July 12, 2009

I very much enjoyed the UTO service. The music was wonderful. I thought the sermon on mission had a number of good points, which I twittered, along with the prayers of the people, and UTO ingathering.



I met with the deputation shortly after and we discussed a number of things. The consent for the Bishop of Ecuador Central came up in conversation. This is a major issue in a very divided diocese, where we have been aiding to restore health. The House of Bishops elected a fine man, The Rev. Luis Fernando Ruiz. He will bring skills of leadership, transparency, administration and a love of Jesus Christ to the office. He received an almost unanimous vote by the house at our March meeting. I believe that some of the dysfunctional elements of his diocese have attempted to disrupt this process throwing the House of Deputies into some confusion. We will receive the vote tomorrow: the 13th, God willing



We discussed the Title IV revision. A number of very fine brothers and sisters have worked on this revision. I very much believe our current Title IV serves us well. There is also a great deal of continued discussion in several areas of the proposed Title that I just don't feel are yet worked out. We will have to see what the House of Deputies does with this, but I am concerned that the level of structure needed for the new Title will be very burdensome for us, let alone a small diocese with limited resources.



We were back in session in the afternoon and moved pretty steadily through our resolutions. I am very pleased with the resolution on Immigration. We had a healthy discussion and I believe the resolution upholds the church's commitment to respect the dignity of human beings. Along with the Roman Catholic Church we are joining in a call for reform.

I was very proud of our own Mary MacGregor, director of leadership development,who spoke to ECW presidents and members on Sunday to accolades for her passion and expertise.

I had the honor and privilege of toasting (roasting) Bishop Wimberly at the Bishops' dinner tonight. What a great night of celebration for our retiring bishops. I was blessed to be asked and laughed and enjoyed my time listening to stories about the good people who have served with great hearts and a love for their church. I would say that there was a theme. The men who were honored last night were known for their dedication, their love of Jesus, their love of his church, their love for his people, their belief that that love is articulated in mission for the oppressed and those in need. They were also each known as friends in and of the House of Bishops. The histories and stories make me wish to be a servant bishop and a good bishop for the church, diocese, and Jesus.