UPDATED
There is news busting out all over cyberspace about a group of Episcopal Church bishops and rectors calling themselves Communion Partners and a group grandly named the Anglican Communion Institute Inc. who are working to establish as fact their "belief that Episcopal Church polity legitimately arises out of the autonomy of dioceses who gather in voluntary association at The Episcopal Church in General Convention. In this view it is the diocese and not The Episcopal Church that is the "basic unit" of The Episcopal Church. In this argument TEC is not a metropolitical entity, but rather a free association of dioceses."
In this world view, a diocese would have full right to sign on to an Anglican Covenant, thus maintaining its purity without having to leave the Episcopal Church for an entity such as ACNA -- the Anglican Church in North America, the "province' Duncan and Iker et al are trying to set up to replace The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada in North America.
But while these Communion Partner bishops and rectors say that this is a way to keep dioceses and parishes from leaving the Episcopal Church, they also have to know that this argument will be used against the Episcopal Church in the litigation now going on in the dioceses of San Joaquin, Fort Worth and Pittsburgh.
In their way of thinking, the as-yet-unfinished Anglican Covenant has morphed from a document spelling out ways a communion might live together in spite of differences over human sexuality [its original purpose in The Windsor Report] into a document that vouches for signatories' orthodoxy.
Remember the attorney Mark McCall who wrote a piece defending the idea that the Episcopal Church is not hierarchical? Well, he and the Communion partners are in bed together, as revealed in a string of emails reported both on Mark Harris' blog and on Thinking Anglicans. The Episcopal Cafe is also on the case.
Please take the time to read these reports, for they give details about how the undermining of the Episcopal Church continues and how many bishops who pledged to uphold the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church are willing to do just about anything to avoid having to acknowledge the authority of Katharine Jefferts Schori. Indeed, my initial impression on reading the string of emails was, "This is a bunch of men saying 'She's not the boss of me!"
All the writers of these emails are men, but there is one female bishop signed on as a Communion Partner. That would be, to the surprise of no one, Bishop Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island, also known to many in the Anglican Communion as an honorary man. Both bishops of the Diocese of Dallas are Communion Partners. [Side note -- Now do you see why it wasn't ever a good idea to fold our diocese in with the Diocese of Dallas?]
It is interesting that none of this passionate discussion of the autonomy of dioceses arose until a woman was elected presiding bishop and primate. But this goes beyond misogyny. This is serious meddling in legal cases that directly affect us here in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
As Thinking Anglicans Simon Sarmiento writes:
"The arguments being put forward by Communion Partners about the autonomy of TEC dioceses apply also of course to those dioceses which now claim to have left TEC. And the ACI is clearly aware that the forthcoming CP statement could be used in the litigation which is ensuing in relation to those dioceses (San Joaquin, Fort Worth, Quincy, and Pittsburgh). "
So please take time to read all this reporting. It will give you a better understanding of how some of our former bishop's friends in the Episcopal Church continue to further his schismatic cause as well as an understanding of some of the political forces that will be in play at General Convention this summer.
Note -- these guys LOVE acronyms. So here's a glossary:
PV -- Pastoral Visitors -- a kind of ecclesiastical SWAT team suggested in drafts of the Anglican Covenant that would be sent into any province that misbehaved to try to straighten it out.
CP - Communion Partners.
ACNA -- Anglican Church in North America -- the "province" of which Duncan will most like be made archbishop and to which Iker hopes to adhere his group.
ACI -- Anglican Communion Institute.
CO- Colorado.
Beers is a reference to David Beers, the chancellor for the presiding bishop.
Any place name with a plus sign in front of it is a reference to a bishop, as in +SC, which is a reference to Mark Lawrence, the bishop of South Carolina. +Salmon is the retired bishop of South Carolina. +O'Neil is the bishop of Colorado, the target of some interesting manipulation in these emails. + Wimberly is the retired bishop of the Diocese of Texas, + Hathaway is the retired bishop of Pittsburgh, +MacPherson is the bishop of Western Louisiana.
And as you read, ponder this question asked in a comment on Thinking Anglicans:
Once again, I fail to see how an entity--such as a diocese--that owes its very existence to its creation by a larger entity--the national church--can claim that it is an autonomous entity. Have these bishops and rectors even READ the canons and charters they pledged to uphold when they were ordained and consecrated?
And here's a statement from Integrity about these political machinations:
Integrity applauds the “outing” of both the “Bishops’ Statement on the Polity of the Episcopal Church” and the email trail between the framers and signers of a document clearly designed to continue to undermine the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church.
Though couched in ecclesiastical language, the statement is an entirely political document. It attempts to lay the foundation for an unprecedented power grab by anti-gay bishops who will assert that they are not bound by the Episcopal Church’s governing body: General Convention.
These bishops seek to increase their own authority, while diminishing the role of the laity and clergy in the governance of the church.
“We have been given a look at ’the men behind the curtain’ manipulating a schism driven agenda while professing to work transparently for reconciliation”, said Integrity President Susan Russell.
“To quote one long-time ally’s response to these documents, ‘This is stunning. It is remarkable to think about the plotting that is going on. In many ways I am just too naïve.’”
“This statement – and the email trail leading up to its creation – should be required reading for all who will be making decisions in good faith at our upcoming General Convention,” said Russell. “We cannot afford to be naïve about the forces working to divide this church and distract it from its call to live out the gospel in the world. And we must not accept the false choice between unity and justice being presented by the very people working behind the scenes to create disunity and foment schism.”
The argument that dioceses are independent of the Episcopal Church is novel, and a creature of convenience. It seeks to camouflage the desire of anti-gay bishops and theologians to punish the Church for consecrating an openly gay bishop and permitting the blessing of same-sex relationships in some dioceses.
The authors of these emails profess to be loyal Episcopalians, but they openly express their hope that this statement will be used in litigation by individuals who have left the Episcopal Church to join forces with virulently anti-gay bishops in other parts of the world and are attempting to take the Church’s property with them.
A number of the bishops who have reportedly signed on to this statement are members of the "Communion Partners Bishops’ Network." When founded, this group pledged to work transparently and in cooperation with the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in attempting to reconcile those of differing theological views. These emails make clear that the group instead was working surreptitiously to undermine the Bishop of Colorado, and seeking to set up a system of episcopal oversight controlled entirely by the Communion Partners.
The work of reconciliation in the Anglican Communion was thoroughly compromised by a theologian and a bishop named in this correspondence who used their positions on important Communion-wide bodies to advance the agenda of the Communion Partners network. The Rev. Ephraim Radner, who is copied on these emails and whose name appears on the statement, helped draft the proposed Anglican Covenant. Bishop Gary Lilibridge, who the emails suggest offered advice on drafting the statement, was a member of the Communion’s Windsor Continuation Group.
Both bodies produced documents that create significant impediments to the full inclusion of LGBT Christians in the Church, while the proposed covenant removed obstacles to the inclusion of anti-gay churches, dioceses and parishes in the councils of the Communion.
The emails concerning the Diocese of Colorado make clear that this group will use the proposed Anglican Covenant as a tool for moving individual congregations out from under the authority of their diocesan bishops. This strategy can be employed not only in the Episcopal Church, but across the Anglican Communion.
"It is time for The Episcopal Church to "just say no" to the forces working to divide it and get on with bringing people into the work and witness of the gospel," concluded Russell. "Our Lord promised us that the truth will set us free. Our prayer is that knowing more now about the truth of what is going on behind the scenes of the Communion Partners Network will indeed set us free to get with the work of being the church in the world for ALL God's beloved human family."
--Posted to Walking With Integrity at 4/22/2009 01:59:00 PM
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
All the mommies
This week my 4-year-old grandson Gavin had a visitor come to his Montessori preschool. It was the mother of his classmate Paxton.
"Paxton's mommy drives an airplane!" Gavin exclaimed when he got into the car. "She flies to Asia, Russia, New York and Mexico."
And indeed she does. She's a pilot for Delta Airlines, and she told the children all about the cockpit, the check list, and the stars on a captain's uniform. She also gave them balsa wood airplanes with "Delta" on them and Delta pencils that change color when rubbed vigorously by small hands.
Gavin chattered about this most of the afternoon as we put the small wooden plane together and flew it in the front yard, the living room, and the back yard. When part of the tail broke off, Gavin took to running with the plane in his hands, making airplane noises and telling me that "Now Paxton's mommy is doing a loop! And now she's flying over the ocean!"
For Gavin, a woman as an airline pilot is an interesting piece of information that makes for a fun afternoon of pretend. For me, it was a yet another satisfying resolution to years of advocating for women's equality in the workplace.
The mommies of Gavin's friends include stay-at-home moms, lawyers, teachers, physicians, sales executives and women who work in all manner of professions. One woman he considers a personal friend is a state senator.
This is the new normal.
But it is a hard-fought-for and hard-won normal.
The mommies of these mommies worked and lobbied hard so that their daughters and their daughter's daughters would have opportunities that were denied to us and to our mothers.
I remember the exact second I became a feminist. It was the moment the nurse handed me my newborn daughter. I held her and said, "Hello baby. I'm your mommy."
And this little squinched-up bundle of humanity opened the most amazing blue eyes I have ever seen and looked directly at me. Our eyes met and it felt like a bolt of electricity went through my body. This was my little girl.
From that moment on, I knew I would do whatever I had to do to insure her life was filled with all good things. I wanted her to be able to be all she was capable of being.
Well, it seems other mommies of other baby girls were having similar experiences. We were part of the Women's Movement. The media and other women derided us as "women libbers" and "bra burners" and, of course, man haters.
The media is only now realizing that it was never about hating men. It was always about loving women and women's abilities, about allowing them to explore all life can offer if they are willing to work hard enough to reach their goals.
For me, the definition of feminist is a person who believes that women and men are made in the image of God. And as such, both women and men are deserving of respect and opportunity.
I adore my grandsons. I want the same opportunities for them that I want for their female friends. I want little Paxton to have as many opportunities as I want for Gavin. She is as much the future of our country as is he.
So hooray for Paxton's mommy, and for all the mommies -- of whatever race, creed or color -- who are working hard to keep the promise of a nation where all are created equal. If we keep this up, we may yet make that promise come true for all women and men, all girls and boys.
"Paxton's mommy drives an airplane!" Gavin exclaimed when he got into the car. "She flies to Asia, Russia, New York and Mexico."
And indeed she does. She's a pilot for Delta Airlines, and she told the children all about the cockpit, the check list, and the stars on a captain's uniform. She also gave them balsa wood airplanes with "Delta" on them and Delta pencils that change color when rubbed vigorously by small hands.
Gavin chattered about this most of the afternoon as we put the small wooden plane together and flew it in the front yard, the living room, and the back yard. When part of the tail broke off, Gavin took to running with the plane in his hands, making airplane noises and telling me that "Now Paxton's mommy is doing a loop! And now she's flying over the ocean!"
For Gavin, a woman as an airline pilot is an interesting piece of information that makes for a fun afternoon of pretend. For me, it was a yet another satisfying resolution to years of advocating for women's equality in the workplace.
The mommies of Gavin's friends include stay-at-home moms, lawyers, teachers, physicians, sales executives and women who work in all manner of professions. One woman he considers a personal friend is a state senator.
This is the new normal.
But it is a hard-fought-for and hard-won normal.
The mommies of these mommies worked and lobbied hard so that their daughters and their daughter's daughters would have opportunities that were denied to us and to our mothers.
I remember the exact second I became a feminist. It was the moment the nurse handed me my newborn daughter. I held her and said, "Hello baby. I'm your mommy."
And this little squinched-up bundle of humanity opened the most amazing blue eyes I have ever seen and looked directly at me. Our eyes met and it felt like a bolt of electricity went through my body. This was my little girl.
From that moment on, I knew I would do whatever I had to do to insure her life was filled with all good things. I wanted her to be able to be all she was capable of being.
Well, it seems other mommies of other baby girls were having similar experiences. We were part of the Women's Movement. The media and other women derided us as "women libbers" and "bra burners" and, of course, man haters.
The media is only now realizing that it was never about hating men. It was always about loving women and women's abilities, about allowing them to explore all life can offer if they are willing to work hard enough to reach their goals.
For me, the definition of feminist is a person who believes that women and men are made in the image of God. And as such, both women and men are deserving of respect and opportunity.
I adore my grandsons. I want the same opportunities for them that I want for their female friends. I want little Paxton to have as many opportunities as I want for Gavin. She is as much the future of our country as is he.
So hooray for Paxton's mommy, and for all the mommies -- of whatever race, creed or color -- who are working hard to keep the promise of a nation where all are created equal. If we keep this up, we may yet make that promise come true for all women and men, all girls and boys.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Let justice roll down
On Tuesday, April 14, 2009, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, the Corporation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the Episcopal Church filed suit in the 141st District Court of Tarrant County, Texas in part to recover property and assets of the Episcopal Church. The defendants are former members of the corporation’s board and the former bishop of the diocese, all of whom have left the Episcopal Church.
The petition seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, damages, an accounting, and attorney fees and costs. The petition can be seen here.
This lawsuit is necessary because of actions and decisions of these former diocesan leaders that sought to alienate property and assets of the Episcopal Church and deprived Episcopalians of their use and benefit. Despite courteous demand, the defendants and others continue to use the name and seal of the Diocese and maintain possession and control over diocesan property, including the Diocesan Center, Camp Crucis in Hood County, and significant funds, including endowed funds given for the use of the Episcopal Church.
The Episcopal Church is a party to this litigation and has been very supportive of local efforts to maintain continuity of worship, ministry and mission by and for Episcopalians in North Texas. The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick Jr., provisional bishop, supports the litigation, as does the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, and the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
Recent court decisions in the dioceses of Los Angeles, San Diego, Rochester, Long Island, Colorado and elsewhere have been decided in favor of the Episcopal Church and against those who have sought to leave the Episcopal Church and take its property with them.
The Episcopal Church is an autonomous Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States, Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe.
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth covers 23 counties in North Texas.
The Episcopal Church has a long history in this part of North Texas. Since the mid-19th century, long before the plaintiff diocese was formed, its geographic territory was part of other missionary districts or dioceses of the Episcopal Church. In 1838, The Episcopal Church formed its “Missionary District of the Southwest,” which included the state of Texas, under the jurisdiction of Missionary Bishop Leonidas Polk. In 1850, the General Convention admitted the Diocese of Texas as a part of The Episcopal Church. In 1874, the General Convention divided the Diocese of Texas into the continuing diocese of Texas and the Missionary Districts of North Texas and West Texas. In 1895, upon action of the General Convention, the Missionary District of North Texas became the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Dallas. In 1982, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth was created by General Convention from the western part of the Diocese of Dallas. It continues to carry out the work of the Episcopal Church under the direction of Bishop Gulick.
------------------------------------------
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, heir and steward of the legacy of generations of faithful Episcopalians, has this day brought suit to recover that legacy. We deeply regret that the decisions and actions of former diocesan leaders have brought us to this difficult moment.
Even before 1850 when this area was part of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, faithful Episcopalians were preaching the saving gospel of Jesus Christ as part of the Episcopal Church in North Texas. After the General Convention created our diocese in 1982, that work continued. Today we, with our Presiding Bishop, remain committed to preaching the gospel as we celebrate the sacraments, care for those in need, and strive for justice and peace. This litigation is designed to move quickly to confirm the historical right of Episcopalians to lead the diocese as stewards of its property as we in humility and hope continue the mission of the Episcopal Church here.
Please pray for patience while the legal proceedings go forward. These first steps are crucial in confirming the continuing diocese’s unbroken historic connection with the Episcopal Church and the church property. We will then proceed to deal more directly to recover and restore specific parish property. Be assured, however, both the Presiding Bishop and I are aware of your pain and frustration, as well as being committed to addressing your local concerns thoroughly.
We bid the prayers of all faithful Episcopalians and other Christians as we protect our legacy and fulfill the trust and dreams of those who have gone before.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20,21
The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., D.D.
Bishop of Kentucky and Provisional Bishop of Fort Worth
----------------------------------------
The Episcopal Church, with the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the Corporation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, filed in court today for a declaratory judgment as the rightful owners of all diocesan property, real and personal, including funds and endowments. We feel sorrow that the former diocesan leaders took such actions that led us to this time. However, this is a necessary step in order for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, comprised of Episcopalians of the full theological spectrum, to continue its gospel work in Texas. In other court venues, the courts have ruled in favor of the Episcopal Church and we anticipate a favorable outcome in this case and to a continuation of The Episcopal Church's mission priorities.
---------------------------------------
"Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness as a mighty stream."
Amos 5:24
The petition seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, damages, an accounting, and attorney fees and costs. The petition can be seen here.
This lawsuit is necessary because of actions and decisions of these former diocesan leaders that sought to alienate property and assets of the Episcopal Church and deprived Episcopalians of their use and benefit. Despite courteous demand, the defendants and others continue to use the name and seal of the Diocese and maintain possession and control over diocesan property, including the Diocesan Center, Camp Crucis in Hood County, and significant funds, including endowed funds given for the use of the Episcopal Church.
The Episcopal Church is a party to this litigation and has been very supportive of local efforts to maintain continuity of worship, ministry and mission by and for Episcopalians in North Texas. The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick Jr., provisional bishop, supports the litigation, as does the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, and the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
Recent court decisions in the dioceses of Los Angeles, San Diego, Rochester, Long Island, Colorado and elsewhere have been decided in favor of the Episcopal Church and against those who have sought to leave the Episcopal Church and take its property with them.
The Episcopal Church is an autonomous Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States, Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe.
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth covers 23 counties in North Texas.
The Episcopal Church has a long history in this part of North Texas. Since the mid-19th century, long before the plaintiff diocese was formed, its geographic territory was part of other missionary districts or dioceses of the Episcopal Church. In 1838, The Episcopal Church formed its “Missionary District of the Southwest,” which included the state of Texas, under the jurisdiction of Missionary Bishop Leonidas Polk. In 1850, the General Convention admitted the Diocese of Texas as a part of The Episcopal Church. In 1874, the General Convention divided the Diocese of Texas into the continuing diocese of Texas and the Missionary Districts of North Texas and West Texas. In 1895, upon action of the General Convention, the Missionary District of North Texas became the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Dallas. In 1982, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth was created by General Convention from the western part of the Diocese of Dallas. It continues to carry out the work of the Episcopal Church under the direction of Bishop Gulick.
------------------------------------------
Pastoral Letter from the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick Jr.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, heir and steward of the legacy of generations of faithful Episcopalians, has this day brought suit to recover that legacy. We deeply regret that the decisions and actions of former diocesan leaders have brought us to this difficult moment.
Even before 1850 when this area was part of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, faithful Episcopalians were preaching the saving gospel of Jesus Christ as part of the Episcopal Church in North Texas. After the General Convention created our diocese in 1982, that work continued. Today we, with our Presiding Bishop, remain committed to preaching the gospel as we celebrate the sacraments, care for those in need, and strive for justice and peace. This litigation is designed to move quickly to confirm the historical right of Episcopalians to lead the diocese as stewards of its property as we in humility and hope continue the mission of the Episcopal Church here.
Please pray for patience while the legal proceedings go forward. These first steps are crucial in confirming the continuing diocese’s unbroken historic connection with the Episcopal Church and the church property. We will then proceed to deal more directly to recover and restore specific parish property. Be assured, however, both the Presiding Bishop and I are aware of your pain and frustration, as well as being committed to addressing your local concerns thoroughly.
We bid the prayers of all faithful Episcopalians and other Christians as we protect our legacy and fulfill the trust and dreams of those who have gone before.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20,21
The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., D.D.
Bishop of Kentucky and Provisional Bishop of Fort Worth
----------------------------------------
Statement from the Office of the Presiding Bishop concerning actions in Fort Worth today.
The Episcopal Church, with the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the Corporation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, filed in court today for a declaratory judgment as the rightful owners of all diocesan property, real and personal, including funds and endowments. We feel sorrow that the former diocesan leaders took such actions that led us to this time. However, this is a necessary step in order for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, comprised of Episcopalians of the full theological spectrum, to continue its gospel work in Texas. In other court venues, the courts have ruled in favor of the Episcopal Church and we anticipate a favorable outcome in this case and to a continuation of The Episcopal Church's mission priorities.
---------------------------------------
"Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness as a mighty stream."
Amos 5:24
Monday, April 13, 2009
Taking stock
The beginning of the Easter Season seems a good time to take stock of where we in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth are as we go about the task of beginning a new chapter in our history.
St. Augustine said, “Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are Anger and Courage: Anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.”
Hope's two beautiful daughters have been in evidence here for a long long time.
Many people were long angered and dismayed by the direction our former diocesan leadership chose, and many people courageously spoke up in favor of inclusion of all the baptized, something viewed with distaste and even hostility by our former leaders.
The long faithful work of these folks has paid off, and today the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth moves into the Easter season -- for the most part -- full of hope, energy, and excitement.
But inevitably there are some of us who remain stuck-- stuck in the anger, stuck in the fear.
And no wonder. It is hard, after all the years of being ignored or worse, abused, to unclench one's fists and jaws. Change is hard when you know only one way of being "church." It is made even harder by years of deliberate isolation of the diocese from the larger church.
For the clergy it can be hard because they were expected to be "in charge" and certainly in control of "their" lay people.
For the laity it can be hard because they were expected to sit down, shut up, pray and pay and do what "father" said.
Building a healthy diocese in which the bishop, clergy and laity work together to the mutual good of all and to the end of carrying out God's work in this part of North Texas is our goal. We want a diocese in which transparency and shared ministry is the norm, not the exception. We want a diocese in which all the baptized are welcome and valued and yes, loved.
But if birth is hard, rebirth is harder.
Our old default settings may not have been fun, but they ARE familiar. There can be a kind of strange comfort in that. Fear is the enemy of change, and it whispers seductively of the ease of just letting things go on the way they were.
Plus, many people could easily slide into anger every Sunday as they yet once again haul in an altar and all the things they carry in the trunk of their cars to set up for Sunday Eucharist in a rented space while their own buildings are occupied by non-Episcopalians. The miracle is that so few do revisit that anger.
Indeed, our displaced parishes are among the healthier places in the diocese. They have left fear behind along with most of their parish possessions. They are too busy doing ministry to waste time whining. They do expect to back in their buildings eventually, but they are not making that the center of their lives. They report a sense of liberation, of excitement, of energy and of endless possibility.
They are teaching the rest of us many things, among them patience. They know that time is our best friend right now.
Wounds take time to heal. It takes time to build trust. It takes time to learn new ways of being.
Bishop Ted Gulick is understanding this more with every day he spends in the diocese. And while he is tending to the wounds, he is not encouraging anyone to dwell on them. He takes seriously the harm done here, but even more seriously the work of becoming healthy.
He is loving us, teaching us, partnering with us in learning change.
He wants us all out there living the gospel message, not inside licking our wounds.
Yes, there is still much work to do. But all in all as we enter the Easter Season, I'd say the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is doing well and getting better every day.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Eastertide
The Lord is Risen! Alleluia!
One of my favorite things in a bronze sculpture by David Newton. It is the moment of Resurrection -- we look on as Death loses its grip on Jesus.
In this piece, Resurrection doesn't look easy. But then, maybe it never is.
There are many things trying to keep us from entering into new life,
fear being the strongest. Easter reminds us that it is worth the effort.
After church, my family gathered for a meal cooked by my talented son-in-law and then, of course, multiple Easter egg hunts.
Curran and Gavin looked for the eggs hidden by their father and me.
There were a few debates about who saw which egg first.
Gavin was astonished to discover candy inside some of the eggs!
Molly dog supervised the hunts, and then walked the garden with me as the day wound down.
Bouganvillea bloomed inside the greenhouse as Rose of Sharon sprouted baby leaves outside.
The beloved Texas Bluebonnets lit up the grass.
Dwarf cannas caught the late sun.
Pincushion flowers leaned on one another.
A late but much appreciated daffodil showed up.
The Spiderwort's lovely flowers once again redeemed its unfortunate name.
Geraniums by the fountain glowed as the sun sank in the sky.
Clematis went from purple to pink as the light changed.
And the Chapel Garden choir greeted the vesper light.
May your Easter season be filled with beauty, courage, and laughter.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
A much-needed prayer
This litany was written by the Rev'd Joseph A. Harmon, an African American priest in New Jersey.
For more than a generation, people in THIS diocese have been carefully tutored in heterosexism and homophobia has been nurtured by people who call themselves spiritual leaders. Such teaching has terrible consequences for our LGBT sisters and brothers in Christ.
But it also has terrible consequences for those who teach such things, for it is a violation of our Baptismal Covenant. It causes parish leaders to cater to the homophobia of those who threaten to leave if all God's people are invited to God's Table. Worse, it tempts people into thinking they have the power to decide who is within the circle of God's love and who is not.
If ever there was a prayer needed in this diocese, this is it.
---------------------------------
A Litany for Healing Homophobia
Celebrant:
Sometimes it is too easy for us to forget the oppression that we create when we fail to recognize those who may be different from us as our sisters and brothers. Today, let us pray that each of us individually, our church, our community and our world, may be healed of homophobia's oppression so that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people may live with dignity and respect, in safety and wholeness. May we remember and not forget God's call to reconciliation.
Leader: O God, when we pray, help us to remember. Help us to remember those we would rather not remember, those we would rather not see, those we would rather not love, and those we would rather not accept.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That you created us in your image and that all that you created is good.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That you call us to be sisters and brothers of Christ and of one another.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That we have not readily welcomed all our sisters and brothers, especially those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: When we hear our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender sisters and brothers called foul names that we should speak up to stop such abuse.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: When we hear of people brutalized and murdered because others perceive them to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender that they are children of God, worthy of dignity and respect.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That there are still countries around the globe where Gay and Lesbian people receive the death penalty just for being Gay and Lesbian.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That millions of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people are still closeted within faith communities that do not treat them with value, respect and acceptance.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That every year, Lesbian and Gay-friendly churches are still targets of vandalism and hate crimes based on homophobia.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That homophobia contributes to higher rates of suicide in Lesbian and Gay teens, higher rates of Lesbian and Gay homelessness, lower wages for Lesbians, and employment and housing difficulties for Lesbian and Gay people.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That homophobia distorts the spiritual message of God's love for all people.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That we can do something to end homophobia by opening our hearts and minds to see Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people as our sisters and brothers.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That we can participate in healing our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities and churches of homophobia by creating a space where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people may find safety, respect and acceptance.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: And now, aloud or silently in our hearts, let us name our own needs and concerns and those needs and concerns, those individuals and groups, who have asked our prayers (the congregation is encouraged to speak their prayers and intentions at this time).
Celebrant:
Gracious and loving God, who hates nothing that you create and desires that all should come to know your love: help us to remember the things that we have heard this day, the things that your Holy Spirit teaches us, and those things that we know to be right and just.
Make us ambassadors of your reconciling goodness as we work to heal the oppression of homophobia and the scars it has inflicted upon so many individuals and families, institutions and communities.
Empower us to reach out in love to all people, including our sisters and brothers that are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. We ask this through Jesus the Christ, who himself was despised and rejected and by whose wounds we are healed.
AMEN.
Copyright © 2009 by the Rev'd Joseph A. Harmon,
Pastor, Church of the Incarnation, Jersey City, NJ.
Permission freely granted for liturgical use, with attribution. [And permission was granted for use on this blog.]
For more than a generation, people in THIS diocese have been carefully tutored in heterosexism and homophobia has been nurtured by people who call themselves spiritual leaders. Such teaching has terrible consequences for our LGBT sisters and brothers in Christ.
But it also has terrible consequences for those who teach such things, for it is a violation of our Baptismal Covenant. It causes parish leaders to cater to the homophobia of those who threaten to leave if all God's people are invited to God's Table. Worse, it tempts people into thinking they have the power to decide who is within the circle of God's love and who is not.
If ever there was a prayer needed in this diocese, this is it.
---------------------------------
A Litany for Healing Homophobia
Celebrant:
Sometimes it is too easy for us to forget the oppression that we create when we fail to recognize those who may be different from us as our sisters and brothers. Today, let us pray that each of us individually, our church, our community and our world, may be healed of homophobia's oppression so that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people may live with dignity and respect, in safety and wholeness. May we remember and not forget God's call to reconciliation.
Leader: O God, when we pray, help us to remember. Help us to remember those we would rather not remember, those we would rather not see, those we would rather not love, and those we would rather not accept.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That you created us in your image and that all that you created is good.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That you call us to be sisters and brothers of Christ and of one another.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That we have not readily welcomed all our sisters and brothers, especially those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: When we hear our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender sisters and brothers called foul names that we should speak up to stop such abuse.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: When we hear of people brutalized and murdered because others perceive them to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender that they are children of God, worthy of dignity and respect.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That there are still countries around the globe where Gay and Lesbian people receive the death penalty just for being Gay and Lesbian.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That millions of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people are still closeted within faith communities that do not treat them with value, respect and acceptance.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That every year, Lesbian and Gay-friendly churches are still targets of vandalism and hate crimes based on homophobia.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That homophobia contributes to higher rates of suicide in Lesbian and Gay teens, higher rates of Lesbian and Gay homelessness, lower wages for Lesbians, and employment and housing difficulties for Lesbian and Gay people.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That homophobia distorts the spiritual message of God's love for all people.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That we can do something to end homophobia by opening our hearts and minds to see Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people as our sisters and brothers.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: That we can participate in healing our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities and churches of homophobia by creating a space where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people may find safety, respect and acceptance.
People: Help us to remember, O God.
Leader: And now, aloud or silently in our hearts, let us name our own needs and concerns and those needs and concerns, those individuals and groups, who have asked our prayers (the congregation is encouraged to speak their prayers and intentions at this time).
Celebrant:
Gracious and loving God, who hates nothing that you create and desires that all should come to know your love: help us to remember the things that we have heard this day, the things that your Holy Spirit teaches us, and those things that we know to be right and just.
Make us ambassadors of your reconciling goodness as we work to heal the oppression of homophobia and the scars it has inflicted upon so many individuals and families, institutions and communities.
Empower us to reach out in love to all people, including our sisters and brothers that are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people. We ask this through Jesus the Christ, who himself was despised and rejected and by whose wounds we are healed.
AMEN.
Copyright © 2009 by the Rev'd Joseph A. Harmon,
Pastor, Church of the Incarnation, Jersey City, NJ.
Permission freely granted for liturgical use, with attribution. [And permission was granted for use on this blog.]
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Brite Divinity School adds Episcopal Studies Program
Below is an announcement of great good news for Episcopalians in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. It is not only an opportunity for lay people to pursue theological study, it also offers a local place for Episcopalians to study for ordination to the priesthood.
But perhaps even more important, it is deeply symbolic of our diocese's move out of isolation and into a healthier relationship with our community as well as with our larger church. That is worth celebrating.
-------------------------------
Brite Divinity School at TCU will add Episcopal Studies Program in fall 2009
FORT WORTH, TX (March 26, 2009) — Brite Divinity School has announced the establishment of an Episcopal Studies Program rooted in classical Anglican tradition.
The Episcopal Studies Program will begin on Aug. 24 with the opening of the fall 2009 semester.
The Rev. Fred Barber, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, has been named part-time acting director of the new program, which will allow candidates for the Episcopal priesthood to complete the Master of Divinity in preparation for ordination without leaving North Texas. The program has the enthusiastic support of the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. (Ted) Gulick, Jr., provisional bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. It will follow the model of the other denominational studies programs at Brite.
Brite is affiliated with Texas Christian University and related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). President Dr. Newell Williams notes that the school has long been committed to serving the whole church. In addition to enrolling students from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Brite offers specialized programs in Baptist Studies, Presbyterian Studies and United Methodist Studies. Each denominational studies program has a program director that helps students maintain connections to their denomination. Brite also offers courses addressing distinctive traditions and contemporary issues of African American, Hispanic and Asian American faith communities, provides courses in Jewish Studies and sponsors a Catholic lecture series.
The Episcopal Studies Program will be funded by individual donors.
For more information, contact the Dean’s office at Brite Divinity School, 817-257-7577.
-30-
But perhaps even more important, it is deeply symbolic of our diocese's move out of isolation and into a healthier relationship with our community as well as with our larger church. That is worth celebrating.
-------------------------------
Brite Divinity School at TCU will add Episcopal Studies Program in fall 2009
FORT WORTH, TX (March 26, 2009) — Brite Divinity School has announced the establishment of an Episcopal Studies Program rooted in classical Anglican tradition.
The Episcopal Studies Program will begin on Aug. 24 with the opening of the fall 2009 semester.
The Rev. Fred Barber, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, has been named part-time acting director of the new program, which will allow candidates for the Episcopal priesthood to complete the Master of Divinity in preparation for ordination without leaving North Texas. The program has the enthusiastic support of the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. (Ted) Gulick, Jr., provisional bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. It will follow the model of the other denominational studies programs at Brite.
Brite is affiliated with Texas Christian University and related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). President Dr. Newell Williams notes that the school has long been committed to serving the whole church. In addition to enrolling students from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Brite offers specialized programs in Baptist Studies, Presbyterian Studies and United Methodist Studies. Each denominational studies program has a program director that helps students maintain connections to their denomination. Brite also offers courses addressing distinctive traditions and contemporary issues of African American, Hispanic and Asian American faith communities, provides courses in Jewish Studies and sponsors a Catholic lecture series.
The Episcopal Studies Program will be funded by individual donors.
For more information, contact the Dean’s office at Brite Divinity School, 817-257-7577.
-30-
The Episcopal Church wins again
[UPDATED. See below.]
"While freedom of religion recognizes the right of any faction within a church to leave that church whenever they choose, the trust that has been created through past generations of members of Grace Church and St. Stephen's prohibits the departing parish members from taking the property with them.” Colorado District Court Judge Larry Schwartz
Here's the news of another victory for the Episcopal Church in a dispute over property ownership. You can also read it here:
Statement Regarding March 24 El Paso County District Court Ruling
The Bishop and Diocese of Colorado, and the more than 500 members of Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church rejoice today that the members of the Episcopal parish will be returning to their church home as a result of a decision issued by District Court Judge Larry Schwartz. In that ruling, Judge Schwartz found that the historic property is held in trust for the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church and ordered the breakaway congregation that wrongfully took possession of the property two years ago to leave. Judge Schwartz' opinion states:
“I find and conclude that, like [Bishop and Diocese of Colo. v. Mote, 716 P.2d 85 (Colo. 1986)], the founding documents, various bylaws, relevant canons of the general church and consistent parish loyalty to the diocese over most of its 135 year existence demonstrate a unity of purpose on the part of the parish and of the general church that reflects the intent that all property held by the parish would be dedicated to and utilized for the advancement of the work of [the Episcopal Church of the United States of America]. While freedom of religion recognizes the right of any faction within a church to leave that church whenever they choose, the trust that has been created through past generations of members of Grace Church and St. Stephen's prohibits the departing parish members from taking the property with them.”
The Bishop of Colorado, the Rt. Rev. Robert J. O’Neill expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, saying, “This outcome honors the history of Grace and St. Stephen’s as an Episcopal parish, and of the Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs. We are extremely pleased that present and future generations of Episcopalians in the Colorado Springs community will continue to worship on Tejon Street.”
"We're coming home!” said Lynn L. Olney, senior warden of Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, "and we invite all our friends to come home with us. During the past two years of exile, our parish congregation has shown the meaning of a faith community. Now, we're coming home!”
“We are very pleased that the judge was persuaded by the significant legal precedent that, while individual members and even clergy may leave a church, they may not take church property with them,” said Larry Hitt, chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese. “Today’s ruling is consistent with the outcome of similar cases throughout the country, almost all of which have held that breakaway groups do not have the right to take away church property,” Hitt added.
Martin Nussbaum, lead attorney for the Episcopal Diocese and Parish said, “We are very pleased. The District Court's decision affirms the First Amendment freedom of churches to define their own governance and property relationships. It is difficult to imagine a much more important constitutional freedom for people of faith in this country.”
The Rev. Martin Pearsall, priest in residence at Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church remarked that “These past two years have been a time of challenge for the people of Grace Episcopal, and we have grown in faith, in love and in service to the community. We are thankful that the court has returned our property to us, and we are eager to resume our worship and ministry at our historic facility.”
He went on to say, “There are no winners here, just lots of wounded faithful people. It will be our task and responsibility in the months ahead to strive for healing and to reach out into the community.”
The 500 members of the Episcopal congregation have been worshipping at nearby First Christian Church for nearly two years, while the case has worked its way through the court. “We cannot express enough gratitude to our brothers and sisters at First Christian for their continued hospitality and genuine fellowship,” Olney said.
The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado comprises 115 congregations and diocesan institutions all over the state, and is part of The Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church continues to be one of the largest congregations in the diocese.
# # #
Read more at Eiscopal Cafe here and here.
Let those who have ears to hear, hear.
------------------------
From the Colorado Springs Gazette:
Judge orders Anglican parish to vacate Grace church by April 3
March 25, 2009 - 11:21 AM
MARK BARNA
THE GAZETTE
A judge on Wednesday ordered the Anglican parish that's been meeting at Grace Church, 631 N. Tejon St., to vacate the building by April 3 at 5 p.m., setting the stage for the exiled Grace and St. Stephen's Episcopal parish to hold its first service in the gothic church on Palm Sunday.
Judge Larry Schwartz also ordered the Anglican parish priest, Donald Armstrong, to vacate the rectory, where he lives on Electra Drive in the Skyline Way area, by May 8. This revised the original order issued on Tuesday, which stated that Armstrong would have to vacate by April 1.
The motion hearing in Fourth Judicial Court was held to resolve issues involving transition of the parishes into and out of Grace Church and those involving security of the $17 million property, among other issues. Schwartz urged both sides to work together to get through this transition. "If we act like adults, this can all be resolved," he said.
Read it all here.
"While freedom of religion recognizes the right of any faction within a church to leave that church whenever they choose, the trust that has been created through past generations of members of Grace Church and St. Stephen's prohibits the departing parish members from taking the property with them.” Colorado District Court Judge Larry Schwartz
**************************************************
Here's the news of another victory for the Episcopal Church in a dispute over property ownership. You can also read it here:
Statement Regarding March 24 El Paso County District Court Ruling
The Bishop and Diocese of Colorado, and the more than 500 members of Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church rejoice today that the members of the Episcopal parish will be returning to their church home as a result of a decision issued by District Court Judge Larry Schwartz. In that ruling, Judge Schwartz found that the historic property is held in trust for the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church and ordered the breakaway congregation that wrongfully took possession of the property two years ago to leave. Judge Schwartz' opinion states:
“I find and conclude that, like [Bishop and Diocese of Colo. v. Mote, 716 P.2d 85 (Colo. 1986)], the founding documents, various bylaws, relevant canons of the general church and consistent parish loyalty to the diocese over most of its 135 year existence demonstrate a unity of purpose on the part of the parish and of the general church that reflects the intent that all property held by the parish would be dedicated to and utilized for the advancement of the work of [the Episcopal Church of the United States of America]. While freedom of religion recognizes the right of any faction within a church to leave that church whenever they choose, the trust that has been created through past generations of members of Grace Church and St. Stephen's prohibits the departing parish members from taking the property with them.”
The Bishop of Colorado, the Rt. Rev. Robert J. O’Neill expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, saying, “This outcome honors the history of Grace and St. Stephen’s as an Episcopal parish, and of the Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs. We are extremely pleased that present and future generations of Episcopalians in the Colorado Springs community will continue to worship on Tejon Street.”
"We're coming home!” said Lynn L. Olney, senior warden of Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, "and we invite all our friends to come home with us. During the past two years of exile, our parish congregation has shown the meaning of a faith community. Now, we're coming home!”
“We are very pleased that the judge was persuaded by the significant legal precedent that, while individual members and even clergy may leave a church, they may not take church property with them,” said Larry Hitt, chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese. “Today’s ruling is consistent with the outcome of similar cases throughout the country, almost all of which have held that breakaway groups do not have the right to take away church property,” Hitt added.
Martin Nussbaum, lead attorney for the Episcopal Diocese and Parish said, “We are very pleased. The District Court's decision affirms the First Amendment freedom of churches to define their own governance and property relationships. It is difficult to imagine a much more important constitutional freedom for people of faith in this country.”
The Rev. Martin Pearsall, priest in residence at Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church remarked that “These past two years have been a time of challenge for the people of Grace Episcopal, and we have grown in faith, in love and in service to the community. We are thankful that the court has returned our property to us, and we are eager to resume our worship and ministry at our historic facility.”
He went on to say, “There are no winners here, just lots of wounded faithful people. It will be our task and responsibility in the months ahead to strive for healing and to reach out into the community.”
The 500 members of the Episcopal congregation have been worshipping at nearby First Christian Church for nearly two years, while the case has worked its way through the court. “We cannot express enough gratitude to our brothers and sisters at First Christian for their continued hospitality and genuine fellowship,” Olney said.
The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado comprises 115 congregations and diocesan institutions all over the state, and is part of The Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church continues to be one of the largest congregations in the diocese.
# # #
Read more at Eiscopal Cafe here and here.
Let those who have ears to hear, hear.
------------------------
From the Colorado Springs Gazette:
Judge orders Anglican parish to vacate Grace church by April 3
March 25, 2009 - 11:21 AM
MARK BARNA
THE GAZETTE
A judge on Wednesday ordered the Anglican parish that's been meeting at Grace Church, 631 N. Tejon St., to vacate the building by April 3 at 5 p.m., setting the stage for the exiled Grace and St. Stephen's Episcopal parish to hold its first service in the gothic church on Palm Sunday.
Judge Larry Schwartz also ordered the Anglican parish priest, Donald Armstrong, to vacate the rectory, where he lives on Electra Drive in the Skyline Way area, by May 8. This revised the original order issued on Tuesday, which stated that Armstrong would have to vacate by April 1.
The motion hearing in Fourth Judicial Court was held to resolve issues involving transition of the parishes into and out of Grace Church and those involving security of the $17 million property, among other issues. Schwartz urged both sides to work together to get through this transition. "If we act like adults, this can all be resolved," he said.
Read it all here.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Violence in the House of God
When was the last time your parish talked about family violence?
I suspect it never has.
My education on the subject began in my early 20s. I was a very young reporter when I met the person who opened my eyes to that grim reality.
She was my age -- 22 -- and every part of her body that was visible was black and blue. Three of her teeth had been knocked out. Part of her ear had been bitten off. Her right arm was broken as were three ribs. She didn't know yet if the doctors had been able to save the vision in her left eye, which was still covered with heavy bandages.
Who had beaten this woman so horribly?
It was her husband of six months, the man who said he loved her. After her husband had slapped her the first time, she had gone for help and advice to the minister who had married them. He told her to "examine her conscience" to see if she was being "properly submissive" to her husband. When she went back after the third beating, he scolded her for not trying hard enough to please her husband. When she got out of the hospital after this last beating, she didn't bother to call her minister. Nor did she ever go back to church. When I saw her a few years ago, she was still angry and bitter at "Christians."
My friend who introduced me to this woman had said only that I needed to hear her story, because she was only one of the hundreds of battered women each year who came into the emergency room where my friend worked.
Battered women? I had never heard that term before, but as I encountered this incarnation of the term I was shocked into speechlessness.
To my shame, the first question I managed to ask her was, 'What did you do to make him so angry?"
Essentially I was asking what she had done to deserve such a beating.
The truth is, of course, that she had nothing to "deserve" that beating. She had just been a convenient target for her husband's frustration, anger and control issues.
My encounter with her began my education into the dark and secret world of family violence, a world in which women are targets of abuse ranging from verbal slurs and threats to slaps to a brutality so horrible that veteran police officers often throw up at the sight of the victims.
Battering is the single largest cause of injury to women, more than muggings, rapes and car wrecks. Domestic violence is the largest cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44. Women are more often the victims of domestic violence than victims of burglary, muggings, or other physical crimes combined. Forty-two percent of murdered women are killed by their intimate male partners.
When I began my education, these women were often abandoned by their families [you made your bed, you lie in it], by law enforcement [what did you do to make him so mad?], by the court system [DAs routinely refused to prosecute the man unless the woman agreed to divorce him], and perhaps most painfully, by their churches. Pastors, priests, rabbis and ministers usually counseled these women to "forgive" their husbands, and urged them to continue to "submit" to the very men who were beating them.
Since that encounter in the early 1970s, the treatment of victims of family violence has vastly improved, largely due to the efforts of women's groups. Shelters now exist where women can find safety for themselves and their children while they put their lives back together. Police officers are trained in the realities of domestic violence. Laws have been improved and prosecutors and the courts have vastly the changed the way these women are treated.
Men have begun to realize their responsibilities in combating family violence. And slowly, much too slowly, the mainstream media has begun to deal with the issue.
The one place that's been the slowest to deal with this issue? That would be the religious community.
We saw how things had improved in the media when rapper Chris Brown severely beat up his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. It was reported as a crime, not as a lover's spat among celebrities. And when Rihanna decided to continue the relationship, many stars, including Oprah, cautioned her that "he will beat you again." Many talk shows discussed the issues of family violence in depth.
How many sermons did you hear about it? How many adult forums were held at churches on the issue of family violence? How many youth groups discussed it?
Why should churches be concerned? Because real life ordinary women and way too many teen-aged girls -- part of the Body of Christ -- are being beaten up in increasing numbers by men who say they love them. And way too often these men use the Bible as justification for their violence.
And as the economy worsens, family violence is on the rise.
Our local paper reported that area shelters and family violence hot lines have seen demand rise significantly in recent months.
"I don't know that I've ever seen a spike like this, " the Star-Telegram quoted Mary Lee Hafley, CEO of SafeHaven of Tarrant County. Of the 29 shelters the paper surveyed statewide, 83 percent reported an increase in hot line calls and admittance to shelters. The survey was funded by the Allstate Foundation.
"Our emergency rooms, our shelters, our hot lines and our law enforcement folks started seeing a higher number of incidents of domestic violence," the paper quoted Jane-marie Clark of the Foundation as saying. She also said that abusers are becoming more violent and that fatalities are increasing.
In all of last year, only seven of the county's 50 homicides involved domestic violence, the paper reported. So far this year, of the 11 homicides in Tarrant County, six have involved domestic violence.
And this is in a state that hasn't been as hard hit by the recession as have others.
This increase is also coming at a time when shelters and hot lines have seen significant drops in donations. Many are having to reduce staff at shelters, which reduces the number of women they can house. And hot lines are cutting staff as well.
When a woman is turned away from a shelter, or can't get through to a hot line, it isn't just an inconvenience. It can be a matter of life and death.
The most dangerous time for a girl or a woman in an abusive relationship is when she tries to leave it.
If she can't get into a safe place where he can't find her, she will almost certainly end up dead.
How many times have you read a variation on this headline -- "Man Kills Estranged Wife [or Girlfriend]"? We all read story after story of dead women and girls, killed by the men who were abusing them.
What can your church do?
-- Make sure your clergy have received training in how to spot signs of family violence. Local shelters can help arrange such training. This training will also help clergy deal pastorally with the victims AND the abusers. And just because the abuser is one of the big donors to the parish is NOT a reason to turn a blind eye.
-- Have adult forums on family violence. It happens in the "best" and most prosperous families as well as the poorest, so don't think your parish is immune just because your congregation is well-off.
-- Have counselors in to talk with the youth of the parish about date rape and other forms of violence. Why should you do this? Read Ten Facts About Teen Dating Violence here. Here are some of the shocking facts they report:
* Each year approximately one in four adolescents reports verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
* Approximately one in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.
* Nearly 80% of girls who have been victims of physical abuse in their dating relationships continue to date the abuser. [Shades of Rihanna and Chris Brown.]
* Nearly 20% of teen girls who have been in a relationship said that their boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm in the event of a break-up.
* Nearly 70% of young women who have been raped knew their rapist; the perpetrator was or had been a boyfriend, friend, or casual acquaintance.
* The majority of teen dating abuse occurs in the home of one of the partners.
* Dating violence among their peers is reported by 54% of high school students.
Have the girls meet separately from the boys. And have some much-admired men in to talk to the boys about how real men don't beat up women.
-- Preach and teach about this. The Bible has been used for centuries to oppress women and still is being used today to teach women that "good" women submit to their husbands -- even if those husbands are beating them.
-- Adopt a local shelter as one of your outreach ministries. Now more than ever, they need our money and time.
The Church has great deal of women's blood on its hands.
It's time for the Church to help change this.
I suspect it never has.
My education on the subject began in my early 20s. I was a very young reporter when I met the person who opened my eyes to that grim reality.
She was my age -- 22 -- and every part of her body that was visible was black and blue. Three of her teeth had been knocked out. Part of her ear had been bitten off. Her right arm was broken as were three ribs. She didn't know yet if the doctors had been able to save the vision in her left eye, which was still covered with heavy bandages.
Who had beaten this woman so horribly?
It was her husband of six months, the man who said he loved her. After her husband had slapped her the first time, she had gone for help and advice to the minister who had married them. He told her to "examine her conscience" to see if she was being "properly submissive" to her husband. When she went back after the third beating, he scolded her for not trying hard enough to please her husband. When she got out of the hospital after this last beating, she didn't bother to call her minister. Nor did she ever go back to church. When I saw her a few years ago, she was still angry and bitter at "Christians."
My friend who introduced me to this woman had said only that I needed to hear her story, because she was only one of the hundreds of battered women each year who came into the emergency room where my friend worked.
Battered women? I had never heard that term before, but as I encountered this incarnation of the term I was shocked into speechlessness.
To my shame, the first question I managed to ask her was, 'What did you do to make him so angry?"
Essentially I was asking what she had done to deserve such a beating.
The truth is, of course, that she had nothing to "deserve" that beating. She had just been a convenient target for her husband's frustration, anger and control issues.
My encounter with her began my education into the dark and secret world of family violence, a world in which women are targets of abuse ranging from verbal slurs and threats to slaps to a brutality so horrible that veteran police officers often throw up at the sight of the victims.
Battering is the single largest cause of injury to women, more than muggings, rapes and car wrecks. Domestic violence is the largest cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44. Women are more often the victims of domestic violence than victims of burglary, muggings, or other physical crimes combined. Forty-two percent of murdered women are killed by their intimate male partners.
When I began my education, these women were often abandoned by their families [you made your bed, you lie in it], by law enforcement [what did you do to make him so mad?], by the court system [DAs routinely refused to prosecute the man unless the woman agreed to divorce him], and perhaps most painfully, by their churches. Pastors, priests, rabbis and ministers usually counseled these women to "forgive" their husbands, and urged them to continue to "submit" to the very men who were beating them.
Since that encounter in the early 1970s, the treatment of victims of family violence has vastly improved, largely due to the efforts of women's groups. Shelters now exist where women can find safety for themselves and their children while they put their lives back together. Police officers are trained in the realities of domestic violence. Laws have been improved and prosecutors and the courts have vastly the changed the way these women are treated.
Men have begun to realize their responsibilities in combating family violence. And slowly, much too slowly, the mainstream media has begun to deal with the issue.
The one place that's been the slowest to deal with this issue? That would be the religious community.
We saw how things had improved in the media when rapper Chris Brown severely beat up his girlfriend, singer Rihanna. It was reported as a crime, not as a lover's spat among celebrities. And when Rihanna decided to continue the relationship, many stars, including Oprah, cautioned her that "he will beat you again." Many talk shows discussed the issues of family violence in depth.
How many sermons did you hear about it? How many adult forums were held at churches on the issue of family violence? How many youth groups discussed it?
Why should churches be concerned? Because real life ordinary women and way too many teen-aged girls -- part of the Body of Christ -- are being beaten up in increasing numbers by men who say they love them. And way too often these men use the Bible as justification for their violence.
And as the economy worsens, family violence is on the rise.
Our local paper reported that area shelters and family violence hot lines have seen demand rise significantly in recent months.
"I don't know that I've ever seen a spike like this, " the Star-Telegram quoted Mary Lee Hafley, CEO of SafeHaven of Tarrant County. Of the 29 shelters the paper surveyed statewide, 83 percent reported an increase in hot line calls and admittance to shelters. The survey was funded by the Allstate Foundation.
"Our emergency rooms, our shelters, our hot lines and our law enforcement folks started seeing a higher number of incidents of domestic violence," the paper quoted Jane-marie Clark of the Foundation as saying. She also said that abusers are becoming more violent and that fatalities are increasing.
In all of last year, only seven of the county's 50 homicides involved domestic violence, the paper reported. So far this year, of the 11 homicides in Tarrant County, six have involved domestic violence.
And this is in a state that hasn't been as hard hit by the recession as have others.
This increase is also coming at a time when shelters and hot lines have seen significant drops in donations. Many are having to reduce staff at shelters, which reduces the number of women they can house. And hot lines are cutting staff as well.
When a woman is turned away from a shelter, or can't get through to a hot line, it isn't just an inconvenience. It can be a matter of life and death.
The most dangerous time for a girl or a woman in an abusive relationship is when she tries to leave it.
If she can't get into a safe place where he can't find her, she will almost certainly end up dead.
How many times have you read a variation on this headline -- "Man Kills Estranged Wife [or Girlfriend]"? We all read story after story of dead women and girls, killed by the men who were abusing them.
What can your church do?
-- Make sure your clergy have received training in how to spot signs of family violence. Local shelters can help arrange such training. This training will also help clergy deal pastorally with the victims AND the abusers. And just because the abuser is one of the big donors to the parish is NOT a reason to turn a blind eye.
-- Have adult forums on family violence. It happens in the "best" and most prosperous families as well as the poorest, so don't think your parish is immune just because your congregation is well-off.
-- Have counselors in to talk with the youth of the parish about date rape and other forms of violence. Why should you do this? Read Ten Facts About Teen Dating Violence here. Here are some of the shocking facts they report:
* Each year approximately one in four adolescents reports verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
* Approximately one in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.
* Nearly 80% of girls who have been victims of physical abuse in their dating relationships continue to date the abuser. [Shades of Rihanna and Chris Brown.]
* Nearly 20% of teen girls who have been in a relationship said that their boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm in the event of a break-up.
* Nearly 70% of young women who have been raped knew their rapist; the perpetrator was or had been a boyfriend, friend, or casual acquaintance.
* The majority of teen dating abuse occurs in the home of one of the partners.
* Dating violence among their peers is reported by 54% of high school students.
Have the girls meet separately from the boys. And have some much-admired men in to talk to the boys about how real men don't beat up women.
-- Preach and teach about this. The Bible has been used for centuries to oppress women and still is being used today to teach women that "good" women submit to their husbands -- even if those husbands are beating them.
-- Adopt a local shelter as one of your outreach ministries. Now more than ever, they need our money and time.
The Church has great deal of women's blood on its hands.
It's time for the Church to help change this.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Blossoms in the rain
It's a rainy day in Fort Worth -- been rainy all week, much to the joy of all of us in this drought-plagued part of Texas. Even though all this rain won't be enough to break the drought, it certainly helps!
The land is loving it. With every drop that falls it seems another plant bursts into bloom. Nature is not the slightest bit interested in the fact that we are in the midst of Lent. She's sending out heralds of Easter everywhere -- Texas and Oklahoma Redbuds covered with an almost embarrassing array of blooms, iris in all colors, forsythia so brightly yellow that it seems sunny even on the grayest of days.
In my garden the Lady Banks rose, the Carolina jasmine [or jessamine] and the Mexican plum tree have conspired to produce a ridiculously colorful show, as you can see below.
Many of us in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth share nature's problem. Joy keeps leaking into our keeping of Lent. Not that Lent needs to be all gray and dour -- indeed some of the most powerful Lenten experiences I have had in my life have involved a wonderful breaking through into a new understanding of God's love and forgiveness, always an experience of joy.
All the same, I'm not sure that giddy joy is what one expects during Lent. But that is indeed what we keep encountering here in Fort Worth.
When Gayland and I arrived a bit late for the first of our diocesan Lenten series, this one featuring the Rev. Mary Earle, we walked into St. Christophers' parish hall and into such a joyful noise we both started laughing. The room was FILLED with talking, laughing, smiling, hugging Episcopalians. I turned to Gayland and said, "Isn't this grand? I can't remember a time when I walked into a diocesan event and saw so many smiling people."
The land is loving it. With every drop that falls it seems another plant bursts into bloom. Nature is not the slightest bit interested in the fact that we are in the midst of Lent. She's sending out heralds of Easter everywhere -- Texas and Oklahoma Redbuds covered with an almost embarrassing array of blooms, iris in all colors, forsythia so brightly yellow that it seems sunny even on the grayest of days.
In my garden the Lady Banks rose, the Carolina jasmine [or jessamine] and the Mexican plum tree have conspired to produce a ridiculously colorful show, as you can see below.
Many of us in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth share nature's problem. Joy keeps leaking into our keeping of Lent. Not that Lent needs to be all gray and dour -- indeed some of the most powerful Lenten experiences I have had in my life have involved a wonderful breaking through into a new understanding of God's love and forgiveness, always an experience of joy.All the same, I'm not sure that giddy joy is what one expects during Lent. But that is indeed what we keep encountering here in Fort Worth.
When Gayland and I arrived a bit late for the first of our diocesan Lenten series, this one featuring the Rev. Mary Earle, we walked into St. Christophers' parish hall and into such a joyful noise we both started laughing. The room was FILLED with talking, laughing, smiling, hugging Episcopalians. I turned to Gayland and said, "Isn't this grand? I can't remember a time when I walked into a diocesan event and saw so many smiling people."
Attendance at the Lenten Series has remained good. Last week we had our own Sam McClain, rector of St. Luke's in Stephenville, and tonight the Rev. Terry Martin, from the office of evangelism at the Church Center will speak. He celebrates and preaches tomorrow at St.Luke's Fort Worth.
St. Christophers is THE place to BE, folks, on Saturday nights. Come at 5 to have soup and salad and to get loved on, then at 6 listen to the speaker and at 7 we'll finish with Compline. You can make a reservation here. It's fun to meet Episcopalians from other parishes.
Here's a short parish update.
Here is what the Episcopalians of St. Anne's wrote this week:
-------------------------------
Hi There -
As you may have heard, St. Anne's Episcopal Church continues within the Ft. Worth diocese of The Episcopal Church. We are a happy group of parishioners who worship together at least once a month in someone's home with a priest presiding. A pot luck lunch and social follows our service. Our next service will be at 10AM on Sunday, March 22, at Bob & Linda Johnson's home, phone number 817-236-5523. Father Courtland Moore, Canon to the Ordinary, will preside. Please come. Bring your friends.
On a personal note.....I have experienced a renewed joy with our ancient faith - a faith where all are truly welcomed to the unending love, mercy and saving grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are a part of a much larger church. People quite literally around the world have been praying for us. I have worshipped at other parishes, and attended diocesan events - and there is a great happiness and sense of community and purpose. Currently on Saturday's, there is an awesome Lenten series of soup and social, featuring a different guest speaker every week, followed by evening prayer at St. Christophers. You can find more information at the diocese web site: http://www.episcopaldiocesefortworth.org/ While you are at the web site, be sure to read about our new Bishop The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. "Ted" Gulick Jr. His visitation schedule is on the web site - and you simply must hear him preach!
We hope you will come and experience what a small faith community is all about.
Blessings to All!
St. Anne's Episcopal Church
------------------------------------
On Sunday I worshipped with St. Simon's, a historically African American parish in the diocese. They are using St. Christophers lovely new chapel for their services. But now they have a problem -- they are outgrowing the space!
When I worshipped with them a couple of months ago, there were 15 people at the service. Sunday there were about 43 to 45.
What have they done that accounts for this growth? They have been happy Episcopalians, worshipping God, loving one another, and reaching out to those in need.
St. Stephens in Hurst is helping Christ the King as it gets established in its new worship space at St. Giles Presbyterian Church on Chapin Road. And St. Elisabeth's is reaching out to St. Anne's.
The Episcopalians in Wichita Falls are having their own Lenten Series and happily worshipping and doing ministry, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church meeting in the Chapel of United Regional Hospital, 8th Street Campus; and St. Stephens in its own building.
Bp. Ted Gulick continues his visits around the diocese. His schedule is available here. Come meet him and listen to him preach.
Wonderful things are happening here as we worship and seek to carry out God's mission as the Episcopal Church in this part of North Texas.
Monday, March 09, 2009
The "T" in LGBT
The "T" in LGBT stands for Transgender -- and it's a group that even the L, G and B [Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual] segments of that acronym often are uncomfortable with.
Here is how GLAAD -- Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -- defines terms dealing with this issue:
Transgender -An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include but is not limited to: transsexuals, cross-dressers, and other gender-variant people. Transgender people may identify as female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Use the descriptive term (transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, FTM or MTF) preferred by the individual. Transgender people may or may not choose to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically.
Transsexual (also Transexual) -An older term which originated in the medical and psychological communities. Many transgender people prefer the term "transgender" to "transsexual." Some transsexual people still prefer to use the term to describe themselves. However, unlike transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term, and many transgender people do not identify as transsexual. It is best to ask which term an individual prefers.
Transition -Altering one's birth sex is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a long period of time. Transition includes some or all of the following cultural, legal and medical adjustments: telling one's family, friends, and/or co-workers; changing one's name and/or sex on legal documents; hormone therapy; and possibly (though not always) some form of surgical alteration
Intersex -Describing a person whose biological sex is ambiguous. There are many genetic, hormonal or anatomical variations which make a person's sex ambiguous (i.e., Klinefelter Syndrome, Adrenal Hyperplasia). Parents and medical professionals usually assign intersex infants a sex and perform surgical operations to conform the infant's body to that assignment. This practice has become increasingly controversial as intersex adults are speaking out against the practice, accusing doctors of genital mutilation.
I found these definitions very helpful this past spring and summer as I spent time with African Anglicans who are transgender.
Previously, I had met and spent time with a few American transgender folk and I confess I was usually uneasy at first. What should I call them? How should I act? Do I pretend I don't notice?
Notice all these questions are about ME, not them. That was my first clue that I was starting from the wrong place.
When a kind MTF transgender named Carol said gently, "You can ask me all the questions that are on your face," I was ashamed of how rude I was being and said so.
She smiled and said, "Let's talk." And we did. She was incredibly generous and patient with me as I fumbled around trying to figure out how to frame all the questions rolling around in my head.
She had known from childhood that she was a female, not a male, even though she was raised as a boy. She has had some surgery, but not all transgender folk do. This is especially true in Africa, where cost alone makes such surgery unobtainable for most people.
And yes, she thinks of herself as female and prefers to be addressed as a woman.
I am still learning about this part of God's incredibly diverse creation. But clearly some places are further along on this journey than am I if this television commercial for a bank in Argentina is any evidence.
Think what a difference it would make if we saw commercials like this more often.
Here is how GLAAD -- Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -- defines terms dealing with this issue:
Transgender -An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include but is not limited to: transsexuals, cross-dressers, and other gender-variant people. Transgender people may identify as female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Use the descriptive term (transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, FTM or MTF) preferred by the individual. Transgender people may or may not choose to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically.
Transsexual (also Transexual) -An older term which originated in the medical and psychological communities. Many transgender people prefer the term "transgender" to "transsexual." Some transsexual people still prefer to use the term to describe themselves. However, unlike transgender, transsexual is not an umbrella term, and many transgender people do not identify as transsexual. It is best to ask which term an individual prefers.
Transition -Altering one's birth sex is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a long period of time. Transition includes some or all of the following cultural, legal and medical adjustments: telling one's family, friends, and/or co-workers; changing one's name and/or sex on legal documents; hormone therapy; and possibly (though not always) some form of surgical alteration
Intersex -Describing a person whose biological sex is ambiguous. There are many genetic, hormonal or anatomical variations which make a person's sex ambiguous (i.e., Klinefelter Syndrome, Adrenal Hyperplasia). Parents and medical professionals usually assign intersex infants a sex and perform surgical operations to conform the infant's body to that assignment. This practice has become increasingly controversial as intersex adults are speaking out against the practice, accusing doctors of genital mutilation.
I found these definitions very helpful this past spring and summer as I spent time with African Anglicans who are transgender.
Previously, I had met and spent time with a few American transgender folk and I confess I was usually uneasy at first. What should I call them? How should I act? Do I pretend I don't notice?
Notice all these questions are about ME, not them. That was my first clue that I was starting from the wrong place.
When a kind MTF transgender named Carol said gently, "You can ask me all the questions that are on your face," I was ashamed of how rude I was being and said so.
She smiled and said, "Let's talk." And we did. She was incredibly generous and patient with me as I fumbled around trying to figure out how to frame all the questions rolling around in my head.
She had known from childhood that she was a female, not a male, even though she was raised as a boy. She has had some surgery, but not all transgender folk do. This is especially true in Africa, where cost alone makes such surgery unobtainable for most people.
And yes, she thinks of herself as female and prefers to be addressed as a woman.
I am still learning about this part of God's incredibly diverse creation. But clearly some places are further along on this journey than am I if this television commercial for a bank in Argentina is any evidence.
Think what a difference it would make if we saw commercials like this more often.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Giving them a chance to do the right thing
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth writes to the former diocesan leadership. The letter can be seen here at Episcopal Cafe.
Here's what the news release said:
The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth along with the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick Jr., provisional bishop of the diocese, have authorized a letter be sent to the attorneys working with the former bishop, the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, seeking a peaceful and orderly transfer of property and other assets still held by Bp. Iker and others working with him who have left the Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Frederick Barber, president of the Standing Committee, said, “Our hope is to work together with those who left the Episcopal Church to make this period of transition as painless as possible in what has been a sad time for all of us. Those who left remain our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we also know we have a sacred responsibility to the Episcopalians of the diocese to be good stewards of property that is held in trust for generations of Episcopalians past and to come.”
The letter requests that Bp. Iker and those working with him “preserve and protect all church funds, records, and other real and personal property of the Diocese and its congregations currently under their control.”
The letter further requests that those who left the Episcopal Church “cease using the name of and claiming authority under the ’Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth’ and each of its congregations, e.g., ‘St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church,” as well as stop using the official logo and seals of the Diocese and its congregations. The letter points out that such use is not authorized, that it violates the rights of the existing diocese and “unnecessarily creates confusion among third parties.”
The letter, written by diocesan chancellor Kathleen Wells, is addressed to the Hon. William T. McGee Jr., the former chancellor of the diocese. He is understood to still be representing Bp. Iker and others who left the Episcopal Church. A copy also was sent to Rickey Brantley, former assistant chancellor of the diocese.
Wells requests a meeting be scheduled and writes, “I look forward to working with you and others to accomplish this transition and hope that we can offer a model to others in the manner that we effect these remaining details of this sad chapter in the life of our spiritual community.”
-----------------------
What will happen? Who knows? As a good friend said, I am not optimistic but I AM hopeful. Christians are always hopeful.
Here's what the news release said:
The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth along with the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick Jr., provisional bishop of the diocese, have authorized a letter be sent to the attorneys working with the former bishop, the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, seeking a peaceful and orderly transfer of property and other assets still held by Bp. Iker and others working with him who have left the Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Frederick Barber, president of the Standing Committee, said, “Our hope is to work together with those who left the Episcopal Church to make this period of transition as painless as possible in what has been a sad time for all of us. Those who left remain our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we also know we have a sacred responsibility to the Episcopalians of the diocese to be good stewards of property that is held in trust for generations of Episcopalians past and to come.”
The letter requests that Bp. Iker and those working with him “preserve and protect all church funds, records, and other real and personal property of the Diocese and its congregations currently under their control.”
The letter further requests that those who left the Episcopal Church “cease using the name of and claiming authority under the ’Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth’ and each of its congregations, e.g., ‘St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church,” as well as stop using the official logo and seals of the Diocese and its congregations. The letter points out that such use is not authorized, that it violates the rights of the existing diocese and “unnecessarily creates confusion among third parties.”
The letter, written by diocesan chancellor Kathleen Wells, is addressed to the Hon. William T. McGee Jr., the former chancellor of the diocese. He is understood to still be representing Bp. Iker and others who left the Episcopal Church. A copy also was sent to Rickey Brantley, former assistant chancellor of the diocese.
Wells requests a meeting be scheduled and writes, “I look forward to working with you and others to accomplish this transition and hope that we can offer a model to others in the manner that we effect these remaining details of this sad chapter in the life of our spiritual community.”
-----------------------
What will happen? Who knows? As a good friend said, I am not optimistic but I AM hopeful. Christians are always hopeful.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The presiding bishop on varied understandings
Episcopal News Online has this reflection by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. If you've ever wondered why so many women were so overjoyed at her election, this piece of writing might give you some insight.
It sheds some light on one of the reasons so many of us have struggled to get women's voices heard in the rooms where decisions are being made. It's not because women are "better" than men, or "smarter" than men. It is because women's experience of the world differs in significant ways from that of men, and thus we often see things differently. Indeed, we often see things that are 'invisible" to the men in the room.
It's why diversity is a good thing, not a scary thing.
--------------------------
Varied understandings
Different lenses provide different views of Scripture
By Katharine Jefferts Schori
February 24, 2009
[Episcopal Life] The primates' meeting has come and gone, and I'm sure there will have been abundant commentary by the time this is published. I'd like to reflect on some of the deeper issues behind our conversations about sexuality, particularly the influence of our understanding of gender.
The most intriguing conversation I had in Alexandria was with a primate who asked how same-sex couples partition "roles." He literally asked if one was identified as the wife and one as the husband, and then wanted to know which one promised to obey the other in the marriage ceremony. Several of us explained that marriage in the West is most often understood as a partnership of equals, and has been for some time.
Those of you with a few more years on you may remember that the marriage service in the 1928 (and earlier versions) of the Book of Common Prayer did indeed have language about the wife obeying her husband. It's pertinent here to note that the 1662 English Book of Common Prayer is still the norm in many provinces of the Anglican Communion, and it uses the same kind of language about obeying in the marriage service.
As I traveled from the airport to the hotel where we met, I noticed that almost every woman on the street past childhood was veiled, with at least her hair covered with a scarf, and in a not-small number of cases, covered head to toe in a long, flowing garment. I even observed a couple of women whose coverings were so thorough that I couldn't even see a slit for their eyes -- the fabric must have been thin enough for them to see through, but not for others to see in. The hotel had only a handful of female employees, mostly professional women who worked behind the desk. Only a couple of them wore no scarf.
The striking thing was that the meeting room where the primates' deliberations took place, the hotel's largest and principal conference room, was bedecked with several large paintings of half-naked women. It was a space that, in normal circumstances, apparently was used only by men. I found it striking that public expectations of women are modest dress and covering, yet there is evidently a rather different attitude toward men's entertainment.
These complex and conflicting gender expectations have something significant to do with attitudes there and in other parts of the world toward male homosexuality. The greatest difficulty in many cultures, including parts of North American society, is the perception that one of the partners in such a union must be acting like a woman -- and that is most definitely not a socially desirable status! It is an attitude directly involved in the handful of scriptural references to male homosexuality in the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament references have more to do with abusive and exploitative behavior.
At the same time, one could readily observe public behavior in Egypt that would be identified as same-sex affection in our own culture -- women and men holding hands with others of the same gender. Yet in that culture it is seen merely to express friendship and is not associated with sexuality.
All of which is to suggest that all of us read Scripture through the lenses we have -- our cultural norms, our scientific understanding and our theological understanding of the purpose of marriage. We also privilege particular parts of Scripture in the way we build our lectionaries.
One morning at worship at the primates' meeting, we heard the reading from Corinthians that says women should be quiet in church and ask their husbands at home if they have questions (1Cor 14:33b-35). It was followed by the Gospel passage that recounts Salome and Herodias' request for the head of John the Baptist. I don't believe that section of the Gospel, alone, is ever read at Eucharist in the Episcopal Church -- because there is precious little good news in it.
I had one other pertinent encounter in Fort Worth, Texas, after the primates' meeting. I was greeting a long line of people at the end of the day of the reorganizing convention for the diocese. I spoke with a man in a wheelchair who appeared to have had a stroke.
The next person in line began by telling me that the guy in the wheelchair was a retired obstetrician/gynecologist and that "he's the most interesting gay man I know, and I'm proud to call him a friend." Rather an unusual conversation starter. And then he went on to say, "All of this is really about male supremacy, isn't it?" His words, not mine, but worth consideration.
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
-- The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori is presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
It sheds some light on one of the reasons so many of us have struggled to get women's voices heard in the rooms where decisions are being made. It's not because women are "better" than men, or "smarter" than men. It is because women's experience of the world differs in significant ways from that of men, and thus we often see things differently. Indeed, we often see things that are 'invisible" to the men in the room.
It's why diversity is a good thing, not a scary thing.
--------------------------
Varied understandings
Different lenses provide different views of Scripture
By Katharine Jefferts Schori
February 24, 2009
[Episcopal Life] The primates' meeting has come and gone, and I'm sure there will have been abundant commentary by the time this is published. I'd like to reflect on some of the deeper issues behind our conversations about sexuality, particularly the influence of our understanding of gender.
The most intriguing conversation I had in Alexandria was with a primate who asked how same-sex couples partition "roles." He literally asked if one was identified as the wife and one as the husband, and then wanted to know which one promised to obey the other in the marriage ceremony. Several of us explained that marriage in the West is most often understood as a partnership of equals, and has been for some time.
Those of you with a few more years on you may remember that the marriage service in the 1928 (and earlier versions) of the Book of Common Prayer did indeed have language about the wife obeying her husband. It's pertinent here to note that the 1662 English Book of Common Prayer is still the norm in many provinces of the Anglican Communion, and it uses the same kind of language about obeying in the marriage service.
As I traveled from the airport to the hotel where we met, I noticed that almost every woman on the street past childhood was veiled, with at least her hair covered with a scarf, and in a not-small number of cases, covered head to toe in a long, flowing garment. I even observed a couple of women whose coverings were so thorough that I couldn't even see a slit for their eyes -- the fabric must have been thin enough for them to see through, but not for others to see in. The hotel had only a handful of female employees, mostly professional women who worked behind the desk. Only a couple of them wore no scarf.
The striking thing was that the meeting room where the primates' deliberations took place, the hotel's largest and principal conference room, was bedecked with several large paintings of half-naked women. It was a space that, in normal circumstances, apparently was used only by men. I found it striking that public expectations of women are modest dress and covering, yet there is evidently a rather different attitude toward men's entertainment.
These complex and conflicting gender expectations have something significant to do with attitudes there and in other parts of the world toward male homosexuality. The greatest difficulty in many cultures, including parts of North American society, is the perception that one of the partners in such a union must be acting like a woman -- and that is most definitely not a socially desirable status! It is an attitude directly involved in the handful of scriptural references to male homosexuality in the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament references have more to do with abusive and exploitative behavior.
At the same time, one could readily observe public behavior in Egypt that would be identified as same-sex affection in our own culture -- women and men holding hands with others of the same gender. Yet in that culture it is seen merely to express friendship and is not associated with sexuality.
All of which is to suggest that all of us read Scripture through the lenses we have -- our cultural norms, our scientific understanding and our theological understanding of the purpose of marriage. We also privilege particular parts of Scripture in the way we build our lectionaries.
One morning at worship at the primates' meeting, we heard the reading from Corinthians that says women should be quiet in church and ask their husbands at home if they have questions (1Cor 14:33b-35). It was followed by the Gospel passage that recounts Salome and Herodias' request for the head of John the Baptist. I don't believe that section of the Gospel, alone, is ever read at Eucharist in the Episcopal Church -- because there is precious little good news in it.
I had one other pertinent encounter in Fort Worth, Texas, after the primates' meeting. I was greeting a long line of people at the end of the day of the reorganizing convention for the diocese. I spoke with a man in a wheelchair who appeared to have had a stroke.
The next person in line began by telling me that the guy in the wheelchair was a retired obstetrician/gynecologist and that "he's the most interesting gay man I know, and I'm proud to call him a friend." Rather an unusual conversation starter. And then he went on to say, "All of this is really about male supremacy, isn't it?" His words, not mine, but worth consideration.
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
-- The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori is presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Manifesting the Baptismal Covenant
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth announces its 2009 Lenten Series -Manifesting the Baptismal Covenant
Lent begins on February 25 - Ash Wednesday. This year the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth’s Lenten series focuses on the Baptismal Covenant.
Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body the Church. Episcopalians believe the bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble. In the Baptismal Covenant we publicly avow our belief in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and make a series of promises of how we will, with God’s help, strive to live as Christians. Episcopalians renew their Baptismal Covenant at every Baptism and several other times during the liturgical year.
Each Saturday evening in Lent, one of a number of local and national speakers, including the Rt. Rev. Jane Dixon, retired suffragan bishop of Washington, the Rev. Terry Martin, program officer for Evangelism for the Episcopal Church, and Dr. Toni Craven and the Rev. Dr. Eilene Thelig of Brite Divinity School, will address one part of the Baptismal Covenant. The series will conclude with Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church, speaking on Sleeping Giant, Come Forth! The Role of the Laity in Episcopal Polity.
What: Manifesting the Baptismal Covenant
Lent begins on February 25 - Ash Wednesday. This year the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth’s Lenten series focuses on the Baptismal Covenant.
Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body the Church. Episcopalians believe the bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble. In the Baptismal Covenant we publicly avow our belief in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and make a series of promises of how we will, with God’s help, strive to live as Christians. Episcopalians renew their Baptismal Covenant at every Baptism and several other times during the liturgical year.
Each Saturday evening in Lent, one of a number of local and national speakers, including the Rt. Rev. Jane Dixon, retired suffragan bishop of Washington, the Rev. Terry Martin, program officer for Evangelism for the Episcopal Church, and Dr. Toni Craven and the Rev. Dr. Eilene Thelig of Brite Divinity School, will address one part of the Baptismal Covenant. The series will conclude with Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church, speaking on Sleeping Giant, Come Forth! The Role of the Laity in Episcopal Polity.
What: Manifesting the Baptismal Covenant
When: Each Saturday evening in Lent
5:00 – 5:30 PM: Soup, Bread & Fellowship
5:45 – 7:00 PM: Speaker
7:15 – 8:00 PM: Compline and Silent Dismissal
Where: St. Christophers Episcopal Church, 3550 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76133. 817-921-4533. A reservation for the meal is requested. There is a $3 charge.
Who:
February 28 - “Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?”
The Rev. Mary Earle, Episcopal priest, writer, spiritual director, member of the adjunct faculty of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin
March 7 -“Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in the prayers?” The Rev. Sam McClain, Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Stephenville, Texas
March 14 -“Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?” The Rev. Terry Martin, Program Officer for Evangelism for the Episcopal Church
March 21 - “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?” Dr. Toni Craven, I. Wiley and Elizabeth M. Briscoe Professor of Hebrew Bible, and The Rev. Dr. Eilene Thelig, Director of Lay and Continuing Education, Brite Divinity School
March 28 - “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of
every human being?” The Rt. Rev. Jane Dixon, Retired Suffragan Bishop of Washington
April 4 - Sleeping Giant, Come Forth! The Role of the Laity in Episcopal Polity
Bonnie Anderson, D.D., President of the House of Deputies for the Episcopal Church
For more information call St. Christophers at 817-926-8277 or visit
http://episcopaldiocesefortworth.org/
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Another point of view
Tim Carson, senior minister at University Christian Church, has written an opinon piece in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about what's going on in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. University Christian Church is one of the largest in the city of Fort Worth.
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Fort Worth Episcopalians engaged in struggle that’s not new in Christian history
By TIM CARSON
Special to the Star-Telegram
The good bishop has it wrong. Or so I think. Which bishop, you ask? That’s the point. Which bishop indeed?
As one who is not a part of the Episcopal side of the Christian family, I look on as a concerned outsider. But perhaps that is the best vantage point to hold in the midst of a family squabble (See: "Reorganized diocese elects new bishop," Feb. 8).
There is no doubt that the unity of the whole church includes both sides of this unhappy family, because our unity — not uniformity based on sameness — is based on God’s love manifested in our common life in Christ.
But after making this most basic of Christian affirmations, we must say that this dispute, as so many others, is not new to Christian history. In fact, it is not new to any other of the living religious traditions, either.
More than once in Christian history, disagreements and conflict have eventuated in schisms, some of which led to competitions for ecclesial authority.
Will the Holy See find its home in Italy or France? Is the center of authority lodged in Rome or Constantinople? And a favorite one for Anglicans: Is it Rome or Canterbury?
And now the runoff du jour: Will the real Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth please stand up, and with it, its bishop?
In a recent advertisement in the Star-Telegram, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Jack Iker stood up, waved his hand and said, "It’s me!" He has withdrawn from the established Diocese of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. and now claims that his newly founded diocese — in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury — is the one that has been here all along.
And, therefore, it only seems right to the good bishop that all of the assets and congregations should stay with him, even if he cashes in his chips, leaves the mother ship and affiliates with an African one.
Such a lively revisionist sense of history!
I have the true faith, so I really have been here all along, here with my true church. Even though I was appointed by the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A., and have withdrawn to go another direction, I am the continuing strain of the real constituted authority.
We now pause for a moment of sanity.
Bishop Iker: You just decided to leave. You were done with all that crazy Episcopal Church U.S.A. stuff. You followed your star, fine and good. But please don’t pretend that you’re the one staying and others — here all along — are the ones forming a new diocese. They are the ones continuing.
So go in peace. Take the souls who feel likewise along with you. But following the council of Jesus, take nothing more than your staff, sandals and bag on the way to your promised land.
Be blessed while you do it, but don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Or lay claim to their property and resources. No fair initiating the divorce and then expecting to the get the house as a part of the property settlement. You’ll need to find an apartment.
Other church bodies have faced this.
I know we have in my own communion. But the rule of thumb is — and one by and large supported by civil courts when it comes down to that nasty action — that the ones leaving don’t take the assets with them. They go out empty-handed because it’s their choice. Especially good church bylaws and rules of order prohibit this from happening.
It just so happened that I dropped by the convention of the continuing Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth on Feb. 7.
I have to say, there were lots of Episcopalians there worshipping and acting like church. Their presiding bishop was there, as was the newly appointed provisional one. The worship included much confession, affirmation of our basic unity, prayers for healing and encouragement to be the whole church in the world. From the spirit in the place, I’d say that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
As I went forward for communion, I was served the bread by a male priest and the cup by a female priest. I have to say, it seemed just about as whole and healthy as a family can be around the table.
But what do I know? I’m not even an Episcopalian.
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----------------------------
Fort Worth Episcopalians engaged in struggle that’s not new in Christian history
By TIM CARSON
Special to the Star-Telegram
The good bishop has it wrong. Or so I think. Which bishop, you ask? That’s the point. Which bishop indeed?
As one who is not a part of the Episcopal side of the Christian family, I look on as a concerned outsider. But perhaps that is the best vantage point to hold in the midst of a family squabble (See: "Reorganized diocese elects new bishop," Feb. 8).
There is no doubt that the unity of the whole church includes both sides of this unhappy family, because our unity — not uniformity based on sameness — is based on God’s love manifested in our common life in Christ.
But after making this most basic of Christian affirmations, we must say that this dispute, as so many others, is not new to Christian history. In fact, it is not new to any other of the living religious traditions, either.
More than once in Christian history, disagreements and conflict have eventuated in schisms, some of which led to competitions for ecclesial authority.
Will the Holy See find its home in Italy or France? Is the center of authority lodged in Rome or Constantinople? And a favorite one for Anglicans: Is it Rome or Canterbury?
And now the runoff du jour: Will the real Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth please stand up, and with it, its bishop?
In a recent advertisement in the Star-Telegram, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Jack Iker stood up, waved his hand and said, "It’s me!" He has withdrawn from the established Diocese of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. and now claims that his newly founded diocese — in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury — is the one that has been here all along.
And, therefore, it only seems right to the good bishop that all of the assets and congregations should stay with him, even if he cashes in his chips, leaves the mother ship and affiliates with an African one.
Such a lively revisionist sense of history!
I have the true faith, so I really have been here all along, here with my true church. Even though I was appointed by the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A., and have withdrawn to go another direction, I am the continuing strain of the real constituted authority.
We now pause for a moment of sanity.
Bishop Iker: You just decided to leave. You were done with all that crazy Episcopal Church U.S.A. stuff. You followed your star, fine and good. But please don’t pretend that you’re the one staying and others — here all along — are the ones forming a new diocese. They are the ones continuing.
So go in peace. Take the souls who feel likewise along with you. But following the council of Jesus, take nothing more than your staff, sandals and bag on the way to your promised land.
Be blessed while you do it, but don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Or lay claim to their property and resources. No fair initiating the divorce and then expecting to the get the house as a part of the property settlement. You’ll need to find an apartment.
Other church bodies have faced this.
I know we have in my own communion. But the rule of thumb is — and one by and large supported by civil courts when it comes down to that nasty action — that the ones leaving don’t take the assets with them. They go out empty-handed because it’s their choice. Especially good church bylaws and rules of order prohibit this from happening.
It just so happened that I dropped by the convention of the continuing Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth on Feb. 7.
I have to say, there were lots of Episcopalians there worshipping and acting like church. Their presiding bishop was there, as was the newly appointed provisional one. The worship included much confession, affirmation of our basic unity, prayers for healing and encouragement to be the whole church in the world. From the spirit in the place, I’d say that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
As I went forward for communion, I was served the bread by a male priest and the cup by a female priest. I have to say, it seemed just about as whole and healthy as a family can be around the table.
But what do I know? I’m not even an Episcopalian.
---------------------
Sunday, February 08, 2009
We are on our way
The day dawned cloudy, the sky heavy with the promise of much-needed rain. That promise was the only one unfulfilled by the end of the day as the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth elected a bishop, a Standing Committee, deputies to General Convention and filled many other offices left vacant when our former bishop and others left the Episcopal Church.
As our new Bishop Ted Gulick said, “The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is alive and well and open for business.”
The day was bookended by prayer, beginning with a joyous Eucharist at All Saints Episcopal Church. Shannon Worrell and her band of merry volunteers had made the sanctuary a flower-filled ode to joy, with white roses, lilies, and enormous hydrangeas massed at the altar, on the columns, and hung like bunting along the choir stalls. The chapel, the Parish Hall and the parlor were equally gorgeous, with flowers bedecking each large-screen TV that allowed the overflow crowd to participate in the festival Eucharist.
The woodwork gleamed and the stone walls themselves almost hummed with the sense of anticipation and joy as people gathered. People greeted one another with smiles and hugs and cries of “Did you ever believe we’d see this day?” Old campaigners and young happy Episcopalians alike beamed at one another as they sorted out tickets and badges and who was to vest where.
All Saints‘rector, Christopher Jambor, had to have been tired from the intense weeks of planning that led to this day, but you couldn’t tell it by the smile on his face and the pride with which he shone as he watched his parishioners greet worshipers, direct visiting bishops and local clergy to the correct rooms, and sort out where everyone would be sitting.
The quiet arrival of the car carrying Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori almost went unnoticed until she stepped out, and then the small crowd at the entrance broke into applause and cries of “Welcome!” She smiled and waved as she carried the bag with her vestments inside, leaving some young observers – and some older ones – almost breathless.
“She’s here! She’s really here!” a woman said. “This really IS going to happen!”
As the procession formed up, happy choir members and excited clergy almost danced in place as they awaited the signal to begin. Visiting bishops greeted one another and the day began to take on the feel of a reunion of a family too long separated one from other.
Then Bishop Katharine joined the procession. As it began moving, the crosses and candles and colorful vestments and smiles and tears of joy caused one news photographer ask me, “This is amazing. Do you guys do this every Sunday?”
As the procession entered the church, a woman turned and saw Katharine and burst into tears. Katharine stopped, put her hands on her shoulders and said, ‘Everything’s going to be all right.”
The joyful singing almost took the roof off, as the organ was joined by trumpets and tympani. The All Saints Choir outdid itself – and given that many members of that choir have been working for years to make this diocese more inclusive, singing beautifully was no small feat, considering how emotional some of them must have been.
Bishop Katharine was pitch-perfect all day, her low calm voice acting like balm to wounded people. Her sermon, which can be seen here, hit the mark exactly. One priest, a gifted preacher himself, told me later, “That woman can preach!”
No small praise coming from a man who was once one of the diocese’ leading opponents of women’s ordination.
Evidence of such growth and change was everywhere, as people began to move into the sense of happy liberation that was pervading the day.
Several people who were in the parlor told me later that just as Katharine raised her hand in the final blessing, the sun broke through the clouds and streamed in through the middle window of the chapel. And as soon as the service ended, the sun disappeared. One woman said, “My husband leaned over and said, “Did you see that light?”
As the service ended, and the clergy and choir recessed and began to gather outside the big double doors, Bishop Katherine emerged. She stepped to one side until one of the clergy asked for her blessing. As she stepped forward and raised her hand, nearly all the priests spontaneously knelt, surprising her and themselves. One of them said to me later, “I fell to my knees, undone by the power of the moment. I wasn’t expecting that, but it seemed so RIGHT.”
The delegates, clergy and visiting bishops went off to have lunch with Bishop Katharine, and everyone else headed for Trinity, where the convention was to be held.
Trinity also gleamed, with lovely flowers everywhere. Volunteers had registration so organized that there were no bottlenecks. The press was fed lunch and information, the delegates found their seats and promptly at 1:30, Bishop Katharine called this special meeting of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth into session.
We elected Bishop Ted Gulick, installed him, and Bp. Katherine turned the chair over to him. There was much good humor throughout the business session, as delegates worked their way through the elections and resolutions necessary to get us reorganized.
Delegates approved a budget of more than $600,000, based on assessments of the five intact parishes and pledges from the displaced parishes and faith communities and the promise of $200,000 from the national Church.
It was a day of small pleasures as well as of big change. Woman after woman remarked on how nice it was to hear Bp. Gulick address us as "Sisters and brothers," and to speak of "Daughters and sons of God."
After convention adjourned, we moved into Evensong, with acolytes processing in carrying parish banners, many just completed.
We are on our way.
And I am on my way out of town. More later as I get time, and access to the Internet.
As our new Bishop Ted Gulick said, “The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is alive and well and open for business.”
The day was bookended by prayer, beginning with a joyous Eucharist at All Saints Episcopal Church. Shannon Worrell and her band of merry volunteers had made the sanctuary a flower-filled ode to joy, with white roses, lilies, and enormous hydrangeas massed at the altar, on the columns, and hung like bunting along the choir stalls. The chapel, the Parish Hall and the parlor were equally gorgeous, with flowers bedecking each large-screen TV that allowed the overflow crowd to participate in the festival Eucharist.
The woodwork gleamed and the stone walls themselves almost hummed with the sense of anticipation and joy as people gathered. People greeted one another with smiles and hugs and cries of “Did you ever believe we’d see this day?” Old campaigners and young happy Episcopalians alike beamed at one another as they sorted out tickets and badges and who was to vest where.
All Saints‘rector, Christopher Jambor, had to have been tired from the intense weeks of planning that led to this day, but you couldn’t tell it by the smile on his face and the pride with which he shone as he watched his parishioners greet worshipers, direct visiting bishops and local clergy to the correct rooms, and sort out where everyone would be sitting.
The quiet arrival of the car carrying Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori almost went unnoticed until she stepped out, and then the small crowd at the entrance broke into applause and cries of “Welcome!” She smiled and waved as she carried the bag with her vestments inside, leaving some young observers – and some older ones – almost breathless.
“She’s here! She’s really here!” a woman said. “This really IS going to happen!”
As the procession formed up, happy choir members and excited clergy almost danced in place as they awaited the signal to begin. Visiting bishops greeted one another and the day began to take on the feel of a reunion of a family too long separated one from other.
Then Bishop Katharine joined the procession. As it began moving, the crosses and candles and colorful vestments and smiles and tears of joy caused one news photographer ask me, “This is amazing. Do you guys do this every Sunday?”
As the procession entered the church, a woman turned and saw Katharine and burst into tears. Katharine stopped, put her hands on her shoulders and said, ‘Everything’s going to be all right.”
The joyful singing almost took the roof off, as the organ was joined by trumpets and tympani. The All Saints Choir outdid itself – and given that many members of that choir have been working for years to make this diocese more inclusive, singing beautifully was no small feat, considering how emotional some of them must have been.
Bishop Katharine was pitch-perfect all day, her low calm voice acting like balm to wounded people. Her sermon, which can be seen here, hit the mark exactly. One priest, a gifted preacher himself, told me later, “That woman can preach!”
No small praise coming from a man who was once one of the diocese’ leading opponents of women’s ordination.
Evidence of such growth and change was everywhere, as people began to move into the sense of happy liberation that was pervading the day.
Several people who were in the parlor told me later that just as Katharine raised her hand in the final blessing, the sun broke through the clouds and streamed in through the middle window of the chapel. And as soon as the service ended, the sun disappeared. One woman said, “My husband leaned over and said, “Did you see that light?”
As the service ended, and the clergy and choir recessed and began to gather outside the big double doors, Bishop Katherine emerged. She stepped to one side until one of the clergy asked for her blessing. As she stepped forward and raised her hand, nearly all the priests spontaneously knelt, surprising her and themselves. One of them said to me later, “I fell to my knees, undone by the power of the moment. I wasn’t expecting that, but it seemed so RIGHT.”
The delegates, clergy and visiting bishops went off to have lunch with Bishop Katharine, and everyone else headed for Trinity, where the convention was to be held.
Trinity also gleamed, with lovely flowers everywhere. Volunteers had registration so organized that there were no bottlenecks. The press was fed lunch and information, the delegates found their seats and promptly at 1:30, Bishop Katharine called this special meeting of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth into session.
We elected Bishop Ted Gulick, installed him, and Bp. Katherine turned the chair over to him. There was much good humor throughout the business session, as delegates worked their way through the elections and resolutions necessary to get us reorganized.
Delegates approved a budget of more than $600,000, based on assessments of the five intact parishes and pledges from the displaced parishes and faith communities and the promise of $200,000 from the national Church.
It was a day of small pleasures as well as of big change. Woman after woman remarked on how nice it was to hear Bp. Gulick address us as "Sisters and brothers," and to speak of "Daughters and sons of God."
After convention adjourned, we moved into Evensong, with acolytes processing in carrying parish banners, many just completed.
We are on our way.
And I am on my way out of town. More later as I get time, and access to the Internet.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Join us as we begin anew
Join us today as we gather to bless, break, and share the Bread of Life at All Saints Episcopal Church at 10 a.m. and then again as we gather at 1:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church to elect a provisional bishop and a Standing Committee.
How? Go here and click on the "View Live Broadcast of Meeting Events" and you will be able to worship with us and watch the convention proceedings.
How? Go here and click on the "View Live Broadcast of Meeting Events" and you will be able to worship with us and watch the convention proceedings.
So join us as we begin anew.
Shield the joyous!
Thursday, February 05, 2009
How do you "release" what you do not hold?
Today, the former bishop of Fort Worth issued this statement.
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DI O C E S E RE L E A S E S FO U R PA R I S H E S
FORT WORTH, Texas – In a hearing Monday, Feb. 2, the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth took action under diocesan Canon 32 to release the property and assets of four parishes from the Corporation of the diocese. The rectors and elected wardens of the four parishes were notified of the hearing and invited to attend.
The property of Trinity Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Southlake, has been transferred into the name of the Rectors and Wardens of those parishes, respectively. The property of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Stephenville, will be transferred upon removal of financial encumberances in the form of building loans currently in the name of the Corporation.
As required by Canon 32, the Bishop’s Orders were issued upon determination that the Vestry and Rector in each of the four parishes has expressed an intention to remain in union with the General Convention of The Episcopal Church (USA), and that significant majorities of the congregations are in support of that intention. “It is my order, therefore,” the Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker wrote to each, “that the relationship between this diocese” and each of these churches “is hereby dissolved. It is no longer in union with the Convention of this diocese and is released from its obligations as a member congregation.”
In a cover letter, Bishop Iker concluded, “Please know of my continued prayers and best wishes to you and all the other people at [these churches] in the years ahead.” The letters and Bishop’s Orders were delivered by mail this week.
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth was organized in 1982. It is a constituent member of the Anglican Communion and the Province of the Southern Cone. The Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker has served as the third diocesan Bishop of Fort Worth since 1995. The diocese enjoys companion relationships with the Dioceses of Northern Malawi and Northern Mexico.
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The Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians issued this response:
The Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians is very pleased that Bishop Jack Iker has stated his intentions not to assert any claims to and authority over the people and property of these four Episcopal parishes. We are pleased that Bp. Iker has formally acknowledged that he is no longer their bishop and has no authority over them and that they are not part of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.
Bp. Iker is no longer the bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth because he left the Episcopal Church and has renounced his ministry in the Episcopal Church. Because he did that, Bishop Iker has not been the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth for some time. He had no authority to initiate a Canon 32 proceeding.
Because he and other diocesan leaders have left the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, the diocese will elect a new bishop and select other diocesan leaders at a special meeting of the convention of the diocese this weekend.
We continue to hold Bishop and Mrs. Iker in our prayers.
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You know, I suspose this is a good sign. Maybe some tiny bits of reality are seeping through. But I'm not optimistic. Jack Iker has a whole lot of people inhabiting his delusion with him and they are constantly reinforcing one another in that delusion.
Remain alert.
---------------------
DI O C E S E RE L E A S E S FO U R PA R I S H E S
FORT WORTH, Texas – In a hearing Monday, Feb. 2, the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth took action under diocesan Canon 32 to release the property and assets of four parishes from the Corporation of the diocese. The rectors and elected wardens of the four parishes were notified of the hearing and invited to attend.
The property of Trinity Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Southlake, has been transferred into the name of the Rectors and Wardens of those parishes, respectively. The property of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Stephenville, will be transferred upon removal of financial encumberances in the form of building loans currently in the name of the Corporation.
As required by Canon 32, the Bishop’s Orders were issued upon determination that the Vestry and Rector in each of the four parishes has expressed an intention to remain in union with the General Convention of The Episcopal Church (USA), and that significant majorities of the congregations are in support of that intention. “It is my order, therefore,” the Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker wrote to each, “that the relationship between this diocese” and each of these churches “is hereby dissolved. It is no longer in union with the Convention of this diocese and is released from its obligations as a member congregation.”
In a cover letter, Bishop Iker concluded, “Please know of my continued prayers and best wishes to you and all the other people at [these churches] in the years ahead.” The letters and Bishop’s Orders were delivered by mail this week.
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth was organized in 1982. It is a constituent member of the Anglican Communion and the Province of the Southern Cone. The Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker has served as the third diocesan Bishop of Fort Worth since 1995. The diocese enjoys companion relationships with the Dioceses of Northern Malawi and Northern Mexico.
------------------
The Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians issued this response:
The Steering Committee North Texas Episcopalians is very pleased that Bishop Jack Iker has stated his intentions not to assert any claims to and authority over the people and property of these four Episcopal parishes. We are pleased that Bp. Iker has formally acknowledged that he is no longer their bishop and has no authority over them and that they are not part of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.
Bp. Iker is no longer the bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth because he left the Episcopal Church and has renounced his ministry in the Episcopal Church. Because he did that, Bishop Iker has not been the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth for some time. He had no authority to initiate a Canon 32 proceeding.
Because he and other diocesan leaders have left the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, the diocese will elect a new bishop and select other diocesan leaders at a special meeting of the convention of the diocese this weekend.
We continue to hold Bishop and Mrs. Iker in our prayers.
---------------------
You know, I suspose this is a good sign. Maybe some tiny bits of reality are seeping through. But I'm not optimistic. Jack Iker has a whole lot of people inhabiting his delusion with him and they are constantly reinforcing one another in that delusion.
Remain alert.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
What is Butt Dust???
We have all been working hard getting ready for our Special Convention. Everyone is tired and in need of a lift. These were sent to me by a friend and they made me laugh out loud. It was a nice break
=====================
What, you ask, is 'Butt dust?' Read on and you'll discover the joy in it!
These have to be original and genuine. No adult is this creative!!
JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: 'Mom, why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?'
MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, 'If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six.'
STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. 'I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window.'
BRITTANY (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: 'How does it know it's me?'
SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. 'Please don't give me this juice again,' she said, 'It makes my teeth cough.'
DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: 'How much do I cost?'
MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: 'Why is he whispering in her mouth?'
CLINTON (age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried. When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, 'I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in it?'
JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.' Concerned, James asked: 'What happened to the flea?'
TAMMY (age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, 'Why doesn't your skin fit your face?'
The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget.... this particular Sunday sermon...'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust...' He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year-old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'
=====================
What, you ask, is 'Butt dust?' Read on and you'll discover the joy in it!
These have to be original and genuine. No adult is this creative!!
JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: 'Mom, why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?'
MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, 'If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six.'
STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. 'I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window.'
BRITTANY (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: 'How does it know it's me?'
SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. 'Please don't give me this juice again,' she said, 'It makes my teeth cough.'
DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: 'How much do I cost?'
MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: 'Why is he whispering in her mouth?'
CLINTON (age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried. When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, 'I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in it?'
JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.' Concerned, James asked: 'What happened to the flea?'
TAMMY (age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, 'Why doesn't your skin fit your face?'
The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget.... this particular Sunday sermon...'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust...' He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four-year-old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'
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