as young Episcopalians: increased youth involvement, evangelism, outreach and human rights.

    \”The community of youth yearn for a true voice in the Church. Our passion and faith are measurable, our ideas are sound,\” said 16-year old Amy Espinoza, a member of St. Martin\’s in the Diocese of Rhode Island, where she is a eucharistic minister.

    Eighteen-year old Jacqueline Bray of St. Margaret\’s Church in San Diego was \”shocked to discover that the average age members of the House of Deputies is 65.\”

    \"\"At the close of their visit, the Rev. Canon Liz Habecker, a member of the National ECW board, led the youth and the ECW delegates in a choreographed dance.

    I\’m still not sure it did anything to prove we all aren\’t complete old fogeys, but as they were leaving one young woman did rush back to the microphone to say, \”I think you all have more fun here than they do in the House of Deputies!\”

    Out of the mouths of babes.