Account for Friday, September 16

The Episcopal Church

Office of Public Affairs

 

 

Episcopal Church House of Bishops Fall 2011 meeting:

Daily Account for Friday, September 16

 

 

The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church is meeting in Province IX in Quito, Ecuador (Diocese of Ecuador Central) from September 15 to September 20.  The following is an account of the activities for Friday, September 16.

 

The House of Bishops opened its session on Friday with Morning Prayer, with parts in English, Spanish and French.

 

Emcee for the day was Bishop Julio Holguín, Diocese of Dominican Republic.

 

The morning discussion focused on Scriptural and Theological Foundation for Liberation Theology, presented in Spanish by Silvia Regina, Director of Departamento Ecumenico de Investigaciones (Department of Ecumenical Research).

 

At noon, Holy Eucharist was celebrated by Bishop Alfredo Morante, Diocese of Ecuador Litoral.  Preachers were the HOB chaplains, the Rev. Simone Bautista, Diocese of Washington, and the Rev. Stephanie Spellers, Diocese of Massachusetts.

 

Bishop David Alvarez, Diocese of Puerto Rico, moderated the afternoon session on "Prophetic Proclamation and Liberation Theology" with Don Compier, professor at St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, MO;  the Rt. Rev. Naudal Gomes, Bishop of Curitiba, Brazil; and Professor Silvia Regina, the morning speaker.  All three speakers spoke of how the principles of liberation theology, which is God's good news for the poor, can speak to our various church contexts.  "There is only God and the poor," said Prof. Regina, highlighting the importance of this theological understanding for authentic biblical witness today.

 

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori addressed the conflict in the Diocese of Ecuador Central.  The conflict is "public and it is painful," she said.   "Our presence here is a remarkable statement to the people of this diocese," she said, adding that conversations continue.

 

Bishop Martin Fields of Western Missouri provided an update on the tornados and the devastation to Joplin and the damage to other areas. Joplin, he said, will not return as it was, with estimates of 10 years needed for that area. He noted that among the items needed for the area are Christmas decorations.

 

 

Media Briefers for Friday, September 16

Bishop Eugene Sutton, Diocese of Maryland 

Bishop Michael Vono, Diocese of Rio Grande

Bishop James Waggoner, Diocese of Spokane

 

 

Links

The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org

Diocese of Curitiba, Brazil http://www.ieab.org.br/ieab/

Diocese of Dominican Republic http://episcopaldominican.org/

Diocese of Ecuador Litoral http://www.anglicancommunion.org/tour/diocese.cfm?Idind=654

Diocese of Maryland http://www.ang-md.org/

Diocese of Massachusetts: www.diomass.org

Diocese of Puerto Rico http://episcopalpr.org/

Diocese of Rio Grande http://www.dioceserg.org/

Diocese of Spokane http://www.spokanediocese.org/

Diocese of Washington www.edow.org

Diocese of West Missouri http://www.diowestmo.org/home0.aspx

St. Paul School of Theology http://www.spst.edu/

 

On the web: Episcopal Church House of Bishops Fall 2011 meeting:

Daily Account for Friday, September 16 http://www.episcopalchurch.org/newsline_129844_ENG_HTM.htm

 

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For more info contact:

Neva Rae Fox

Public Affairs Officer

The Episcopal Church

publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org

212-716-6080  Mobile: 917-478-5659

 

 

 

 

 

First Day at the House of Bishops, September 15, 2011

Bishop Harrison and I reviewed the fire situation in the Diocese of Texas and decided that she would stay and go and be with Calvary, Bastrop this coming Sunday.  I left on Wednesday and flew to Quito, Ecuador for the Fall House of Bishop's Meeting.  (We are meeting in Ecuador because it is an inexpensive place to hold the meeting. Our Church and our Diocesan out of pocket will actually be less than the meeting we had last fall in Arizona.) 

I arrived in my room around 1:00 a.m., woke up early and headed to the gym, having breakfast with bishop friends and connecting on topics such as technology/communication, mission, and community.

Spouses and Bishops gathered as the meeting was opened with a Eucharist.   Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori presided and preached.  She tied the life of James Chisholm, priest in tidewater Virginia during a yellow fever epidemic in the 1800s, with the HOB meeting theme of liberation theology with incarnational ministry.  It was a very good sermon and one of the best lines was that "the least unlikely person can be an instrument of God's healing love when presented with challenges that call forth a sacrificial offering of self."  

I reflected on the ordinary people I have visited with who are our particular heroes during the fires that have blazed across the diocese.  Men and women offering everything they have, sacrificially, for the other.  This is obvious in our civil servants who have done so much for our people; including John Alexander (Bishop Neil Alexander, Atlanta) of the Austin Fire Department.  This is less obvious to the casual observer but clear to your bishops that the great human outpouring of care throughout the diocese for those in need because of the fire disaster is not unlike Chisholm's incarnational ministry in the midst of great tragedy. 

Every day at the HOB we have an Emcee and today it is Bishop Nedi Rivera of Eastern Oregon. 

The Episcopal News Service offered this description of our time together: Bishop Stacy Sauls, chief operating officer for the Episcopal Church, greeted the bishops and talked about the Everyone Everywhere 2011 conference, a conference on domestic and global mission, will be held in October.

Bishop Scott Hayashi of Utah introduced the discussion on the Denominational Health Plan and the Lay Pension.  Details were presented by representatives of Church Pension Group: Frank Armstrong, chief actuary and senior vice president; Laurie Kazilionis, vice president; Michael McDonald, vice president.
 
The afternoon was dedicated to a presentation and discussion on the "Spiritual Foundation for Prophetic Proclamation to the Least," presented by Don Compier, professor at St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri, and in Spanish by the Rt. Rev. Naudal Gomes, bishop of Curitiba in Brazil.  They impressed upon us the seeds of liberation theology present in our own Anglican history.  They also made connections with our Eucharistic liturgy, Incarnation, and God's preferential option for the poor. 

In my own reflection of the day's talks I found this last presentation for the day was excellent. Bishop Gomes gave a great and stirring talk about ministry on the ground, with the people, a mission and ministry that is incarnational and tangible.  He offered illustrations about how the poor and homeless had given to him visions of God in ways he had not known before.  He talked about the inter-mingling of scripture's Gospel of Grace and life lived with those with whom Jesus had a special relationship.

He talked about the church's work of knowing and announcing God's presence in the midst of people and communities.  The work of the church to be open to how the poor can teach us about grace and to listen attentively within the context of our mission for God's words.  And, he talked to us about the importance of engaging power to raise up the very best in our civil societies but how we also must be willing to speak out on Gospel imperatives.  He got a very challenging question about how difficult it is to be close to power but not corrupted by it.  He said that such work between the margins is the work of the Gospel.  He ended by encouraging us forward through the power of the Holy Spirit. It was an excellent talk!

Then before breaking for evening prayer and dinner I along with two others were invited to address the House on the disasters in our diocese.  This was one of the reasons why Bishop Harrison and I felt I should be here...to tell our story.

 
We heard first from Bishop Tom Ely of Vermont.  He shared with HOB the devastation in the state as a result of the floods and the needs of the people.  Their communities are suffering as many roads and bridges are gone. They have a shuttle system which gets food and supplies throughout the area of devastation.  Two congregations suffered damage; many of the poor are suffering a great deal.  

Bishop William Love of Albany spoke about the widespread impact of the flooding from Hurricane Irene. He shared with us his on the ground visits with people and congregations.  He reflected with the group that (like our experience and Tom's that Episcopal Relief and Development has been very responsive).  I also thought that I remember our same thoughts and needs post hurricanes that dealt heavy blows across the gulf coast.  Both these diocese and many other smaller areas throughout the northeast will require years of recovery.
 
I then was able to provide a vision of our experience in the Diocese of Texas.  If you are interested in the latest news, the short film, and how you can help today to meet the needs of the wildfire victims follow this link:  http://www.epicenter.org/texas-wildfires

I am glad I came to be with the house.  Not only to participate in prayer and to share our story from Texas but because by doing so a number of Bishops have promised funds; some in addition to funds already sent.  Let me also say that many bishops have come to me personally and asked that I share their love and prayers for the people of Texas as we go through this trial.  It was a humbling experience, a grace-filled experience, this morning to hear during our service of morning prayer bishops pray out loud for Bishop Harrison, myself, Lisa Hines, and all our people. 

We concluded the daylong session with Evening Prayer, led by Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina.

It has been a special pleasure to sit and be with our visitors from around the Anglican communion.  These are:

• The Rt. Rev. Naudal Gomes, bishop of Curitiba, Brazil;
• The Rt. Rev. Peter Price, bishop of Bath and Wells, Church of England;
• Archbishop Nathaniel Uematsu, primate of Nippon Sei Ko Kai (the Episcopal/Anglican church of Japan); 
• Archbishop Albert Chama, primate of Central Africa will arrive later in the meeting.

I will add a special note that Bishop Nathaniel's son was born in Austin and that he is a graduate for our Seminary of the Southwest. He is a wonderful man and we sat at Eucharist together yesterday.  I am hopeful that he might join us in Texas for a visit.  He has shared with us some of his experience post earthquake and the work that is underway there through his congregations and their mission.

Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, D.D.

IX Bishop of Texas

Sent from portable while out of office.

Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

Sermon Preached at St. John the Divine, Houston

Philippe came to see Guy Tozzoli, President of the of the World Trade Center Association, day after day. He said he wanted to do a story about the World Trade Center as a French Journalist.

Yet, Philippe kept asking Guy how the buildings move in the wind. Guy told him the buildings oscillate like snakes. Philippe also wanted to know how far apart are the buildings were.

The reason for this was that Philippe Petit is French but he is a performance artist and his goal on August 7, 1974 was to walk a tight rope between the two twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Step by step he would make his way to the other side. He traveled the 1,350 feet six or eight times.

When asked what it was like to walk across, he said he could hear the sounds of the city floating upwards. He could hear people, cars, boats and police. He could feel the wind, and the buildings move. But he remembers that first step.

He says, “I had to make a decision from one foot anchored on the building to one foot anchored on the wire.” He remembers thinking, “This is the end of my life.” Then he was resolved and with clarity he took his first steps. He knew he must go. He says, “I was pulled forward … and death is very close.” [read all]

Remembering 9/11

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was nearby leading a conference as the first plane hit the tower. He remembers saying to himself as the second plane hit and the lights went out, “Let us not be afraid to tell God how afraid we are.” He then joined a few others to guide children (ages 4 and under) in a nursery school out of the buildings and to safety.

After the towers fell, a tiny 18th-century Episcopal church became a relief center where clergy counseled, cooks dished out meals, and medical workers treated stiff muscles and burned feet. More than 5,000 people used their special gifts to transform St. Paul’s into a place of rest and refuge. Musicians, clergy, podiatrists, lawyers, soccer moms, and folks from all walks of life poured coffee, swept floors, took out the trash, and served more than half a million meals.

In the days leading up to the tenth anniversary we have heard and commemorated what our lives were like on that day and what it has been like to live life post-9/11. The theme is clear—while humanity can do horrible things we are also capable of selfless giving, deep compassion for our neighbor, love and care for those who mourn, and the ability to give mercy to all those in need.

This truth is clear in the stories we tell on this tenth anniversary. We are proud too that the Episcopal Church sent people to the 9/11 site to care and offer a vision of God's hand working in the world. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said recently, "People of faith gave sacrificially in the immediate aftermath of the plane crashes. St. Paul's Chapel opened its doors to the emergency responders, and volunteers appeared with food and socks, massaging hands and praying hearts. Volunteers continued to staff the chapel for months afterward, and prayers were offered as human remains were sought and retrieved in the ruins of the towers."

C. S. Lewis wrote, "When pain is to be born, a little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little human sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all."

Episcopalians will join the American people this weekend in remembering. But we do this so that the epitaph we write in the ashes of 9/11 is one of hope, kindness, and humility.

We are transformed by the events of ten years ago. But it is our hope that through our transformation we may more widely engage our communities in the work of reconciliation wherein we find a common ground to change the world itself. Where together we may beat our swords into plowshares our spears into fishing hooks. (Isaiah 2.4) This anniversary is a special opportunity in our history where embracing our neighbors and loving them as ourselves can open new doors to understanding, fellowship, cooperation, and peacemaking. We tell and retell our 9/11 story so that we remember. We remember so we can be transformed. We do this in the name of Jesus Christ who came and offered the ultimate sacrifice so that we might be brothers and sisters, friends, and neighbors.

Prayer for our Country

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance; and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth.

In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Some Events in the Diocese of Texas

In the Diocese of Texas we will remember the events and the people who cared. St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston will hold a "Service of Prayer and Remembrance" at 6 p.m. on Sept. 11. St. Andrew's Church in Pearland plans to honor and bless first responders in remembrance of all those who lost their lives and their bereaved families.

In Austin, St. David's Episcopal Church has invited the entire community to join them for an "Evensong for Peace" at 5 p.m. on Sept. 11. The service of prayer and remembrance will include prayers "and deeply moving choral and organ anthems—all of which speak to the community's deepest desires for peace and reconciliation among all peoples," according to a diocesan news article.

"It is our desire to call our community together to remember our losses and the individual and corporate pain of the events of Sept. 11, 2001," said the Rev. David Boyd, rector of St. David's. "As people of faith, we seek to hold up hope and pray for peace among all people."

The Diocese of Texas has partnered with Compassionate Houston on a "Compassionate Weekend of Service." Organizations throughout Greater Houston will be hosting activities with a compassionate focus.

Sounds of Worship: Recordings of Hymn Singing at All Saints Church in Southern Malawi

Click on the title or below and go to my podcast site to hear sounds of Africa.

http://adoyle.libsyn.com/webpage