The Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Michael Curry's, opening remarks to the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church are available in transcript form here.
The President of the House of Deputies, the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings', opening remarks to the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church are available in transcript form here.
The Episcopal News Service (ENS) Photo Gallery.
Immediately after the Opening Eucharist, and before we all rushed off for Legislative meetings, we stopped for a short video greeting. We each shared a word or phrase on our mind at this point in the convention. Enjoy.
In Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's sermon during the Opening Eucharist, he shared with us "The Way of Love - Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life". His message encourages us to:
Please follow The Way of Love link where there is an entire resource section to help us live into Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life! You can expect to hear more about this in the future!
Presiding Bishop Curry
Today is the Official Opening of General Convention. (Side note from Alternate Deputy Michelle ... what were the last 2 days then?) Anyway, here are some events to consider tuning in for today.
From Tuesday:
Enjoy your day.
So many questions ... this smiling roaming helper is there to answer them. My question: "May I take your picture?" Her response: "Of course. And if you have any questions, look for our hats. We're happy to help". Why yes, indeed she was!
Thursday's reflection from (Deputation Co-Chair) - Dean Brian Grantz
Good Morning, Team EDNIN!
Here we go: the first *official* day of the 79th General Convention. Psalm 133 (optional this morning) opens with a beautiful, hopeful word of encouragement, "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" The Psalmist is describing, I think, one of those fleeting moments in life when all seems right with the world; little epiphanies about God's reign of peace that was and is to come.
Such is the wedding feast for which the doors have been flung open and the invitation spread far and wide in Jesus' parable of God's reign. What's left is for us to answer the invitation and our desire to be in relationship with the host. We are part of the Jesus Movement, Bishop Curry reminds us, and it is Jesus who calls us in and clothes us in peace and unity. Watch and wait for those moments today and throughout the Convention; those little epiphanies in the midst of everything else that are a sure and certain sign of Christ's presence. How very good and pleasant it is... and will be.
Written by the Rev. Canon Terri Bays, July 4, 2018
As a new deputy, I wasn't assigned to a particular committee. That left me free to choose what committee hearing I was going to sit in on, so I spent my morning in a hearing for Committee 3—Racial Justice and Reconciliation. We were considering a funding request for an extension of training and capacity building over the next three years, so that people in all dioceses might have access to the kinds of training the canons require. Questions focused on how such funding might be most effectively spent for the greatest impact.
We were also considering resolutions that focus on the importance of naming and another resolution that begins the work of clarifying some of the mandates around Racial Justice and Reconciliation. One part of this is a call for credentialing individuals at a variety of levels. The committee will discuss credentialing questions in more detail tomorrow!
After that (and a lovely lunch with my fellow delegates) it was off to the Floor of the House of Deputies for a joint Session of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies (Do we make the bishops come to us, since we're the senior house, or just because we have more chairs?). The Presiding Bishop gave a rousing "non-sermon" urging us to help the world find its soul again. The President of the House of Deputies followed up with a reminder that, as deputies, we can choose how we inhabit the legislative process. What an amazing way to prepare us for the busy weeks ahead!
And then, after some logistical orientation sessions in separate houses, we came back together for a deeply moving Liturgy of Listening. Prepared by the House of Bishops as a response to the #MeToo movement, this litugy engaged us in collective lament—songs, prayers, readings—as we heard testimonies of different forms of sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment. These testimonies were read by the bishops, with other bishops standing by their sides, without the names or other identifying features attached. The hope was not to take us deeply into the pain of any one experience, but "to open [ourselves] to the idea that sexual harassment and exploitation happen 'because we aren’t seeing the image of Christ in one another.'” In that sense, the liturgy was highly effective, and it was a more somber group of people who flowed out into the night. May this first step lead us to a safer and more loving church.
The Rev. Stephanie Spellers addresses a question from Committee 3—Racial Justice and Reconciliation
Committee Member Dr. Anita George asks a question about the development of Racial Justice programs in various contexts with and without external funding.
Bishops read testimonies from survivors of sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment in the church at a Liturgy of Listening.
It may be the 4th of July, but work continues for #GC79 here in Austin. A few events for the day are listed below. Several of them will be available via livestream at the Media Hub if you'd like to participate from afar.
Below the Austin picture (a decoration in our hotel) is a reflection from (Deputation Co-Chair) - Dean Brian Grantz. Wishing you a happy and safe 4th of July!
Good morning, Team EDNIN!
Freedom in Christ is the ability to speak God's truth, to choose what is just and merciful and right and good, to walk in love as Christ loved us. Freedom in Christ is the abiding knowledge that nothing can separate us from the love of God; that we, with Jesus, belong in God's oikos, God's household.
The speaking of God's truth to power features prominently in the Office readings this morning: Balaam, a prophet hired to curse Israel, nevertheless speaks God's word of blessing (much to Balak's "What-are-we-paying-you-for?" consternation). Jesus lobs out the parable of the wicked vine-grower's in the presence of those who have turned religion into something more self-interested than God-honoring. Their stunning boldness and willingness to speak freely is rooted in the blessed assurance of God.
So let's celebrate freedom today: Freedom to love what God commands. Freedom to keep building God's household, the Church. Freedom to strive in the ways that Love leads us. Have a bold and blessed day!
- Dean Brian Grantz
Our deputation from Northern Indiana has arrived safely in Austin. For some, work began today. For the rest, it begins tomorrow. #GC79 begins. Come Holy Spirit!
(L-R) Bishop Doug Sparks, Pamela Harris, Ted Kimball (Deputation Co-Chair), Tim Skimina, Christopher Hillak, Rev. Michelle Walker (Alternate), Rev. Terri Bays, Rev. Brian Grantz (Deputation Co-Chair), Rev. Susan Haynes, and Rev. Matthew Cowden
(Not pictured: Bishop Ed Little, who was in a meeting.)
A reflection/word of encouragement from (Deputation Co-Chair) - Dean Brian Grantz
Good Morning, Team EDNIN! Today we will all be in Austin at long last with the entirety of the 79th General Convention still before us in the sometimes anxious, sometimes exciting realms of potential and possibility.
This morning Balaam reminds us to watch and listen for God, who may act and speak in unusual ways to get our attention. Jesus makes a similar point, telling us that the faith of tax collectors and prostitutes is more genuine than the religious leaders who don't recognize the Word and will of God right before their eyes.
One of my old mentors, Churchill Pinder, was fond of saying "God is a surprise!" How, when, where will God show up in surprising ways in Austin? Let's find out!
Video update from Clergy Deputies Dean Brian Grantz and Father Matthew Cowden - on their way to Austin.
June 20, 2018
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, the Light for all people!
Part of our work in Becoming #Beloved Community includes listening to one another’s story regarding faith, race and difference. Each of us have stories to share about our experiences and interactions with others. This is a way to begin telling and hearing the truth of our experiences.
Bishop Jennifer, Bishop Bill and I have made a commitment to working together, as Episcopalians and Lutherans throughout the Hoosier State, to work more intentionally toward Becoming #Beloved Community.
We shared our stories with one another and want to share them with you!
In the coming months, Episcopalians and Lutherans will be invited to gather in various communities throughout Indiana to share and listen to one another’s stories. In the Diocese of Northern Indiana, these story sharing opportunities will be facilitated by Gina Shropshire, Pamela Young and the Rev. T.J. Freeman, joined by three Lutherans. This is such an important and unique opportunity and I hope you consider participating when you are invited.
Every blessing,
Bishop Doug
The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage through Spain to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, to the shrine of St. James. It is also called The Way of St. James. There are several paths that can be taken to get there, some beginning in France or Portugal, all of them culminating in Santiago at the Cathedral. At the beginning of May, after 9 months of training and planning, we set out for a ten day pilgrimage on the Camino Frances, a route that goes through the northern part of Spain.
We were part of a group of 11 people, mostly parishioners of Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Sanford, Florida. We began our walk in Ponferrada, Spain, and walked for nine days over many different terrains. We climbed up and down mountains, walked through beautiful forests, across farmlands, along rivers and through villages both large and small. It was a rigorous hike much of the time, so we took our time, stopping to rest often, drinking delicious cafe con leche at little markets and rural cafes.
We hiked an average of 15 miles a day, one day as long as 22 miles. It was exhausting but the group encouraged each other and a wonderful comradery grew each day between us. We also met people from all over the world who were hiking The Way. We learned that there are many reasons that people make this pilgrimage, some for fitness, some for a love of travel, but mostly as a spiritual pilgrimage.
For us, it was a chance to be together as father and daughter, to spend time in prayer as we walked, to grow closer to and rely more on Christ as we experienced creation in a new and challenging way. It was an amazing trip, and after a total of over 150 miles, we reached Santiago and the Cathedral and worshipped at the Pilgrim Mass, giving thanks to God for safe travels and all the blessings in our lives.
Katy White and Frank Gray
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to take part in a conversation initiated by the Absalom Jones: Episcopal Center for Racial Healing in Atlanta, Georgia. The trip was short, but it was packed with small group engagements, prayer, and fellowship. There were clergy and laity from across the Episcopal Church. As a straight white male, I had the unique, to me, experience of being the minority in the room. In fact, at dinner the first evening someone thanked me for being there, because in their experience too often people like me do not show up to these conversations. I must admit to being a bit nervous about being there. Sure, I have taken part in different multi-cultural events and co-chaired a Black History Month celebration; however, when I took a hard look at what I have done in my life to work against prejudices and racism and for racial healing, my record is lacking.
The truly amazing and inspiring thing about that short time in Atlanta was that admitting that I have not done enough, really anything, was accepted and welcomed as a valid starting point. My struggling with how to begin and how to guide my parish through the process of beginning was at that moment enough. Going forward there is so much work to be done and the Spirit is groaning for us to begin. It seems to me that the first step for those of us who are in positions of influence and power to authentically engage in the work of racial reconciliation and racial justice is admitting that we have not cared enough in the past, we have done enough in the past, but from this point forward we are going to begin working for peace and justice, so that all God’s children may come together as beloved community. Because we need each other; we need each other’s stories and truths, we need each other’s beauty, and being together, being one in Christ Jesus is what God expects of us.
Your servant in Christ…
T.J. Freeman
19th Rector, Trinity Church
Fort Wayne, Indiana
General Convention—the triennial gathering of the Episcopal Church for common worship and governance—is coming up this July 5th-13th in Austin, Texas. This will be the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church and the 40th General Convention to which the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana has sent deputies. Our representatives in the House of Deputies for the 79th General Convention are:
We will also be represented in the House of Bishops by:
The General Convention Website is the official place to go for documents, schedules, and webcasts. In addition, we will be sending you reflections from our own deputation as convention goes forward and directing you to sites where you can receive interesting commentary from around the church. Stay tuned!
I, Pamela Nolan Young, of Holy Trinity in South Bend, Indiana, and the Reverend T.J. Freeman of Trinity, Fort Wayne, Indiana joined more than 85 priests and lay Episcopal members at a conference on racial reconciliation convened by the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing in March. The attendance numbers required the event take place at two larger churches in Midtown Atlanta. The opening night dinner and reception were held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. All Saints was host to the discussion the following day.
The Center under the direction of Dr. Catherine Meeks, is charged with assisting the wider church with tools and resources that allow the Episcopal Church and other faith communities to engage in the work of dismantling racism through education, dialogue, pilgrimage, spiritual formation, and prayer. The participants gathered to share what they were doing in their respective dioceses and explore ways we can work together. Father Freeman and I joined in group discussions that identified strengths, best practices, and opportunities as well as challenges. The groups documented their conversations. Those summaries will be further refined at the Center for distribution to the wider church. All participants were asked to visit the Center's web page to complete an online form that will become a searchable database.
I was honored to represent the diocese and was delighted to meet others committed to this work as Dr. Meeks states this is the work of salvation. I am employed by the University of Notre Dame as the Director of Academic Diversity and Inclusion My role at the university is to assist it with its efforts to be a welcoming and inclusive community. This trip enabled me to mix business with pleasure. The connections with other participants will enhance the work I do at Notre Dame and enable me to assist our diocese. I was particularly pleased to learn about the best practices that others had shared. I was proud to be able to share some of the practices from our Diocese such as the Soup after School program at Holy Trinity and the hiring of the Adrien Niyongabo to work on Community Asset Building.
I am an African American woman who was born in the south. I can recall KKK marches near my grandparents' hometown in North Alabama. My life history is punctuated with positive and negative stories about race: a great uncle who was killed for interracial dating; entering first grade as one of three African Americans to integrate Girard Elementary School; and a friendship with a Caucasian classmate that extended into junior high school when her parents bravely allowed her to attend a sleepover at my house. I was raised Baptist but converted and was confirmed an Episcopalian in my early thirties. I was drawn to the Episcopal church not because it had all the answers, but because it seemed to be asking the right questions. My church at the time of my confirmation was Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, Massachusetts. I recall vividly look up into the pulpit and seeing a variety of races, ages, and genders among our priests and deacons and thinking this is what God's people are supposed to look like.
I can think of no greater task for the church to tackle than that of racial reconciliation. Our nation's ability to so easily adopt policies that pit us as humans against other humans based on difference is in my opinion ungodly. So I am thrilled to be a part of the local and national conversation in our church and I truly believe our efforts will bear fruit. I know this work is not easy, it is difficult and uncomfortable but oh how sweet the reward.
As Bishop Desmond Tutu said "Isn't it amazing that we are all made in God's image, and yet there is so much diversity among his people? "
- Pamela Nolan Young
16 May 2018
Dear Brothers and Sister in the Episcopal Church in Northern Indiana!
Grace and peace be with you in the Risen and Ascended Lord!
In March of this year we had the privilege of sending three representatives to the Evangelism Matters conference in Cleveland, OH. Fr Dan Layden and Jordan Trendelmen of St. Alban's, Fort Wayne along with Jonathan Grant of St. Paul's, Mishawaka traveled there on our behalf. Included in this post are two videos, along with transcripts, offering their reflections on the conference. Enjoy them! Hopefully they will lead you to contemplate where/how evangelism fits authentically in your life.
Transcript - 16 May 2018 Evangelism Matters 2018 - Jonathan Grant
Transcript - 16 May 2018 Evangelism Matters 2018 - Fr. Dan Layden & Jordan Trendelmen
Blessings,
- Doug
A few weeks ago, readers of the New York Times may have noticed a rather moving article about the opening of a new National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Birmingham, Alabama. The museum is dedicated to the victims of white supremacy in the United States, and its centerpiece is:
a grim cloister, a walkway with 800 weathered steel columns, all hanging from a roof. Etched on each column is the name of an American county and the people who were lynched there, most listed by name, many simply as “unknown.” The columns meet you first at eye level, like the headstones that lynching victims were rarely given. But as you walk, the floor steadily descends; by the end, the columns are all dangling above, leaving you in the position of the callous spectators in old photographs of public lynchings.
We've been talking recently in the Racial Reconciliation Reading Group about the spiritual benefits of going on pilgrimage to sites where significant events have taken place. Often a visit to such a place can increase our sense of ownership and engagement with the very real people who were involved in such events. In some cases, our response is inspiration; in others, repentance.
If, like me, you wondered whether this new museum might be an appropriate pilgrimage site, you may have wondered whether it focused on the South alone or also took into consideration more than a dozen lynchings that took place here in Indiana. Would a visit to the Birmingham museum call us to repentance or simply reinforce the illusion that racial violence is just a Southern problem? The beginnings of answers to such questions may be found in another article that appeared in the Indianapolis Star and for which our own Bill Munn (Gethsemane, Marion) was interviewed. That article also mentions the Black Halocaust Museum in Milwaukee, which closed its physical doors in 2008 but continues its life as a virtual museum online.
Conversations are currently underway regarding the possibility of a pilgrimage to Birmingham—stay tuned!
In January, Missioners Terri, Adrien, and Michelle submitted an application to the Roanridge Trust for a grant to dive more deeply into our Becoming #Beloved Community initiative. Roanridge is specifically designed to provide training programs for church leadership in small-town and rural areas, on various topics (as designed by the grant requestor), while giving special attention to the Five Marks of Mission:
To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To teach, baptize, and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To seek to transform unjust structures of society
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Our EDNIN grant application grew out of our Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) initiative, which allowed us to hire Missioner Adrien Niyongabo (thanks to a 2017 United Thank Offering grant!). Missioner Adrien spent his first eight months with the Episcopal Church in Northern Indiana sharing the concepts of ABCD and listening deeply to the various faith communities he visited. These fruitful conversations have revealed a deeper need for healing, for reconciliation, in our communities as a whole.
The Roanridge Trust grant, administered through the Domestic and Foreign Mission Society, will allow us to develop training for our clergy and lay leaders so that they can create a process for Becoming #Beloved Community that is specific to their own contexts. Maybe this means more reading groups, or deeper conversations around sharing our stories of reconciliation and healing. Maybe we will utilize the concepts of Becoming #Beloved Community and customize them for our context in ways we haven't dreamed of yet! We are THRILLED and HONORED to have received this vote of confidence and to have this opportunity.
Stay tuned for more details this summer! Thank you Roanridge.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Episcopal Church in Northern Indiana!
Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, the Risen Christ!
Last week, I had the privilege of gathering with bishops, priests, deacons and lay persons from 20 dioceses throughout the Episcopal Church to rekindle our passion for the important work of stewardship and its essential role in the life of our faith communities. This initiative is entitled Project Resource 2.0 and is sponsored by the College for Bishops, the Episcopal Church Foundation and the Development Office of the Episcopal Church. For several years in Northern Indiana, we have had a group of people called Faithful Stewards, who have tried to encourage the work of Stewardship among us! I want to thank Linda Buskirk (Trinity - Fort Wayne), Meg Moss (Christ the King - Huntington), Pamela Harris (St. Andrew's - Valparaiso), Chuck Lewis and Steve Wilson (St. Andrew - Kokomo) , Fr. Paul Nesta (St. Paul - LaPorte) and Bishop Frank Gray for committing themselves to participating in this conference AND bringing it back to share throughout our diocese.
The initiative focuses on three areas of stewardship: 1) the Annual Pledge Drive; 2) Planned or Legacy Giving and 3) Capital Campaigns.
You will be hearing more about our learning and our hopes in assisting every faith community in Northern Indiana to embrace more and more intentionally to important work of stewardship in all its aspects! In the meantime, please enjoy the video below, recorded at the end of our time together.
Easter blessings,
Doug
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Please enjoy Bishop Doug's video with his reflections from the Spring 2018 House of Bishops.
Links from the House of Bishops
Evangelism Resources