Live from Columbus - June 16, 2006
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Volume 2, No. 6
The Rev. David Reed reflects on a most
important day.
We have a bishop - almost
 The
way has been cleared for the Rev. David Reed to be consecrated as
the bishop suffragan of the diocese on August 26. On Friday
afternoon, the House of Bishops consented to the election of Reed
and four more as bishops. These include the Ven. Dena Harrison who
has been elected bishop suffragan in the Diocese of Texas. Her
consecration is set for October.
Under circumstances other than just prior to a
General Convention, consents to elections of bishops are sought from
the diocesan standing committees and "bishops of jurisdiction" --
generally, diocesan bishops -- by mail.
But when an election falls within 90 days of a
General Convention, consents are given instead by the House of
Deputies and bishops of jurisdiction in the House of Bishops.
That was up for a change at this General
Convention: the House of Bishops voted Thursday to remove that
stipulation so that all bishop elections, no matter when they occur,
would be consented to "through the mail," as Bishop Lillibridge put
it. But Friday, the House of Deputies did not concur with the
bishops, so the resolution to change fails.
Reed's consecration on August 26 will take
place at St. Luke's, San Antonio. He and his wife, Patti, and their
two children will move to San Antonio from Harlingen, where Reed has
been rector of St. Alban's for almost 12 years, in July.
 Ten
members of St. Paul's, Brownsville, including four teenagers,
brought a Tejano-style worship experience to more than 200 teens and
their adult sponsors who have gathered in Columbus as a part of the
General Convention.
The "E3" youth event -- for "educate,
experience, and empower" -- has drawn high school age youth from
around the country and Province IX (the latter includes several
Latin American Episcopal Church provinces).
The St. Paul's group led worship for E3 on
Friday evening, bringing a high-energy offering of Hispanic music,
Scripture readings in English and Spanish, and testimonies from five
of the group.
Jackie Pena, 16, a member of St. Paul's, has
been serving on the design team for the E3 event. When planners
decided they wanted to incorporate a Latino worship experience, says
the Rev. Chuck Sharrow, vicar of St. Paul's, Jackie volunteered her
church.
Besides Jackie, the teens include Monica
Aguilar, 17; Elsie Ceballos, 18; and Alejandra Sanchez, 17. Adults
included Sharrow, Danny and Hilda Pena, Kevin Armstrong, Sylvia
Nunez, and Brigido Jaime.
It has not been without difficulties. Just two
hours before the service on Friday afternoon, the group lost a bag
with their harmonicas, tambourines, maracas, and some of their
music. After a quick trip to the music store, they were ready.
Whether or not they could understand and sing
along with the Spanish lyrics, the E3 teenagers joined in the tempo
with their clapping.
Most impressive were the testimonies given by
the Brownsville teens. Monica Aguilar told of watching her
grandfather slip into depression and drinking. "He thought God had
abandoned him," said Monica. She said that Sharrow had told her once
that fasting is a form of prayer, so at the 30-hour famine in which
the teenagers at St. Paul's participated, Monica offered her fast
for her grandfather's healing. "It was hard telling my youth group
about my grandfather," confessed Monica. But her friends prayed with
her, and her grandfather has not had a drink for more than two
years.
All of the Brownsville teens witnessed to the
power of prayer and Christ in their lives, and each ended her
testimony by telling the E3 participants, "He can help you, too."
At the close of worship, the Brownsville
invited those who wished to come forward for prayer, and dozens of
young people took them up on it.
 Catherine
Lillibridge, Christian formation director at St. David's, San
Antonio, and wife of Bishop Gary Lillibridge, invited her listeners
into a Godly Play experience Friday morning when she addressed the
Province VII Episcopal Church Women (ECW) breakfast. About 80 women
and a handful of men gathered for the 7:30 a.m. breakfast at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Godly Play is a children's Christian education
curriculum used widely across the Church, and Lillibridge told the
audience that part of a Godly Play presentation is "I wonder"
questions. As she lit three small candles from a larger candle, she
asked her audience to "wonder" about when each of them first
received the light of Christ.
She answered the question for herself by
telling of a time when she was attending a women's retreat at Camp
Capers. "I was alone in the chapel," she said, "and I mean really
alone -- lonely, tired, scared, and angry." In that chapel she came
to realize that the anger and pain of some of her childhood had been
her fuel and empowerment. "But it was a damaging kind of energy,"
she said. The realization was a moment of change in her life. "My
light from that day on has been fueled by faith," she said. "I can
still end up in fear, but I know now how to get out of it."
Lillibridge also spoke about being open to a
change in our light. She and her family have been going on a summer
camping retreat with five other families for ten years. This summer,
some of those who usually attend were unable to do so. "But the
lights of those missing families were there with me," she said. "I
half expected them to come around the corner at any moment."
She said that we have choices about our own
spiritual walk, our own light to the world, and invited her
listeners to heed the words of Mark 6:31: "Come with me by
yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
Revised common lectionary to replace
common lectionary
Both houses of General Convention have
supported a resolution that calls for the use of the Revised Common
Lectionary by the year 2010. Currently, Episcopal clergy may use the
Common Lectionary -- found in the Book of Common Prayer -- for
Sunday and daily Scriptures readings. Or they may use the Revised
Common Lectionary, which differs slightly on some reading
selections.
But starting on the first Sunday of Advent in
2007, the Revised Common Lectionary will begin to be implemented as
the Episcopal Church lectionary. However, with the bishop's
permission, a congregation may continue to use the current
lectionary until 2010.
The Revised Common Lectionary has been used for
many years by several of our ecumenical partners as well as by the
Church of England.
Bishops vote in favor of slavery and
racial reconciliation
It declares that the institution of slavery "was and is a sin"
and a "fundamental betrayal of the humanity of all persons who were
involved." The resolution called for the Episcopal Church to
acknowledge its history and "the deep and lasting injury" that
slavery inflicted, and to express "most profound regret" for its
support and justification. The resolution called for a Day of
Repentance and Reconciliation service to be held at Washington
National Cathedral.
Bishops discuss civil rights and
Windsor resolutions
The House of Bishops considered several
resolutions June 16 that touched on civil rights from a variety of
perspectives.
Resolution C010 asks that states which
prohibit the rights associated with domestic partnerships not be
considered for future General Conventions. Several bishops expressed
 concern
about the resolution, pointing out that Ohio, where the 75th General
Convention is being held, would be included in that prohibition.
With a vote of 82-71, the bishops passed an amended version of C010,
changing its language from "directing" to "suggesting" such sites
not be proposed for future Conventions.
Bishop Dorsey Henderson of Upper South
Carolina, co-chair of the Special Committee on the Episcopal Church
and the Anglican Communion, introduced resolutions A165 and A159 to
his colleagues.
A165 calls for the Episcopal Church's
commitment to the "Windsor Process," a process of discernment as to
the nature and unity of the Church. In response to concerns about
language which had been deleted from the resolution, committee
member Bishop Edward Little of Northern Indiana said the committee
chose to shorten the resolution in the interest of "clarity and
simplicity...to make it clear that we will join wholeheartedly in
the process." The resolution was adopted with amendment.
A159, which had already been adopted by the
House of Deputies, calls for "commitment to interdependence in the
Anglican Communion." A proposed amendment which would have deleted
specific reference to "inter-Anglican consultation and
participation" on standing commissions of the Episcopal Church was
defeated, although another amendment adding some language to the
resolution was carried. The bishops voted to concur with amendment;
the amended resolution now returns to the House of Deputies for
consideration.
For a complete list of legislation being
considered by the 75th General Convention, visit
http://gc2006.org/legislation
-- Nicole
Seiferth for Episcopal News Service
Presiding Bishop
Frank Griswold; the Rev. Canon David Anderson, president and CEO of
the conservative American Anglican Council; and Bishop Gene Robinson
were featured guests on Larry King Live on CNN Thursday night along
with several other guests on the topic of "Gays in the Church." You
can read the rough transcript of the show here. |
