Spirit Summer 2012

Spirit

GENERAL CONVENTION • SHARED MINISTRIES • BLOGGING FROM TORNADO ALLEY

Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri

ONE YEAR LATER: SLOWLY REBUILDING JOPLIN Summer 2012 Volume 3, No. 4

Spirit PUBLISHER: The Rt. Rev. Martin S. Field EDITOR: Hugh Welsh Spirit is published quarterly by the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri 420 W. 14th St. Kansas City, MO 64105 EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Hugh Welsh, Spirit The Rev. John Spicer, St. Andrew’s, Kansas City Angela Crawford, Administrative Assistant, Diocese of West Missouri SUBMISSIONS/LETTERS: Spirit welcomes submissions of news articles, photographs and letters to the editor on topics of interest to the diocese. Submissions should include the writer’s name, e-mail, mailing address and phone number and are subject to editing.

PHONE: Editor’s Cell: (816) 213-1639 FAX: (816) 471-0379 E-MAIL: westmo_spirit@swbell.net WEB SITE: www.episcopalwestmo.org ON THE COVER: (Inset): Two weeks after the Joplin tornado, a woman salvages what she can from her ruined duplex. Photo by Hugh Welsh.

One year later, there is a randomness to Joplin’s reconstruction, according to St. Philip’s rector, the Rev. Frank Sierra. In a neighborhood hard hit by the tornado, homes are rebuilt on one side of the street, while the other side is primarily vacant. Photo by Debi Sierra.

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4 Letter to the Editor In May 2011, a tornado tore through the Rev. Frank Sierra’s town, sparing his own home and his parish, St. Philip’s. Many of the faces he’d come to know in the pews, however, were suddenly without a home. Some grieved over the death of a friend or neighbor. Sierra didn’t sleep for weeks afterward. “Too much to do,” he said then. The work is far from over; Sierra reflects on Joplin one year after the tornado.

By the Rev. Frank Sierra

5 Bishop Talk The 2013 diocesan budget will be different than in the past. The bishop explains.

By the Rt. Rev. Martin S. Field

6 The Agenda A peek at upcoming events around the diocese: Camp WEMO, A Gathering on the Gathering, General Convention, Communications Workshop, Missionpalooza — and don’t forget your MDGs.

7 Rip and Read In May, House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson announced her retirement and the Rev. Thomas Logan, the Episcopal Church’s eldest serving African-American priest, died at 100. Also, the Book of Common Prayer turned 350.

8 Inter-congregational Cooperation How can congregations amply serve their communities when constrained by resources and money? According to the rector of St. Mary’s (Kansas City), sometimes it’s best to share ministry.

By the Very Rev. Lauren Lyon

10 F.A.Q. For centuries, Christ’s death on the cross has posed a riddle for Christians. Indeed, He died for our sins. But to what extent? The rector of Shepherd of the Hills (Branson) explains how Anglicans understand His sacrifice.

By the Rev. Greg Hoover

A foundation is all that remains of a house in the path of last year’s Joplin tornado. Behind it, fields lie where a neighborhood once stood.

Photo by Debi Sierra.

12 General Convention: Deputies

18 General Convention: Same-Gender Blessings

Profiles of each of the diocese’s deputies to General Convention. The lay deputation: Channing Horner, Judy Kile, Carole Pryor and Linda Robertson. The clergy deputation: the Revs. Ted Estes, Jonathan Frazier, Marshall Scott (chair) and Galen Snodgrass.

Together, they will represent the diocese at the most momentous Convention in decades.

Before General Convention begins, the House of Bishops and House of Deputies will consider a report titled “I Will Bless You, and You Will Be a Blessing: Resources For Blessing Same-Gender Relationships.”

Should it be approved, same-gender blessing rites would be available for use on a trial basis beginning December 2, with further review at the 78th General Convention in 2015.

By Hugh Welsh

14 General Convention: Anglican Covenant An Anglican Covenant, which emerged from the 2004 Windsor Report, would prohibit any controversial action by a constituent church without consulting the greater Anglican Communion. Several resolutions will appear before General Convention: one requests that the Church adopt the covenant outright, while another states that the Church cannot adopt the covenant “in its current form.”

By Hugh Welsh

16 General Convention: Structural Reform Overhead accounts for 47 percent of the Episcopal Church’s budget. The Church’s chief operating officer, the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, wants to reshape the Church’s structure to designate more of the budget for mission, rather than administration and governance. At least one third of the Church’s dioceses, including West Missouri, agree with him.

By Hugh Welsh

20 General Convention: Health Insurance The denominational health plan due to take effect January 1 was passed to eliminate health care disparity between clergy and lay employees. But is it truly equitable? Not according to the resolution submitted to General Convention by the Diocese of West Missouri, which calls for “a single, unified national plan for the entire Episcopal Church with no variance in premium costs from diocese to diocese.”

By Hugh Welsh

22 Dispatches from Tornado Alley Amy Stevens’ blog concerns the day to day life of a hospice social worker who also happens to be a wife and mother to three children. Her blog, Life in the Trenches, took new meaning when a tornado struck her hometown.

By Amy Stevens SPIRIT, SUMMER, 2012

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Homeowners have taken advantage of available adjacent lots and have bigger parcels of land on which to build. As far as I can tell, each of these new homes has a safe room built into the new construction. Older homes have installed shelters Letter into their garages or put them into the ground close to the to the Editor house.

We now know that St. Mary’s Catholic Church will “HOW ARE THINGS IN JOPLIN?” rebuild in the far southwest part of town. The “famous” cross Anytime people find out we are from Joplin this question is asked. I usually answer that we are making progress. I imagine will remain at the old location. Construction at St. John’s Hospital, now Mercy Hospital, located southeast of Interstate they are thinking, “Duh! I certainly hope so after a year.”

44 and Main, has progressed well due to the mild winter. The What does it mean that we are making progress? The old hospital is slowly being demolished, a reminder of the majority of debris has been removed, especially residential debris. Street signs are up so you know where you are in town. power of nature. The demolition of Joplin High School is complete but removal of the debris has been held up due to If you are like me, I now have new markers to look for as I contract disputes. head across town to the office or back home.

If it seems that I have reported the progress randomly, it is I turn left at the Joplin Full Gospel Church instead of the because it is progressing randomly. Healing has come in fits Apostolic Church. The traffic lights in the “zone” are still and starts, a little here and a little there. Some areas have timed and I have to sit through the light even when there is no traffic. You never know what streets might be blocked with “come back.” Other areas sit idle with no evidence of future rebuilding. construction vehicles: cement It is the same randomness trucks or cranes rebuilding our with the 16 St. Philip’s town. households that lost their There is lots and lots of homes or had major damage. construction. Many homes One member was in her newly have been rebuilt. Houses on rebuilt home a few months the edge of the zone now have after the storm. Quite a few new roofs and siding. There members moved to other are many more privacy fences houses and sold their lots. around the new and repaired Rebuilding in post-tornado Joplin. Photo by Debi Sierra.

One household is just now homes: not because people do beginning the construction of their new home in the lot their not like their neighbors but simply because the next house parents’ home sat on before the storm. They hope to be in it may be at least a lot or two away and when the wind blows

by Thanksgiving. We hope so, too. there is nothing to stop it from blowing dirt and who knows This summer will be a busy one with groups of volunteers what into these “new” homes. I imagine the owners feel coming into town to help with the rebuilding of our town. A vulnerable sitting among empty lots. Will those who once few groups will bunk at St. Philip’s: one from Houston, Texas lived there come later as the empty lots fill in and new trees and another from St. Louis. God continues to bless us with and shrubs are planted? Only time will tell. the time, talent and treasure of fellow Americans from all over The big stores rebuilt a long time ago – Wal-Mart, Home this country.

Depot, Academy and Walgreens. Some local businesses have Together we continue to rebuild, we continue to heal and rebuilt, others have opted to take their losses and not rebuild. we continue to hope. Someday we will be “whole” again, but I will miss Pizza By Stout (great pizza and a superb variety we will always be different due to the tornado of May 22, of beers) and the lunch place I liked so well (I have even 2011. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. forgotten the name). Other businesses have relocated, and one has to Google the new location or stumble across it while Through you, God has sustained our hope. driving through another part of town.

As the city rebuilds, some hopes are dashed. I had hoped that bike paths and sidewalks would be part of the rebuilt zone. Other hopes are surpassed. The parks are better.

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Your servant in Christ Jesus, Fr. Frank Sierra Rector of St. Philip’s (Joplin)

Bishop Talk DIOCESAN BUDGET: 2013

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By the Rt. Rev. Martin S. Field

ach quarter it is my keen privilege to share a thought or two with the people of the diocese, yet this quarter’s article is different from most previous ones. This time, I write about one of our most pressing internal concerns: the 2013 budget. Now, I dare-say, many members of the diocese don’t follow our, year-long, budget-preparation process with much care, attention, or delight. Budgets can be tedious and boring things. But, they are more than just numbers and projections of income and expenses, much more than a mere spending plan. A budget is a statement of priorities and values, and – especially for the budget of a Church body – they are a theological statement.

That last statement may not have occurred to many of us before, but it is profoundly true. What we believe about God, about God’s will, about God’s provision, about God’s plans for his people – all these are reflected and revealed to an astute reader of a budget. For instance, a diocese that professes to believe in the importance of Youth Ministry, but which cuts youth ministry budgets barer and barer, is either living schizophrenically or doesn’t really believe what they say they believe.

Accordingly, our, diocesan budget process is not just about creating a balanced, spending plan. It is just as much about articulating how our stewardship of material resources will match up to our values and our theology. And we have reached a stage in the preparations of our 2013 Diocesan Budget when the Diocesan Council (ably assisted by the diocese’s Finance Commission) will soon ask the diocese (first through meetings of the Deaneries) to look at a draft budget; determine its fidelity to our diocesan priorities, beliefs, and values; and respond with . . . well with whatever they feel needs to be sent back to Diocesan Council (and to Finance).

It is my hope that we will look at the budget first with eyes attuned to priorities and secondarily to line items. Yes, we need to balance the budget by the end of this process, but first we need to know whether we agree the draft is truly, truly in step with the diocese’s stated priorities, is consonant with our values, and displays what we believe about God and God’s call on the diocese’s ministry. I hope you are all familiar with the diocese’s Missional Priorities. To refresh us all, they are: #1 Grow Congregations; #2 Grow Personally; #3 Grow in Community; #4 Grow in Compassion and #5 Grow Leaders. These were first promulgated a few months ago along with my personal

offer to live in Covenant with the parishes and congregations of the diocese to the end that these priorities will become realities.

So, now, after several months (January thru now) and several stages of budget preparation (input from constituencies requesting budgeted monies, computation of expected income based off parochial reports from 2011, redesign of the layout of the budget document to allow us more directly to see budgetary alignment with priorities, etc.), the budget is ready for the whole diocese to have its first look. Again, as mentioned, that will happen at deanery meetings in the near future. To this point the process has been largely behind the scenes and under the hand of the diocese’s elected and appointed leadership. Now, all of us have a chance to be heard. Yet — daring to repeat and repeat like a broken record (if you remember what those are!) — I will ask again: Please concentrate on the priorities, values, and theology conveyed by the budget; please do not look only at line items and pick away only at how expensive it is to be a diocese.

(It is; that’s true; we all know it). But are we doing what God is calling us to do. That’s question one.

Here are some things to be aware of as you take part in the meetings of the deaneries. The budget has a whole new look.

Categories have been re-categorized. Like work and related ministries have been brought into programmatic categories that (it is hoped) will make it easier to see where the diocese is spending resources for the good of parishes and congregations.

Personnel costs have been brought into one category, yet are anecdotally connected to the programmatic area which each Bishop’s Staff member supports. This way, we are able to ensure some legally guaranteed privacy to employees and still let you know how the Bishop’s Staff supports our many programs.

For instance, with staffing changes that have been made through the mid-point of 2012, we now have the equivalent of 3.25 Full-Time Employees (FTEs) (1 at ¼-time, 2 at halftime, and 2 at full-time) working in our Congregational Life Department — this in addition to our standing commissions in this arena of work: Congregational Development (Small Town and Rural Setting) and Congregational Development (Urban and Suburban Setting). As you can see, this example shows a programmatic commitment of materiel and personnel to our diocese’s Missional Priority #1: Congregational Growth.

Serendipitously, it does so while also bringing us a savings in 2012; personnel costs drop $63,600 below the personnel costs of 2011. Projections for 2013 indicate personnel expenses should still be $31,000 below the 2011 level.

As much as I believe this is good progress and good news to all of us, don’t take my word for it. Come out to the meeting of your Deanery (all dates and times to be announced soon), and see for yourselves. YOU are vital to the development of a budget that reflects who we are and what we believe as a diocese.

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THE AGENDA Upcoming events around the diocese

General Convention Thursday, July 5 to Thursday, July 12 Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis

Aside from the Super Bowl, General Convention, a triennial legislative gathering of the Episcopal Church, will be the largest event in Indianapolis this year. General Convention is more than an opportunity for the House of Bishops and House of Deputies to take legislative action — thousands more will be able to participate in activities ranging from worship, to exhibit hall time, to organizational dinners and special programs.

Communications Workshop 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 14

Last year, more than 80 youths attended Camp WEMO. Submitted photo.

Camp WEMO Wednesday, June 6 to Sunday, June 10 Windermere Baptist Conference Center near Camdenton

The second-annual Camp WEMO is a five-day getaway for those in grades 6 to 12 coupling fun — canoeing, swimming, a variety show and an Amazing Race — with scripture reflection. Participants will stay in airconditioned cottages sleeping eight people. While high school youths will canoe the lower section of the Big Niangua River, middle school youths will participate in the Edge Team Building Challenge Course.

The Communications Subcommittee of the Futuring Task Group is offering a workshop on web sites, social media and Internet advertising to attract visitors and build community within your congregation. The workshop will be offered online and in-person at a location yet to be determined in the Kansas City area. Kevin Fullerton, a graphic designer and marketing specialist, will be the instructor. He is the proprietor of Springboard Creative in Mission, Kansas and teaches at the Kansas City Art Institute and Northwest Missouri State University. In the near future, the Communications Subcommittee will post information about 2012 grant opportunities for congregations. Grants will be available for the launch or upgrade of web sites and for Internet advertising.

Missionpalooza 2012 6 p.m. Monday, July 16 to Sunday, July 22 St. Paul’s in Kansas City

Jesus’ call to feed the hungry, visit the sick and comfort those in need is answered at Missionpalooza, a weeklong event combining youth from the dioceses of West Missouri and Kansas for the purpose of mission, fellowship and worship both inside and outside the walls of the Church.

Gathering on the Gathering Intended for grades 9 through 12, participants spend their days at such work sites as Bishop Spencer Place, 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 16 Don Bosco, Wayside Waifs, Habitat for Humanity, St. Paul’s in Clinton Operation Breakthrough and Kansas City Community Your voice matters in planning this year’s 9th-annual Kitchen. Evenings will include activities such as games, Diocesan Gathering, held in conjunction with the music, a movie night and outdoor barbecues. For Convention Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November more information, please call Youth Coordinator Kim Snodgrass at 417-793-0780.

3 at the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield. Unless you’re present at the Gathering on the Gathering, however, it can’t be heard. Last year, 16 presentations on Millennium Development Goal Applications a variety of topics were available to those who attended Deadline: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 the Diocesan Gathering and Convention.

Millennium Development Goals outline eight pathways to combat and ultimately eliminate global poverty. They Metro Deanery Meeting include: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 26 and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve St. Mary’s in Kansas City maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other The 2013 budget will be the focal point of the Metro diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and create a Deanery meeting. The deanery includes the following global partnership for development. A congregation can Kansas City congregations: All Saints’, St. Mary receive up to $500 in matching funds from the diocese if Magdalene, Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, St. it supports an overseas ministry that meets MDG criteria.

Mary’s, St. Paul’s, St. Peter’s and St. Augustine’s.

In 2011, 12 congregations received matching grants.

The deadline for submitting applications is Wednesday, October 31. To download the application, please visit 6 SPIRIT, SUMMER, 2012 www.diowestmo.org/parish_resources0.aspx

RIP & READ Articles from the Episcopal News Service

Thomas Logan, eldest serving AfricanAmerican priest, dies at 100 Anderson will not seek re-election as House of Deputies president BONNIE ANDERSON HAS ANNOUNCED THAT she will not stand for re-election as president of the House of Deputies during the July 5-12 meeting of General Convention in Indianapolis.

In a May 23 announcement letter to the deputies and first alternates of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention, Anderson said she plans to spend more time with her family.

“I have been honored beyond measure to lead this house, and gratified to observe the many ways in which Deputies and Alternates serve and lead God’s Church, both when General Convention is in session and when it is not,” she said in her letter.

“I am grateful for the service Bonnie Anderson has given to the Episcopal Church over many, many years,” said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori in a statement issued May 23. “She has been tireless in her advocacy for lay persons in the life and governance of this Church — a distinctive part of our identity. I understand something of the personal cost of her ministry, and pray that her retirement from this office will be a source of deep blessing for her and her family. Well done, good and faithful servant.”

The president of the House of Deputies is elected every three years to serve throughout the triennium.

Anderson was vice president of the House of Deputies and a lay deputy from the Diocese of Michigan when she was elected at the 2006 General Convention to serve as president of the House of Deputies. She was re-elected at the 2009 General Convention.

THE REV. CANON THOMAS WILSON STEARLY Logan, Sr., 100, associate priest of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia, died May 2.

The eldest serving African American priest in the Episcopal Church, Logan was a civil rights pioneer and a long-term leader of the Conference of Church Workers Among Colored People (CCWACP), which was the precursor to the Union of Black Episcopalians.

Logan served as rector of Calvary Church Northern Liberties in Philadelphia, and was named rector emeritus when he retired in 1984. He was a life member and former board member of the NAACP for Philadelphia and Darby, Pennsylvania, and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. in organizational and fundraising efforts in Philadelphia to support civil rights strategies.

Anglican world marks 350 years of the Book of Common Prayer

“ASHES TO ASHES, DUST TO DUST.” Shakespeare? The King James Bible? Close — the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, the liturgical and literary masterpiece that (along with the previous two sources) has helped shape the English language and marks its 350th anniversary this year.

St. Paul’s Cathedral in London celebrated the occasion in May with a special service of Evensong from the 1662 volume. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams attended, along with members of Prayer Book societies in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The anniversary actually refers to the revised edition that still stands as the official doctrinal standard of the Church of England and is the foundation of prayer books for most other churches in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

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INTER-CONGREGATIONAL COOPERATION When resources are scarce, sharing talent, money and motivation between congregations is an excellent way to build effective ministries. By the Very Rev. Lauren Lyon

IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, THE diocese’s clergy and parishioners gathered for three open forums to discuss future priorities for diocesan ministry. One of the ideas that emerged from the forums was the importance of intercongregational cooperation. That idea has also been a part of deanery discussions about the budget. Sharing ministries between congregations has long been suggested as a way to share scarce resources. Have you ever thought about how your congregation could share talent, money and motivation to develop effective ministries? For some churches, this kind of sharing is already underway.

Their experience can inform the leadership of other congregations to help them find ways to collaborate with other churches.

Beginning in July, five congregations in the Southern Deanery will share ideas and talents in an effort to rebuild several small congregations south of Springfield. The Episcopal Church in the Ozarks will be led by two ministry developers, the Revs. Edie Bird and Tim Coppinger. To date, St. Matthew’s (Ozark), St. Mark’s (Kimberling City), St. Stephen’s (Monett) and St. Thomas à Becket (Cassville) have joined the ministry. St. Philip’s (Joplin) is also a member, anchoring the four smaller congregations in this new collaborative ministry initiative. The four mission congregations will share the two priests: Fr. Coppinger will serve St. Mark’s and St. Matthew’s as priest-in-charge and work as ministry developer at St. Thomas and St. Stephen’s. Mtr. Bird will be priest-in-charge at St. Thomas à Becket and St. Stephen’s and work as ministry developer in the other two. The ministry developers will work with each congregation individually on its strategic plan. The goal is to return these small congregations to a level of financial independence that will allow them to call a half-time priest or full-time vicar. The five congregations hope that others in the region will join them.

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The work of the Episcopal Church in the Ozarks “officially” begins July 2012, but two of its member congregations have already begun sharing resources.

Members of St. Thomas à Becket used a DVD program called The Discovery Series, which was produced by the Diocese of Texas where it was well received by their adult-education participants.

They lent it to St. Stephens’, where it was used for a multi-week adult Christian education forum with positive results.

Outreach has been a good fit for congregations in the Metro and Central deaneries. St. Mary’s (Kansas City) recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its food pantry. The program began as an outreach of the parish, distributing bags of groceries on weekdays from the parish hall. It continues today, operating every Saturday under the name Downtown Outreach from newly renovated space on the lower level of the church building. This year, the pantry is distributing an average of 80 to 85 bags of groceries weekly to low-income residents and homeless persons from all areas of Kansas City. Filling that many grocery bags every week requires a steady supply of nonperishable food. Four metro deanery congregations partner with St. Mary’s to collect food donated by parishioners on Sundays, delivering it to St. Mary’s once a month: All Saints’, St. Peter’s, Grace and Holy Trinity and St. Mary Magdalene. Parishioners from St. Mary Magdalene also orchestrate the hot lunch program of Downtown Outreach, preparing and serving meals every Saturday.

For the past several years, the parishioners of St. Peter’s have created a special Thanksgiving dinner grocery bag for Downtown Outreach’s guests. St. Peter’s parishioners assemble grocery bags using food donated by members of the congregation, then deliver the bags to St. Mary’s for distribution. Each bag contains stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes and green beans. St. Peter’s parishioners also donate a ham to each Thanksgiving grocery bag.

In Eastern Jackson County, six congregations

(Top, left): Four Eastern Jackson County parishes — Trinity Church (Independence), St. Michael’s (Independence), St. Paul’s (Lee’s Summit) and the Church of the Resurrection (Blue Springs) — share a regional Episcopal Vacation Bible School every summer. (Top, right): The Rev. Mark McGuire, St. Paul’s (Lee’s Summit) rector, at last year’s regional Vacation Bible School. Submitted photos.

collaborate on a similar outreach project.

The Necessity Pantry, located at St. Michael’s (Independence), is a shared ministry of St. Michael’s, St. Anne’s (Lee’s Summit) and the Church of the Resurrection (Blue Springs).

Two other congregations, Trinity Church (Independence) and St. Paul’s (Lee’s Summit), assist as they are able. Volunteers from St. Michael’s and St. Anne’s staff the pantry and distribute items donated by members of the five participating congregations. The pantry has operated as a collaborative ministry for 10 years and serves more than 100 families a month.

Not only do congregations collaborate on outreach, they also come together for social and educational events. Trinity Church, St. Michael’s, St. Paul’s and the Church of the Resurrection have found a solution for serving their young children in parishes where members in that age group are few in number. The four churches share a regional Episcopal Vacation Bible School each summer.

Most recently, St. Paul’s hosted the program with the support of volunteers from the other three

congregations. On average, about 25 children share a week of fun, food and fellowship, learning Bible stories. Six of the congregations’ youth members assist adult volunteers. The four congregations share the cost of the program materials and refreshments.

Parishioners of St. Mary’s (Kansas City), the 154year-old grand dame of the Metro Deanery, and St. Mary Magdalene, the newest congregation in Kansas City, have celebrated Mardi Gras together for the past several years. The evening begins with a prayer for the blessing of le seigneur qui laisse rouler les bons temps. Partygoers enjoy a meal of jambalaya, gumbo and bread pudding prepared by St. Mary’s parishioners and listen to live music provided by a band from St. Mary Magdalene.

Is your congregation ready to begin a new collaboration?

If your congregation is interested in a shared ministry, please contact the Very Rev. Lauren Lyon, rector of St. Mary’s in Kansas City, at justonelyon@gmail.com. The Revs. Edie Bird, Pat Miller and Jim Moon assisted with reporting for this article.

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F.A.Q. How do Anglicans understand Christ’s death on the cross?

By the Rev. Greg Hoover

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hy did Jesus die on the cross? What does it mean to me? What difference does it make?

What does the Episcopal Church teach about this?

These excellent questions center on what theologians call the atonement. When we speak of the atonement, we are referring to the death of Christ on the cross, and the way in which his death affects our salvation and reconciles us with God. Christians believe that in the cross of Jesus Christ, God in some way entered into human pain and sin, and transformed it, making our redemption possible.

Over the centuries, several different Christian ideas have developed, trying to explain how the atonement affects our salvation and heals our wounded relationship with God (we might say, our “at-one-ment” with God).

All these ways of understanding the atonement have a scriptural basis, and the Book of Common Prayer touches on a few different traditional ways of understanding the atonement, leaving theological room for us to decide what makes the most sense to us.

For instance, in the examination of a person about to be ordained as a bishop, it states that the bishop’s joy will be to serve him “who came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (BCP page 517).

The above represents a view of the atonement known as the ransom theory of atonement. This view began in the early centuries of Christianity, and suggested that Christ’s death was a “ransom” paid to the devil or the powers of darkness in order to free humanity from being held captive to the bondage of sin. There are variants of this view. One which comes to mind is the idea that the devil had been given power over sinners by God. However, when the devil took Christ (being both fully human and divine), he overstepped his authority. (Some of 10

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the Church Fathers used the metaphor of Christ’s humanity being the “bait” and his divinity being the “hook” which snares the devil.) In a sense, the ransom paid in this version of ransom theory is similar to a legal transaction.

Another view of the atonement can be found in Eucharistic Prayer I of Rite I. This prayer affirms that Jesus Christ offered “a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world” (BCP page 334).

This view of the atonement can be traced to the Old Testament concept of the sacrificial offering of an innocent (an animal) to pay the debt for human sins. This view is linked with the concept of the wages of sin being death. When the innocent animal was slain, it was thought to take the place of the actual sinner, restoring the sinner’s right relationship with God. This idea became prominent in the Middle Ages. The basic concept is that the sinner owes a debt that she or he cannot pay. This view is distinguished from ransom theory, in which the debt is owed to the devil; however, in this view the debt the sinner owes is to God. But how can an imperfect sinner pay for his or her debt to an all-perfect, all-powerful God? The answer lies in the Incarnation. Jesus Christ, being both human and divine, is able to pay our debt by taking our sin upon him, and dying for our sin in our place.

In this way, Christ pays the debt the sinner owes to God, and reconciles the sinner with God. Finally, we read in The Collect for Palm Sunday that God sent “Our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility” (BCP

page 272).

The above is an example of the view of atonement that sees Christ’s life and death as an inspiring example for us, which transforms us and saves us by inspiring us to follow his noble model. This view differs from the last two views, and is distinguished from them in that it is not a transactional theory of atonement. Rather, Christ, through his excellent example and moral influence, makes salvation possible by leading us to repent of our sins and live better lives. In a sense, Jesus challenges us and inspires us by his example to reach our full potential as God’s children. This brings about our reconciliation with God, as we follow in Christ’s footsteps, taking his supreme example as our guide and inspiration.

The Anglican theological tradition has always allowed a broad variety of theological perspectives.

The various views we have been exploring concerning the atonement are an excellent example of this. We find our unity in our worship, as we gather around the holy table, rather than in various theological dogmas. One might say that Anglicans are more interested in the “why” of theological matters rather than the “how.” Anglicans have never claimed to have all the answers on theological matters. However, Anglicans have historically asked some of the most compelling theological questions, and have demonstrated a tolerance and even a celebration of a variety of orthodox religious concepts, such as the various theories of atonement.

The Anglican theological tradition is one that embraces both continuity and change, tradition and progress. Therefore, we are passionately interested in a variety of theological perspectives, and we feel this variety enriches our understanding of theological matters. We attempt to find a “via media” or middleway, and this has been a cornerstone of Anglicanism since the English Reformation. Thus, the various views of the atonement are an excellent example of how this theological understanding is reflected in the Anglican tradition.

But in what way is this dimension of our tradition important and useful today? First, it allows us a greatly enriched understanding of theological matters. This is important because it keeps us from thinking that we have all the answers, and yet it also connects us to the best theological thinking that the Western Christian tradition has yet produced.

For instance, above we have explored three different concepts of the atonement. Which one is “correct?”

The Anglican instinct and tradition is to say, in some sense, all three.

This leads us to the second way that this dimension of our tradition is important and useful today. The Anglican theological tradition of tolerating a variety of orthodox theological positions not only grounds us to our past, but opens us to the future. For instance, are there other ways of understanding the atonement that will further enrich our religious understanding? I believe there may very well be.

For example, what about the Eastern Orthodox (and, in some sense, Anglican as well as Early Church) understanding of salvation as human transformation? This views the atonement not so much as a “transaction,” or as a “moral example,” but rather as the slow but continuing transformation of human beings, who are made in the image of God, into the likeness of Christ. Again, in Anglican theological tradition the “how” is not as important as the “why” or even the “that.”

The Anglican theological tradition has never claimed to know the full mind of God on any theological issue, including the atonement. Rather, it allows us a greatly enriched understanding of theological matters, grounds us to our past, and opens us to the future. Rather than creating an “either/or” dogma of which view of the atonement is the one, correct view, the Anglican tradition seeks a “both/and” approach that is grounded in history but open to mystery.

Indeed, it is perhaps in this Anglican preference for a “both/and” approach to theological matters that is in the final analysis the best metaphor for the atonement, the “at-one-ment” of God and humanity.

Jesus’ death was a part of his life, expressing Christ’s total giving of himself to God and humanity. His life, death and resurrection continue to challenge us and inspire us in ways we are only beginning to understand. Can any one theory of atonement do justice to this greatest of all events?

Thankfully, no.

The Rev. Greg Hoover is rector of Shepherd of the Hills (Branson)

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11

GENERAL CONVENTION 2012

Every three years, the Episcopal Church’s leadership gathers for General Convention. The 2012 version — July 5 to 12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis — will feature four contentious topics: the Anglican Covenant, a same-sex blessing rite, structural reform and a denominational health plan. Before the issues are examined, here’s a snapshot of each of the diocese’s deputies to General Convention.

Channing Horner (St. Paul’s in Maryville)

Carole Pryor (St. Philip’s in Joplin)

A deputy to every General Convention since 2000, Channing Horner was a board member of the Province VII Hispanic Ministry Center from 2005 to 2008 and is the founding president of the Sacred Hills Regional Council. Horner’s diocesan commitments include: being a member of the Standing Committee and the Companion Diocese, Congregational Development and Campus Ministry committees. At St. Paul’s, Horner belongs to the Bishop’s Committee. For nearly 40 years, he was a professor of Spanish and French at Northwest Missouri State University.

An alternate deputy to the 2009 General Convention, Carole Pryor served on the search committee for the Eighth Bishop of West Missouri (Bishop Martin Field) and was a Province VII council member in 2011. Pryor continues to serve the diocese in the following ways: she is on the Diocesan Council, Liturgical and Spiritual Life Committee, Secretary for the Southern Deanery and a Sexual Misconduct Prevention trainer. At St. Philip’s, Pryor has served twice as senior warden. A retired middle school language arts and reading specialist, Pryor maintains an active role in the Joplin community, involved with the Joplin Little Theatre, ProMusica and the Joplin Community Concert Association.

Judy Kile (Church of the Good Shepherd in Kansas City)

Linda Robertson (St. John’s in Springfield)

A member of the Church of the Good Shepherd for more than 60 years, Kile will serve on the Christian Formation Legislative Committee at General Convention. She was also a deputy to the 2009 General Convention. Kile’s role as Sunday School Superintendent at the Church of the Good Shepherd included 20 years in Christian Formation at the church and several years as director of youth and evangelism. She is currently serving her second term on Diocesan Council and is the chairperson of the Diocesan Christian Formation Commission. She taught English and history at the secondary level before deciding to be a stay-athome mom. Outside the church, Kile considers herself a good bridge player.

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A deputy to the 2009 General Convention and alternate in 2006, Linda Robertson chairs the diocesan Stewardship Committee and serves on the Futuring Task Group. Previously, she has served on the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council and chaired the Bishop Search and Nomination Committtee. At St. John’s, she chairs the current Rector Search Committee, its Stewardship Committee and Altar Guild. A licensed Worship Leader and Eucharistic Minister and Visitor, Robertson teaches an adult Bible study class as part of the parish’s Wednesday night program. She has also been on the vestry and served as both senior warden and junior warden. Robertson is a retired English professor specializing in Victorian literature.

The Rev. Ted Estes (Rector of All Saints’ in Nevada) Before the Rev. Ted Estes was rector of All Saints’ in Nevada, he was a deacon at Grace Church in Carthage, where he was a longtime parishioner. A licensed marital and family therapist and licensed professional counselor with the Missouri State Committee of Marital and Family Therapists, Estes was formerly a chaplain at St. Luke’s Nursing Center in Carthage. He attended the George Herbert Institute of Pastoral Studies, a diocesan program for local preparation of those called to ordained ministry. He is a 2010 and 2012 recipient of the Purple Cross Award for exceptional service to youth. Estes was also a key figure in the diocese’s response to the Joplin tornado of May 2011; seven members of Estes’ family, including his mother, had homes lying in the tornado’s path.

The Rev. Marshall Scott (Director of Spiritual Wellness for the St. Luke’s Health System) A clergy deputy to the 2009 General Convention and alternate in 2006 and 1985, the Rev. Marshall Scott is the chairperson of the deputation to this year’s General Convention. Scott was promoted to St. Luke’s Health System’s director of spiritual wellness last November, a multi-faceted position in which he coordinates the spiritual care of patients, families and staff, collaborates with other St. Luke’s chaplains and provides education and resources on spiritual and ethical issues. Previously, Scott was a chaplain at St. Luke’s South Medical Center. An Episcopal priest since 1981, Scott belongs to the Order of the Holy Cross, an international Anglican monastic Order that follows the Rule of St. Benedict. A contributor to the Episcopal Cafe since 2006, Scott authors a blog called “Episcopal Chaplain at the Bedside.”

The Rev. Jonathan Frazier (Assistant Rector at Christ Church in Springfield) An alternate clergy deputy to the 2009 General Convention, the Rev. Jonathan Frazier grew up in St. Joseph, the son of a farmer and a school teacher. Originally a Presbyterian, his exposure to the Roman Catholic Church in high school and college led him to the Episcopal Church. Its Protestant theology and Catholic liturgy make for “a shoe that fits,” he says. Frazier is a graduate of Rockhurst University and the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Frazier is Christ Church’s chaplain for college students, ministering to students from Missouri State University, Drury University and Ozarks Technical College. Every Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m., Frazier cooks dinner for college students at the church. Afterwards, Frazier leads discussion and Evening Prayer in which incense and candles are used as the ancient liturgies of the church are read.

The Rev. Galen Snodgrass (Deacon at Grace Church in Carthage) The Rev. Galen Snodgrass chairs the diocese’s Millennium Development Goals Committee, which helps determine what congregations will receive matching grants for overseas ministries that meet MDG criteria. Snodgrass is instrumental to Grace Church’s ongoing support of teachers at St. Andre’s School in Marca Bee, Haiti through Haitian Episcopal Learning Partners.

He is also a chaplain at McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital in Carthage, where he leads a weekly grief support group. Husband to the diocese’s Youth Ministry Coordinator, Kim Snodgrass, Deacon Galen Snodgrass is a regular participant in youth activities, including Camp WEMO and the Bishop’s Ball.

Alternate Lay Deputies

Alternate Clergy Deputy

Marcia Biggs (Christ Church in Springfield) Robert Maynard (All Saints’ in Kansas City) Barbara Mountjoy (Grace Church in Carthage) Gretchen Renfro (Grace Church in Liberty)

The Rev. Stan Runnels (Rector of St. Paul’s in Kansas City)

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AN ANGLICAN COVENANT

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An Anglican Covenant was proposed by the Windsor Report in 2004 to ensure that future contentious actions are not taken without consulting the larger Anglican Communion. Some were threatening schism after the Diocese of New Hampshire elected an openly gay bishop and a diocese in Canada approved a same-sex blessing service. What is the meaning behind the Covenant, and will it prevail at General Convention? By Hugh Welsh

an an Anglican Communion of diverse cultures and theologies be bound by a singular Covenant?

The Anglican Covenant originated from the 2004 Windsor Report as a means by which the Communion and its 38 provinces can unite in spite of differences, particularly biblical interpretation and homosexuality. The Windsor Report was a repercussion of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson’s election as bishop of New Hampshire. His election resulted in some provinces declaring broken or impaired communion with the Episcopal Church. Robinson is openly gay.

In November 2010, the Church of England’s General Synod voted to thrust the question of the Anglican Covenant’s adoption to its dioceses. A majority of the English Church’s 44 dioceses opposed it (23 were against and 15 were in favor).

Among the resolutions before General Convention this summer – which can be passed, amended or rejected – is one based on a decision by the Executive Council at its October meeting. It states that the Episcopal Church is “unable to adopt the Anglican Covenant in its present form.” The resolution also states that the Church will “recommit itself to dialogue with the several provinces when adopting innovations which may be seen as threatening the unity of the communion” as well as “continued participation in the wider councils of the Anglican Communion” and continued conversation “with our brothers and sisters in other provinces to deepen understanding and to insure the continued integrity of the Anglican Communion.”

The Anglican Covenant harkens to the ecumenical movement, the notion that denomination is secondary to the principle that all Christians are united by baptism in the Body of Christ. Forty years 14

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ago, the movement nearly produced an ecclesial reunion between Canterbury and Rome. The tide of reconciliation has since receded, as has accord within the Anglican Communion itself, an organization of 38 autonomous provinces bound by common worship and history. Some conservative parishes have broken with tradition and sought pastoral guidance from bishops outside their dioceses or provinces due to their stance on gender and sexuality issues.

Should provinces be able to consecrate bishops and extend sacraments to individuals based on gender or sexual orientation without international consensus?

An Anglican Covenant would curb a province’s right to act independently on such controversial subjects.

“The Anglican Covenant, as proposed, only applies to signatory churches,” says the Rev. Marshall Scott, chair of the diocese’s deputation to General Convention. “Churches that don’t sign on aren’t bound by the Covenant.”

The Most Rev. Rowan Williams’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002 was heavily scrutinized due to his liberal views on homosexuality. In The Body’s Grace, an essay he wrote in 1989 when he was Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, Williams concluded with this passage: “In a church that accepts the legitimacy of contraception, the absolute condemnation of same-sex relations of intimacy must rely either on an abstract fundamentalist deployment of a number of very ambiguous biblical texts, or on a problematic and nonscriptural theory about natural complementarity, applied narrowly and crudely to physical differentiation without regard to psychological structures.”

Mere months after attaining office, Williams was faced with a predicament: should he consecrate

the Rev. Jeffrey John, a gay priest, as Bishop of Reading? Threats of schism abounded from bishops throughout the Anglican Communion. Williams ultimately convinced John to withdraw his candidacy, instead appointing him Dean of St. Albans, one of the oldest Christian sites in England. At the 2008 Lambeth Conference, Williams postponed any further discussion of resolution 1.10, which found “homosexual practice” to be “incompatible with Scripture,” centering instead on common prayer and common study of the Scriptures. No matter how much Williams tried, however, the debate would not die.

Williams will retire as Archbishop of Canterbury at the end of this year. For him, the Anglican Covenant is about accountability.

“The Covenant suggests a process of scrutiny,” Williams wrote. “That is, when any particular bit of the Anglican Communion decides it wants to do something new, for whatever reason, then that particular bit of the Communion needs to look at what it is doing and think it through in terms of what its effects might be elsewhere in the Anglican family.”

The first three sections of the Covenant are consistent with the above statement, in which it is agreed that all members of the Anglican Communion share a common heritage and that local decisionmaking should contemplate the greater good.

“The commitments state again and again that they are not specifically Anglican, but are ‘common pilgrimage with the whole Body of Christ’ and part of ‘the work of the whole people of God,’” Scott says.

The real controversy lies in section four, which allows for any church to “ask questions” about the actions of another, which may then be subjected to “relational consequences.”

“Opponents say that the Covenant creates a coercive environment in which one province’s displeasure can stifle Spirit-led innovation,” Scott says.

Aside from the Executive Council’s resolution, two more resolutions pertaining to the Anglican Covenant will appear before General Convention. One, proposed by Bishop John Bauerschmidt of Tennessee, requires the Church to adopt the Covenant. Another, proposed by Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut, embraces the preamble and first three sections of the Covenant. It also urges further study of the Covenant, particularly section four, and that the Church remain committed in its participation.

CHURCHWIDE OPINION From the Episcopal News Service’s online message boards

“The issue over gays being allowed full participation in the Body of Christ seems to me a clear matter of faith and doctrine. Any argument or debate needs to address it first of all from this point of view. The Incarnation is our hallmark doctrine. If we as a whole church persist in denying baptized homosexuals full participation in Christ’s Body, many believe we are saying that the Church is claiming the right to determine who is included in Christ’s humanity and who is not. If the Church believes that the Purity Code in Leviticus binds gay practice to the sphere of abomination, then obviously we could not even baptize homosexuals since they would be living in an unrepented sin. Thank God we have not taken that route. At least so far. As long as a person is baptized, then by our own theological position, that person automatically has the capacity to receive every other Sacrament. (Barring some circumstance other than that person’s very identity!) If we as a church adopt this Covenant as it stands, especially Section 4, then we run the real risk of alienating this entire generation of young adults, many of whom are already stunned at the church’s hesitancy on this issue. If we truly want to preach the Good News, then we as a church need to think very seriously about the implications of our course of action regarding the life of homosexuals within the Body of Christ. This is not an issue that will disappear. Other Christian denominations have already moved formally toward inclusion, something that could well give us pause. ‘Pray for the Church!’”

— Katherine Clark (St. Dunstan’s in Madison, Wisconsin) “Deeply drawn to our tradition for its respect for the full dignity of women, minorities and LGBT folks, I still sometimes wrestle with the fact “progressive” actions taken uncritically can be more about feeling good than making a more lasting impact in the world. The ability of Anglicans to preserve our Catholicity alongside our Protestant heritage, to give people space to wrestle with hard issues, but preserve the riches of 2,000 years of Christianity and, above all, show the diverse but beautiful face of Christ to the world is a very high stake indeed. What balance is needed between binding authority and freedom of local conscience/pastoral need to keep us along the Middle Way? What happens to our solidarity with LGBT folks around the world, for example, if their provinces refuse to be in any relationship with us?

— Kieran Conroy (St. Andrew’s in Omaha, Nebraska) SPIRIT, SUMMER, 2012

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STRUCTURAL REFORM

Forty-seven percent of the Episcopal Church’s budget is devoted to overhead. Is such a fraction appropriate for a church whose corporate identity is the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America? At least a third of the Episcopal Church’s dioceses, including West Missouri, don’t think so. By Hugh Welsh

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alls for structural reform in the Episcopal Church stemmed from challenges familiar to all mainline churches: declining membership and, in turn, declining finances; demographic shifts; cultural change.

The matter of how to restructure the Episcopal Church was muddled, however, until last September when the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, the Church’s chief operating officer, presented the House of Bishops with an alternative budget emphasizing mission rather than administration and governance.

“Much mission work comes through local efforts and budgets,” says Channing Horner, a parishioner at St. Paul’s (Maryville) and lay deputy to General Convention.

“The budget passed by General Convention is intended to deal with whatever administration and governance we deem necessary. And that leads to the important second matter of exactly how much administration and of what type we think is required to enable all of us to work toward furthering the Kingdom in an inspired and coherent fashion.”

Sauls told his fellow bishops of how the Better Business Bureau holds that a non-profit’s budget should cap overhead expenses at 35 percent of its budget. Currently, mission accounts for 53 percent of the Church’s budget that, in 2011, was around $35 million. Twenty-six percent of the budget is allocated to administration and almost 21 percent to governance, including 7.6 percent to General Convention. Churchwide diocesan income is 13 percent of the Church’s budget. Diocesan incomes peaked in 2007, but have been in decline ever since. “What if we reversed canonical priority 16

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and funded mission first?” Sauls asked the House of Bishops. Sauls then supplied dioceses with a model resolution they could submit to General Convention.

“This is not a bishop-imposed [initiative],” Sauls said. “This is testing to see if there’s a grassroots support for this kind of thing.”

One third of the Church’s dioceses (including West Missouri) filed resolutions favoring structural reform.

“There seems to be desire for structural change,” Horner says. “The question is how to accomplish it and how much we must spend to discern and establish an appropriate new pattern. The Committee on Structure has a large task ahead of it.”

Most of the dioceses’ resolutions adopted Sauls’ model, including West Missouri. Three dioceses — Oklahoma, Oregon and West Tennessee — submitted different resolutions.

Oklahoma is calling for a special commission on Missional Structure and Strategy (rather than a special General Convention) and for 2012’s General Convention to “present a plan to the Church for reforming its structures, governance, administration and staff, thereby facilitating this Church’s faithful engagement in Christ’s mission to the world.”

Oregon is asking the Standing Commission on the Structure of the Church to continue its study and to develop recommendations to be presented at the next General Convention for further action.

West Tennessee is proposing “an ad hoc special commission on Missional Structure and Strategy” with membership elected by each of the provinces

(one lay person, one clergy person and one currently serving active bishop from each) and that it present its recommendations at a special convention prior to 2015.

Sauls’ model would have General Convention charge a special commission with “presenting a plan to the church for reforming its structures, governance, administration and staff to facilitate this church’s faithful engagement in Christ’s mission.” Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson would appoint the commission’s members. The commission would present its recommendations to a special meeting of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies before the 78th General Convention in 2015.

In an interview with the Episcopal News Service, Sauls said that, in addition to reducing the cost of administration, he proposed that General Convention meet every four or five years instead of three and a reduction in the size of both houses.

“It is not as simple as cutting up the existing pie the right way,” Sauls told the Episcopal News Service, “but to make the whole pie grow larger.”

Sauls said that any Episcopalian would agree that mission ought to be prioritized.

“One of my fundamental faith beliefs is that the people of the Episcopal Church want to fund the church’s engagement in God’s mission, and I think that if they were confident that that [engagement] is what they were giving to, I think the size of our resources would increase,” he said.

Horner concurs with Sauls’ statement.

“My feeling is that possibly it is not first the money pie that needs to grow larger,” he says. “If our hearts for mission grow larger, we will find ways to get the jobs done — including coming up with funds in times of strained finances.”

At the Executive Council’s April meeting, Sauls said he wanted to talk with the council and the church “about putting everything on the table and rebuilding the church for a new time that has no precise historical precedent...This is not about the panic of our declining numbers but about how we strengthen what is working best out there and make what is strong stronger so that the strong can serve the less-than-strong.”

CHURCHWIDE OPINION From the Episcopal News Service’s online message boards

“Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner put it this way. The Church has two natures: charismatic and institutional. The charismatic is attuned to the will of God; the institutional organizes to carry out that will. While the charismatic should always predominate, it is more often the case that the institutional overtakes the charismatic and takes charge. Bishop Sauls has hit the theological nail squarely and robustly on the head. Dude! Good job!”

— Fr. Bob Marsh (St. Francis in-the-Field in Ponte Vedra, Florida) “I am excited that the conversation is being opened up in such a public way. The conversation about ‘restructuring’ is already taking place in congregations in the Diocese of Vermont from the smallest congregations to the most thriving. And the challenges are exciting to people because change means we give ourselves the gift of growing and thriving even more. Once we let go of the notion that the ‘present structure’ is the only way, or is sacred, or the best way, the door is open to sharpening our understanding of the new ministry goals and objectives that await us. Only then can we create a new organization that serves the newly defined objectives.”

— Mtr. Angela Emerson (Diocese of Vermont) “Survival of the fittest. Over the years, we have witnessed many such changes in the ‘environment’ into which the Church has been called to proclaim the Gospel and yet the Church has changed very little – change which has come much too slowly and certainly not enough to remain the dominate force God intended it to be in order for it to live out the Gospel message announced by Jesus in the synagogue on that Sabbath day when he stood to read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord… has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” The Church must find a way to become all that God has intended for her and therefore must either adapt or die. That’s the basic task faced by all living organisms throughout the annals of time. Mere survival has never been good enough. Mere survival is not an option for any living organism either in society or in nature. The old needs to pass away, and we need to make things new again.”

— Fr. Johnnie Ross (St. Raphael’s in Lexington, Kentucky) SPIRIT, SUMMER, 2012

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SAME-GENDER BLESSINGS

This July, General Convention will decide whether to approve for trial use “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant,” a rite for the blessing of homosexual relationships. The Church said the proposed liturgy does not “create or solemnize” any marriage, civil union or legal relationship. Nevertheless, the rite’s implications are profound. By Hugh Welsh

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n the Anglican Communion, few subjects are as divisive as homosexuality. Stances favoring it have resulted in “impaired communion,” the secession of numerous dioceses and the creation of at least two new Anglican groups, the Anglican Church of North America and the Anglican Mission in the Americas, neither of which embraces same-gender unions or the ordination of openly gay people.

“The blessing rite is an affirmation of the total dignity of both heterosexuality and homosexuality,” says Carole Pryor, a parishioner at St. Philip’s (Joplin) and lay deputy to General Convention. “The church is inclusive of all persons at all levels in the church.

Every member of the Episcopal Church is a child of God. The New Commandment tells us that we are to love one another as Christ loved us.”

The Episcopal Church has had a policy of supporting same-gender couples since 2003, when General Convention granted individual dioceses self-determination on whether to bless same-gender unions and consented to the election of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire. Six years later, a measure was approved at the 76th General Convention that left the blessing of same-gender unions to the discretion of local bishops. This summer a report titled “I Will Bless You, and You Will Be a Blessing: Resources For Blessing Same-Gender Relationships,” initiated at the 2009 General Convention, will be discussed by the 18

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House of Bishops and House of Deputies before the Convention begins July 5.

Should the report be approved, same-gender blessing rites would be used on a trial basis beginning December 2, with further review at the 78th General Convention in 2015. The rites are merely drafts; General Convention won’t be requested to formally approve them: that won’t happen until 2015, 2018 or 2021. The report also requests that a “task force of not more than 12 people, consisting of theologians, liturgists, pastors and educators, identify and explore biblical, theological, historical, liturgical and canonical dimensions of marriage.” In states where same-gender marriage is legal (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont), Episcopalians are already allowed to bless such marriages, albeit without any formal liturgy. In those states the bishop, if such services are authorized, would provide the liturgy. The Church’s canons and rubrics provide that clergy are not required to officiate at such a service — that is up to the priest.

If approved, the liturgies won’t appear in the Book of Common Prayer until Episcopalians choose to revise it.

“The General Convention would have to approve the liturgy and, as in the past with other liturgies, I would think it would have a proposed trial period,” Pryor says.

The Anglican Communion’s recent controversy over homosexuality dates to 1998 at the 13th

Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops. A resolution was passed that found homosexual acts to be “incompatible with Scripture.” In 2004, “The Windsor Report,” a study of impaired relationship within the Anglican Communion, frowned upon the acknowledgement of samegender unions within the Anglican Church of Canada and the Diocese of New Westminster and requested a moratorium on the future blessing of same-gender unions. That same year, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, issued a letter to Anglican churches worldwide: “Any words that could make it easier for someone to attack or abuse a homosexual person are words of which we must repent. Do not think repentance is always something others are called to, but acknowledge the failings we all share, sinful and struggling disciples as we are.”

When the draft was commissioned at the last General Convention, the Rev. Canon Kendall Harmon of the Diocese of South Carolina had this to say: “Doing this will cause great fracturing and great pain. It represents a willful American embrace of something that the Anglican Communion has said is out of bounds.”

Will American ideals trump Anglican principle?

“This is one person’s opinion and there are various opinions throughout the Anglican Communion,” Pryor says.

One thing is for sure: the Anglican Communion’s hottest button will be pressed before General Convention begins.

A sampling of the draft rites (available at http:// houseofdeputies.org/blessingexcerpts) includes these points: In lieu of “I now pronounce you man and wife”: “Inasmuch as N. and N. have exchanged vows of love and fidelity in the presence of God and the Church, I now pronounce that they are bound to one another in a holy covenant, as long as they both shall live. Amen.”

The vows: “In the name of God, I, N., give myself to you, N. I will support and care for you: enduring all things, bearing all things. I will hold and cherish you: in times of plenty, in times of want. I will honor and keep you: forsaking all others, as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow.”

Bishop Gene Robinson.

‘LOVE FREE OR DIE’ IN JUNE 2003, THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE of New Hampshire came under fire when it became the first to elect an openly gay priest, the Rev. Gene Robinson, as its bishop. Since that flash point, Robinson has been at the center of the battle for homosexual people to receive full acceptance in the Church.

In the documentary Love Free or Die, Director Macky Alston follows Robinson in the struggle for equality. While resolute in his calling, Robinson grows increasingly critical of the role that religious institutions have played in fostering homophobia and hatred.

Robinson declared himself gay in the 1980s, after the end of his heterosexual marriage and birth of two daughters. He has been in a committed relationship since 1987 with Mark Andrew, sanctified recently in both civil and religious ceremonies. (Robinson’s new book, “God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage,” will be published this spring.)

Love Free or Die debuted at January’s Sundance Film Festival, winning a special jury prize.

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HEALTH INSURANCE

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The aim behind the denominational health insurance plan passed at the 2009 General Convention was threefold: curb costs, reduce inequities between lay and clergy employees and bolster employees’ access to health insurance. Six months before the health plan is to take effect (January 1, 2013), West Missouri is one of at least four dioceses seeking different terms at General Convention. By Hugh Welsh

he health plan approved at the 2009 General Convention would require dioceses, congregations and certain official church agencies to provide health insurance benefits to all clergy and lay employees who work at least 1,500 hours (30 hours per week) per year in the Episcopal Church’s domestic dioceses, which include Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It would permit dioceses to choose what Medical Trust health plans they provide, whether to extend coverage to domestic partners and if diocesan schools, day cares and other institutions need to participate. Employees who work 20 hours or more a week can participate voluntarily according to the guidelines established by their employer. Individuals can opt out if they have health insurance from an approved source.

Currently, some lay employees either receive fewer healthcare benefits or have a higher cost share than clergy for the same benefits. The resolution due to take effect January 1, 2013 requires that a cost-sharing policy called “parity” be established by each diocese, and that the access, plan design and cost-share for the healthcare benefits be identical for clergy and lay employees.

The resolution submitted by the Diocese of West Missouri would postpone the implementation date until the Medical Trust creates “a single, unified national plan for the entire Episcopal Church with no variance in premium costs from diocese to diocese, thereby eliminating dramatic cost differences for similar health insurance coverage between dioceses and regions of the Episcopal 20

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Church.”

“Rather than having a single national plan, we have 13 different plans,” says the Rev. Steve Wilson, rector of Grace Church in Carthage and the architect of West Missouri’s resolution.

“Demographics are more important than coverage.”

Other resolutions pertaining to the denominational health plan come from the dioceses of Central New York, Ohio and North Carolina.

Central New York is requesting a deferral of three years and that those Episcopal institutions required to participate be allowed to buy health insurance from providers outside the Medical Trust.

Ohio’s resolution would strike the mandate that insurance be bought only from the Medical Trust.

North Carolina requests that General Convention review “the impact of full compliance with” the resolution. The resolution proposed by North Carolina would also have General Convention not require any diocese to adopt the proposed minimum costsharing guidelines for uniformity between clergy and lay employees until the next convention in 2015.

Other Episcopal dioceses have passed resolutions in diocesan conventions seeking changes to the health plan, but have not filed accompanying resolutions with General Convention.

Some of the plan’s opponents fear that, because laity and clergy must receive the same benefits, churches facing budget shortfalls will need to either eliminate staff or reduce the hours of their

lay employees. Others are concerned that they will have to forsake excellent health insurance at a fair price for a less-inclusive plan with higher premiums.

Last November, the Bishops from the Small Dioceses group within the House of Bishops recommended a major change to the plan. Frank Armstrong, Medical Trust senior vice president and general manager, and Laurie Kazilionis, vice president for client relations, issued the following written statement: “Although a single rate was not part of the resolution, at the request of the House of Bishops, the Medical Trust is studying the implications of a single rate on health benefit costs.”

According to Wilson, the problem with the health plan approved at the 2009 General Convention is that a diocese with larger employment pools and greater options among commercial carriers could offer more affordable insurance. Such inequity could make a job more attractive in one diocese than another. Wilson says that, under the health plan approved at the 2009 General Convention, insurance would cost a lay or clergy employee with a family $25,000 to $27,000 in this diocese.

“For somebody in a smaller, older diocese — such as West Missouri — the cost of coverage will be high compared to a younger diocese with a larger pool,” Wilson says.

West Missouri’s resolution proposes a truly denominational health plan in which the offerings and costs are the same throughout the Episcopal Church. An appropriate model would be some multinational companies, Medicare or the military — plans that are consistent throughout the entire country.

“On the one hand, it seems you’re asking churches to pay more for exactly the same service because you’re in a certain part of the country,” Wilson says. “And, on the other hand, you’re asking employees to take less in their overall package because you’re in a certain part of the country. It’s unfair.”

CHURCHWIDE OPINION From the Episcopal News Service’s online message boards

“I am intrigued by the notion that a truly denominational health plan would equalize costs over all dioceses.

Unfortunately, there is no way to equalize medical benefits throughout the Episcopal Church, as the availability, quality and cost of treatment varies significantly from place to place. At the same time, so does the potential for growth in wealth, in population numbers, and in the various opportunities for mission and ministry. Though I understand and affirm the desire for just benefits for lay employees and for the cost savings that collective purchasing can achieve, I do not see how we can create a fair system (as proposed by the Diocese of West Missouri) by equalizing the cost for healthcare across the country, when there are so many other variables in the finances of carrying out mission and ministry.”

— Mtr. Kathryn Ryan (Church of the Ascension in Dallas, Texas) “We are rapidly getting to the point where congregations may be able to pay a reasonable clergy salary but will not be able to pay the benefits. We are talking here about some very significant increases in medical costs in an economy that has yet to rebound. General Convention has to be realistic about what congregations can bear.

As my colleague, Stephanie Wethered (from my former Diocese of Newark) stated, the inevitable result of mandating increases in this medical coverage will be reduction in the hours (and salaries) of both clergy and laity. In my opinion, this does not make much sense.

In fact, it will hinder ministry in local congregations.

Here, I implemented a medical plan that was modeled after that of the Medical Trust. We worked with a local insurance broker and customized the plan according to our needs. Our former bishop was absolutely opposed to it, until he saw how many thousands of dollars we were saving (yes, I said thousands for our seven full-time staff.) In time, and with the guidance of a new bishop, our plan was implemented by the whole diocese, and it saved them thousands of dollars. We need to have the ability to customize such plans, utilizing local resources, in order to effectively and creatively do the ministry to which we’ve been called. It’s a new ball game, folks. The new paradigm for effective ministry (including how we take care of our employees) involves more local flexibility in decision-making, not less.”

— Fr. Rich Demarest (St. Michael’s Cathedral in Boise, Idaho) SPIRIT, SUMMER, 2012

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DISPATCHES FROM TORNADO ALLEY Originally, Amy Stevens’ family and career as a hospice social worker were the focus of her blog, Life from the Trenches. Then, a tornado wrecked her home, her neighborhood — a third of Joplin. Over the past year, Stevens’ blog has been a beacon for a town emerging from the darkness. Photos by Amy Stevens

(Top): Amy Stevens’ neighborhood after the tornado. (Bottom): Stevens’ three children asleep in a hotel the evening of the tornado.

W

MAY 23, 2011

hen a tornado hits, parents grab their children, run to shelter, and then they do something amazing. Parents throw themselves over their little ones, using their bodies as a layer of protection. It’s instinctive and spontaneous and beautiful. It’s what happened in my bedroom closet. Keith grabbed our little girls, ran into our closet, and laid his body over them. He saved their lives. Last night, parents across our town saved their children. Our town is devastated; our homes gone; some of our people missing. But we will be okay because my community is filled with people who threw themselves over little ones; people who ran to their neighbors even while their own homes were reduced to rubble on foundation; people who dug for hours on the chance there might be someone to save. And today something else amazing happened. Today we felt the world reach out in truly meaningful, personal ways. Friends from around the world extended their help and compassion.

So, thank you to everyone who reached out to us and to Joplin, Missouri. The brave parents who covered their children yesterday are the ones needing covering today.

Please continue to pray, to reach out, and to provide us with this much-needed layer of protection.

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SPIRIT, SUMMER, 2012

A sapling where a huge oak tree once stood in front of the Stevens’ home.

W

DECEMBER 30, 2011

e are home. The inside of our rebuilt house is different from before the storm – it’s newer, fresher, and, a few days ago, felt somewhat unfamiliar.

But we’ve been back home now for three days. I see glitter on the table that was missed in the post-craft clean up, a doll half-dressed on the couch, Molly dressed like a knight and building a block tower, David’s book on the table with his sister’s Barbie shoe serving as a bookmark and the fridge door filling up with the girls’ artistic masterpieces. Oh yes, this is home. And it feels good. For me, this journey started with a drive across town right after the tornado finished its rampage. I weaved around flipped-over cars, downed power lines, dazed pedestrians, toppled buildings and people frantically searching, yelling, running to their loved ones. But, in that moment, I was focused on one thing: I have to get home.

Not once during that drive did I worry about walls, carpets, or counters. Not once did I consider clothing, vehicles or electronics. I thought about Keith. I thought about Emily. I thought about Molly. I thought about them with such a sharp focus that it kept panic at bay. In those moments right after the tornado, I believed that if I kept picturing them, talking to them in my thoughts, that I would find them unharmed. And, for whatever reason, God covered our home during the storm. The roof blew away and the walls bent around them. But the walls held. Our home held. Today, I will fully appreciate what I have in my life. Today, we’re going to live fully inside these walls. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But today our life is going to be loud, messy, hilarious, and filled with imperfect love. Today we are home.

T

MARCH 4, 2012

he wall calendar hanging on the inside of my pantry door is open to May 2011. Today is March 4, 2012, but I’m not taking the calendar down – not yet. The weekend of May 21-22, 2011 was a busy weekend – slightly stressful. I was throwing a Parisian pool party (yes, you read that correctly) for Emily on Saturday and taking David and his two best buddies to a movie and pizza for his birthday on Sunday. I was worried about things like decorations, cakes, balloons, party favors and the timing of the movie. I remember actually thinking: “If I can just survive this weekend…” In the middle of David’s birthday party, the tornado hit Joplin. I keep that calendar to remind me that I never know when my world is about to change. I go about my day-today and, so often, feel stuck on the treadmill of work, kids’ activities, bath time, bedtime, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry and on and on and on. I forget. I forget that in a split second something can happen and the very things that cause me stress and distraction and frustration can become the things that I grieve over. I keep that calendar to remind me of the beauty to be found in the ordinary. “If I can just survive this weekend,” pops into my head each time I look at that calendar. I can remember wanting to be done with the parties and the birthdays. I wasn’t just going through the motions, I was steamrolling through them. I didn’t completely miss the moments of fun, joy and delight from that weekend.

But, more than anything, I wanted those two days to be behind me. Then a storm rolled in. “If I can just survive this weekend” took on a completely different meaning.

All of a sudden, everything else fell away and I just wanted to hold my babies. I just wanted to get to them and see them alive and breathing. I wanted to kiss their tears and not let go of them. I just wanted to get them to a safe place. And, as the days went on, I just wanted us back together again. I wanted to recapture our feeling of home. I wanted my neighbors and friends to be okay.

I just wanted our ordinary back. There is something so beautiful about the ordinary when it’s viewed after the storm. So, for now, I’m going to keep that calendar hanging up. It’s a reminder that I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know when my world is going to change. It’s my reason to live boldly and fully. It’s my reason to embrace the beautiful ordinary of my life.

(Top): Joplin one week after the tornado. (Bottom): Near where the tornado struck Joplin, flowers spell “hope.”

A

APRIL 8, 2012

few months ago, someone planted some bulbs.

And while the people of Joplin rebuilt homes and lives; the bulbs grew silently under the ground. Now they’ve bloomed. While we worked to recreate what was lost, hope grew. I look back on this year of tornadoes and death and loss and I’m in awe of the journeys we all pass through in life. And I’m filled with hope. Not just a sentimental word but a powerful call to action: We can be better. Our world can be better. Our actions matter. We matter. During this year, I’ve witnessed the kind of hope that carries us past our experiences and understanding and delivers us to words like faith, joy, growth and strength. Our world is filled with people trapped in a suffocating darkness. Neighbors grieve behind closed doors. We hide behind status updates and smiley icons. I doubt there are any of us who haven’t felt the pull of hopelessness. It’s powerful. Fortunately, hope is brilliantly contagious. I believe hope is spread through the sharing of our stories. There is healing strength in recognizing ourselves in another person’s words.

SPIRIT, SUMMER, 2012

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