Episcopal Diocese of West Texas (Use your browser print commands then click back to the webpage.)

Live from Columbus - June 19, 2006

Volume 2, No. 9

NEW! Live from Columbus Audio recording

Today's audio: The Rev. David Read discusses actions of the House of Deputies on the Windsor Report resolutions. He has also been providing a daily General Convention updated posted to the St. Helena's, Boerne website.

Link to St. Helena's, Boerne General Convention webpage

Link to Legislations pages of General Convention 2006 - Here you will find the status of all resolutions considered at General Convention.

Windsor resolutions begin to come forward

After days of frustration in both the House of Deputies and House of Bishops over resolutions that address the Windsor Report still being in committee, deputies got the first of four significant resolutions dealing with the Windsor Report on Monday afternoon. Resolution A160, which asks the Episcopal Church to "express its regret" for straining the bonds of affection in the events of the 2003 General Convention, offer
"its sincerest apology" to those who were offended, and "ask forgiveness" as we seek to live into deeper levels of communion.

The resolution passed the House of Deputies by a vote of 563 to 267.

Only one amendment was offered: the resolution that came to deputies expressed regret for "breaching the proper constraints of" the bonds of affection; the phrase was changed to "strained" the bonds of affection.

The Rev. Francis Wade, chair of The Special Committee on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, told deputies as he introduced the resolutions that their purpose was to "continue the conversation" between the Episcopal Church and the rest of the Communion. "No one is being asked to stop being different or stop believing differently; the question is: 'How will live together?' "

He said that the words in the resolutions "do not reflect the view of any group or subset of our Church." He also said that the Committee, which has been working on the wording of the resolutions literally day and night for several days, had engaged "not in a political process but in a process of listening and discerning" especially to the voices they had heard in their several hearings over the past week. The largest of the hearings drew more than 1,200 people, of whom about 70 testified, last Wednesday evening.

Nevertheless, deputies lined up at microphones to be heard even further during the hour-and-a-half debate before the vote on the resolution.

The Rev. David Read of the West Texas deputation was among those who urged the House to adopt A160 and the other Windsor resolutions "without amendment and without omission." Read added, "If we water down" the resolutions "we will say to our sisters and brothers in the Anglican Communion that we are not listening and we have no need of them."

The Rev. Kendall Harmon of the Diocese of South Carolina said that A160 was "the first step in the process of reconciliation." But, he added, "Let's only take this step if we mean it. Expressing regret is only meaningful if the fruits are evident."

The Rev. Sharon Lewis of the Diocese of Southwest Florida said that the resolution "calls for us to lay aside our agenda and have that radical hospitality that has been spoken of."

But those who did not support adoption of the resolution said the Episcopal Church should not apologize for its actions. "This compromises our freedom to act as we have discerned the Holy Spirit and as an autonomous church body," said the Rev. Joan Beilstein of the Diocese of Washington. The Rev. LeeAnne Watkins of the Diocese of Minnesota challenged the notion "that we have actually broken the bonds of affection."

"Bonds should be supple and stretchy," she said. "I reject the notion that there is some monolithic communion shaking their fingers at us."

The Very Rev. Jorge Gutierrez of the Diocese of Rochester spoke for many when he said that it would be "dishonest" of him to express regret for actions "that brought a long-awaited sense of comfort to my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters."

The resolution now goes to the House of Bishops for its action, probably on Tuesday.

Late in the afternoon on Monday, the House of Deputies began to debate resolution A161 that calls the Episcopal Church to a moratorium on electing bishops "whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church," and asks the General Convention not to adopt rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.

Debate will continue Tuesday morning with a vote likely before the lunch break.

The full text of resolution A160 as amended and passed reads:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, that the 75^th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, mindful of "the repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation enjoined on us by Christ" (Windsor Report, paragraph 134), express its regret for straining the bonds of affection in the events surrounding the General Convention of 2003 and the consequences which followed; offer its sincerest apology to those within our Anglican Communion who are offended by our failure to accord sufficient importance to the impact of our actions on our church and other parts of the Communion; and ask forgiveness as we seek to live into deeper levels of communion one with another.

Archbishop - 'Prayers' for new Presiding Bishop

Monday 19th June 2006

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has issued a statement on the election of the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori as the next Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, in succession to the Most Rev. Frank Griswold. (The full text of Williams' statement follows.)

"I send my greetings to Bishop Katharine and she has my prayers and good wishes as she takes up a deeply demanding position at a critical time. She will bring many intellectual and pastoral gifts to her new work, and I am pleased to see the strength of her commitment to mission and to the Millennium Development Goals.

Her election will undoubtedly have an impact on the collegial life of the Anglican Primates; and it also brings into focus some continuing issues in several of our ecumenical dialogues.

We are continuing to pray for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church as it confronts a series of exceptionally difficult choices."

Follow this Link to the prayer on the Archbishop of Canterbury website.

Anglican leaders reflect favorably on Jefferts Schori election

Sunday, June 18, 2006

[Episcopal News Service] Anglican leaders who are guests at the General Convention spoke favorably about the June 18 election of Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the 26th Presiding Bishop, noting the important role of women in the church today.

Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana in Central Africa said that God is a God of surprises. "She is a servant of God and we thank God for what she has to contribute to the life of the Anglican Communion," he said. "This is a great year for women and we honor the role that women are playing in the world today."

The Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, as well as three Anglican primates, said they look forward to welcoming Jefferts Schori to future Primates meetings.

Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said that it is a wonderful day in the life of the Anglican Communion. "I have enormous respect for her and her competence," he said, "and this will change the dynamics among the boys' club of primates in the Anglican Communion significantly."

Hutchison acknowledged that the election will be a challenge in some parts of the world "because some countries have gender-specific expectations," he said. "Leadership in some traditional societies is very much in the hands of males and therefore presents a challenge."

Bishop Martin Barahona of El Salvador, Primate of the Anglican Church of the Central America, said that he is not surprised with the result because the work of women in the Episcopal Church is very strong. "In the Anglican Communion it will be a big challenge but women have the capacity to lead the church today," he said.

The Most Rev. Carlos Touche-Porter, Primate of Mexico, said he is "thrilled" and eager to welcome her as a fellow primate in the Anglican Communion. "We need to go back to the Anglican spirit of respectful diversity as a source of enrichment and not division," he said.

Asked about the impact this may have on the Anglican Communion, Kearon said the role of women in the church is being addressed by each province; thus, they would not want to deny the importance of the role of women in the church. "Some of them express it by having women in the priesthood and in the episcopate. Other churches are looking at it and others have made firm decisions against it," he said. "That doesn't alter the fact that women are important members of the Anglican Communion."

Thirty years ago, the General Convention voted to admit women into the priesthood and the episcopate. Fourteen of the 38 Anglican provinces make provisions for women in the episcopate. At present, there are 13 active and retired women bishops and bishops-elect in the Episcopal Church and three in the Anglican Church of Canada. The Anglican Church of Aotearoa, Polynesia and New Zealand, has one retired woman bishop.

The Church of England voted last year to remove the legal obstacles that stop women from becoming bishops over the coming years. Further debate is expected at the General Synod of the Church when it meets July 7-11, in York, England.

The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) adopted a resolution at its June 2005 meeting, acknowledging the Millennium Development Goal for equal representation of women in decision making at all levels. It requested the ACC Standing Committee "to identify ways in which this goal may appropriately be adapted for incorporation into the structures of the Instruments of Unity, and other bodies to which the Anglican Consultative Council nominates or appoints."

--The Episcopal News Service

General Convention affirms Millennium Development Goals

[Episcopal News Service] The House of Deputies joined the House of Bishops June 18 in supporting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and urging parishes, missions, congregations and dioceses across the Episcopal Church to work for their implementation.

The MDGs are an eight-pronged declaration that has at its core the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by the year 2015.

In what has become a major mission and evangelism emphasis of this General Convention, the MDG resolution (D022):

Establishes achieving the MDGs as a stated mission priority of the Episcopal Church for the next three years;
Urges each diocese, congregation and parishioner to give 0.7 percent toward the MDGs by July 7, 2007; i.e. by 07/07/07;

Designates the Last Sunday after Pentecost as a special day of prayer, fasting and giving in the Episcopal Church toward global reconciliation and the Millennium Development Goals;
Calls on every diocese to establish a global reconciliation commission to mobilize Episcopalians to work for achieving the goals of the MDGs;
Endorses the "ONE Episcopalian" campaign that calls on the U.S. government to spend an additional 1 percent of its budget to combat global poverty; and
Asks the budget committee of the Episcopal Church to consider a line item equal to 0.7 percent (or roughly $900,000) in the coming three-year budget for work that supports the MDGs.

In earlier debate, the General Convention added the MDGs to its top mission budget priorities of justice and peace.

The Millennium Development Goals are:
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 and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Create a global partnership for development with a focus on debt, aid and trade

In a companion resolution (A010), deputies concurred with the bishops in affirming "Call to Partnership," a communiqué to the United Nations from an ecumenical group of Christian bodies that make up the Consultation of Religious Leaders on Global Poverty.

-- Melodie Woerman is director of communications for the Diocese of Kansas.

Follow this link to the UN Millennium Development Goals webpage.

Title IV may stop its trip through Convention

[Episcopal News Service] The Legislative Committee on Canons will recommend that the proposed revisions to the Title IV disciplinary canon be referred to a task force to "complete and perfect this vital work" for consideration at the 2009 General Convention.

The proposal to revise the canon came from a task force created by General Convention in 2003. The resolution would have replaced the current court-oriented system with a multi-layered approach intended to focus on mediation and reconciliation. It also included a controversial provision that would subject certain lay leaders to the new canons.

After hearing significant concern about the proposal, particularly about subjecting laity to ecclesiastical discipline, the legislative committee attempted to rewrite the 30-page resolution to clarify issues. However, it quickly became apparent to committee members the revision could not be accomplished in time for this convention to act.

The current referral resolution makes note of the change in philosophy sought by the current task force, which is to move away from an adversarial model to one that encourages pastoral intervention as early as possible in the process. It charges a new task force to continue the work with a set of "critical goals, concerns and values" which will:

reflect of the values and theology and ecclesiology of the church;
move Title IV toward a reconciliation model for all appropriate circumstances;
encourage the prompt resolution of conflicts in the Church, and the reconciliation of all persons involved in those conflicts, at the earliest appropriate and the most conducive level of the Church;
consider the possible inclusion of certain lay persons in Title IV where their office or other leadership role makes inclusion appropriate, provided the treatment of their accountability and discipline is commensurate with their lay status, responsibility and commitments;
maintain the historic canonical pastoral role and authority of bishops; and
respect the roles, rights and integrity of those subject to the title; and of injured persons, parishes, missions and congregations and the church.

-- Jim DeLa is director of communications for the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

Prayers from home

On these long days (House of Deputies recessed at 7:30 pm EST Monday evening) at General Convention it is comforting to know that our brothers and sisters are holding us in prayer. Below are parishioners from St. George, San Antonio, one of many churches praying for the West Texas deputation and the 75th General Convention.