Ruach A Publication of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus
Spring/Summer 2012 • Vol. 29, No. 2
Convener’s Message Last things
by Elizabeth M. Kaeton The Caucus board has been part of my life for the last 10 years — eight in a position of leadership — during which we’ve seen the election and consecration of the first woman to be Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and Primate of the Anglican Communion. At the same time, we have the second woman in the history of our church serving as President of the House of Deputies. In the past 10 years, we’ve also seen the election of 15 women to the episcopacy in the Anglican Communion (Canada (3), Australia (2), and Cuba), nine of whom were elected bishops suffragan in the Episcopal Church (SVA, MA, Olympia, TX, CT, El Camino Real, DC, and two in LA). In 2007, Jane Alexander of Edmonton (Canada) became bishop after the resignation of Victoria Matthews. It was the first time a woman diocesan bishop has followed another woman in the Anglican Church. Meanwhile, the Church of England continues to try to find ways to inhibit the appointment and consecration of women to the episcopacy. With the October 16, 2010, ordination of Margaret Lee, in the Peoria-based Diocese of Quincy, IL, women have been ordained as priests in all 110 dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Finally! It has only taken 38 years since the “Philadelphia Eleven” were “irregularly” ordained. As Elizabeth Janeway once said, “We haven’t come a long way, we’ve come a short way. If we hadn’t come a short way, no one would be calling us ‘baby.’” We have experienced an incredible amount of growth and change in terms of women in ordained leadership, and yet
we have not seen a woman elected as diocesan bishop in the Episcopal Church since Mary Gray-Reeves was elected in El Camino Real in 2007. Prior to that election, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected in Nevada in 2001.
Elizabeth Kaeton
The last time a woman of ethnic minority status was elected to the episcopacy was Bavi Edna “Nedi” Rivera in 2005, who joined Barbara Harris (1989), Carol Joy Gallagher (2002), and Gayle Harris (2003) in the House of Bishops. Mary Glasspool (2010) is the first lesbian in that House. No woman of color has ever been elected a bishop diocesan.
When you consider that seven women in the episcopacy have retired in the past decade, three of whom were bishops diocesan, you begin to realize that any advances we’ve made have not kept up with the losses we’ve experienced. Why is that? Why aren’t more women being elected to the episcopacy? Tired of being the token woman on the slate, or feeling set up — unintentionally or not — against another woman or person of color or an LGBT person to split the vote so the white, straight guy is elected, many women have told us that, even though they may feel called to the episcopacy, the election process seems counter-productive to their understanding of continued on page 26
Ruach in print now mailed to Caucus members only
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veryone is tightening their financial belts, and the Episcopal Women’s Caucus is no different.
For many years, the Caucus has mailed a copy of Ruach to anyone who requested one. We were happy to have people reading our quarterly journal. We are still happy for the readers, and we appreciate everyone who takes the time to read Ruach. But we also want to be responsible stewards of our resources, both financially and environmentally; and, like other non-profit organizations, we must be accountable to our donors. The cost of paper is going up and up, as is the cost of printing and postage. As much as we would like to continue to provide a copy of Ruach in print for free to everyone, in all good conscience we just can’t. The Caucus board decided that, beginning with this issue, Ruach will be mailed only to members of the Episcopal
Ruach • Spring/Summer 2012
Women’s Caucus. The publication still will be available to anyone online as a PDF through the Caucus website, www. episcopalwomenscaucus.org. It’s easy to become a member of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus, and we invite you to do so, both to continue to receive Ruach and also to support an organization that has advocated for women inside and outside the church for 41 years. Our recommended donation for a year-long membership is $50, but a donation in any amount is sufficient for membership in the Caucus. Fill out the form on the back cover of this issue and return it with payment as indicated, or join online at the website, www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org. We invite you to read a story by Heather Mueller on page 15 about why she supports the work of the Caucus. If you find yourself sitting on the fence, Heather may change your mind.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Episcopal Women’s Caucus BOARD AND STAFF
Convener’s Message: Last things....................................................................page 2 Bonnie Anderson will not seek re-election as HoD president.................................page 4 Annotated draft TEC triennial budget released................................................... page 5 Presiding bishop proposes alternative 2013-2015 budget . ......................................page 6 Gay Jennings announces candidacy for HoD president . ...................................page 7 Martha Alexander to stand for election as HoD president............................... page 8 Four extraordinary women selected to receive inaugural awards named for Episcopal trailblazers ........................................................................page 9 General Convention ‘Blue Book’ available for download................................page 10 WordsMatter Expansive Language Project ..........................................................page 11 Marge Christie: Love for the Episcopal Church never dims......................................page 12 Inside Look: Rachel Sabbath Initiative...........................................................page 13 Commentary: Continuing the advocacy for women, theologically, spiritually and politically!............................................................................page 15 Commentary: Fulfilling ‘Great Commission’ through lifelong formation.....page 17 Sr. Marjorie, SSM: ‘An alleluia to the Creator’s unfathomable gift’.............page 18 Oppression, abuse and arrogrant disrespect the norm for some...................page 20 How to stop the War on Women.....................................................................page 22 Historic ordinations in Alaska church continue tradition of Native ministry . .........................................................................page 23 Safe. Legal. Rare. . ........................................................................................page 24 Art & Faith: In Connecticut, Barbara Campbell...........................................page 26 Commentary: Ending the War on Women, Lent and Liberation........................ page 28 Resources.......................................................................................................page 29 Commentary: ‘Kodak moments’ of a different sort: What about the LGBT lay people?...................................................................page 30 Commentary: Perfect structure: ‘Not the holy grail’.....................................page 33 Join Episcopal Women’s Caucus................................................................ back page Cover photos (clockwise): House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson makes a point April 21 during “The Intersection of Poverty and the Environment,” a live webcast from the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mark in Salt Lake City, Utah. Listening are George Handley, professor of humanities at Brigham Young University, left, and Forrest Cuch, chief executive officer of Ute Tribal Enterprises. Photo/Mary Frances Schjonberg. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, a former Girl Scout, greets Girl Scouts after an April 28 service celebrating 100 years of girl scouting at Washington National Cathedral. Photo/Lucy Chumbly. Elizabeth Kaeton, EWC convener, at the Caucus breakfast at General Convention 2009. “I wish I could walk around without being hurt by inappropriate words”: In May, inspired by snowballing social media discussions on sexual harassment in Egypt, a group of independent activists took the conversation to an offline public in the country’s first “human chain” against sexual harassment. Photo/ UN Women/Fatma Elzahraa Yassin. UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet speaks at the UN Women Leaders Forum June 19 ahead of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo/UN Women/Fabricio Barreto.
CONVENER Elizabeth M. Kaeton 35647 Joann Dr., Millsboro, DE 19966 302/231-8246 home motherkaeton@gmail.com Secretary Ann Van Dervoort 106 Chickering Park Dr., Nashville, TN 37215 vandyrlv289@pol.net TREASURER Barbara G. Mann 413 Buffware Ct., Charleston, SC 29492 843/388-9512 home • 843/971-8150 work 843/971-8159 fax barb@profmarketing.com Susan Blue 270 El Diente Drive Durango, CO 81301 snblue@aol.com Gigi Conner 42 Whitney Drive, Woodstock, NY 12498 845/901-1704 gigipriest@prodigy.net Susan Longo Cowperthwaite 608 Fair St, Franklin, TN 37064-2710 615/794-7897 home • 615/321-8009 work cowpersusan@gmail.com Margo McMahon 34 Pomeroy Ln Unit 24, Amherst, MA 01002 413/256-8159 home • 413/587-6260 work margo.mcmahon@juno.com Babs M. Meairs 11650 Calle Paracho, San Diego, CA 92128 858-521-0443 home/office bmeairs17@yahoo.com Business Manager Chris Mackey 1103 Magnolia Street South Pasadena, CA 91030 626/201-2363 mackmay22@sbcglobal.net Ruach Editor Karen D. Bota 1193 N. State Rd., Ionia, MI 48846 586/291-8877 kdbota@aol.com
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The Episcopal Women’s Caucus: Advocating for women since 1971, theologically, spiritually, politically. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
Bonnie Anderson will not seek re-election as HoD president; process for election new president, vice president announced by ENS staff
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onnie 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.
May 23. “That has not come without personal cost to you and I, one among many, am deeply appreciative and grateful for all of your work.
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 want you to know that the vision you have carried is shared by many and will go forth, perhaps not in exactly the way you or I have seen it but secure in the knowledge that the church has been forever changed and transformed by your transparency and integrity.”
“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. “Your voices resonate not only within the great representative diversity of General Convention, but also in our communities and in commissions during the triennium, in vestries, and in the leadership roles you hold in our congregations, dioceses and provinces,” Anderson continued.
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.
She is a past president of the Standing Committee in the Diocese of Michigan and as a lay deputy she The full text of Bonnie Anderson, President of the Episcopal Church’s House of Depuserved on the Joint StandAnderson’s letter is ties, is an advocate for the ministry of the laity. ing Committee on Program, available at http://episBudget & Finance (PB&F) copaldigitalnetwork. for four terms and served as its president for two terms. com/ens/2012/05/23/anderson-will-not-seek-re-election-ashouse-of-deputies-president.
“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,” Jefferts Schori said. “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.” “You have redefined the landscape of our church, calling us back to a vision which embraces our radical, historical roots and pointing us to the once and future church,” Episcopal Women’s Caucus Convener wrote to Anderson in an e-mail
Ruach • Spring/Summer 2012
Since being elected as president of the House of Deputies, Anderson has served as vice president of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, the elected body that carries out programs and policies adopted by the General Convention and oversees the ministry and mission of the church. The president also appoints the lay and clergy members to most committees, commissions, agencies and boards that serve the church.
what happens next? Anderson announced the process for electing a new president and a new vice president in a May 24 letter. She said: She will serve as the President of the House of Deputies until the adjournment of this 77th General Convention on July 12. continued on page 22
Annotated draft TEC triennial budget released
Commentary, line-by-line budget explanation, other materials posted [Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs] A commentary on the draft budget including a foreword by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, commentary on the budget process, and a detailed triennial budget with line-by-line explanations have been posted. It’s on the General Convention Budget and Diocesan Commitments page and downloadable at www.episcopalchurch.org/sites/default/files/commentary_ on_the_draft_2013-2015_triennial_budget.pdf. Promised for June 1 by Jefferts Schori, Chief Operating Officer Bishop Stacy Sauls and Treasurer to General Convention Kurt Barnes, the highly detailed items present a complete overview of the budget process, what happened, the current status of the proposed 2013-2015 budget, and addresses prevalent misunderstandings and misconceptions. In addition to these three items, the posting includes a series of accompanying explanatory documents, including: the Churchwide Ministries Survey, the Jan. 19 Alternative Budget Proposals, the Jan. 29 Budget Revision, and the Executive Council’s April memo to the Joint Committee on Program, Budget & Finance, commonly known as PB&F.
Foreword “The proposed budget has been the source of much confusion, as Executive Council itself noted at its April meeting,” Jefferts Schori states in the two-page foreword. “Some do not believe the draft budget accurately reflects what Executive Council adopted on Jan. 29, 2012. Some believe the process itself was not well-conceived and did not allow enough time for deliberation and care in what was presented. The document is, however, what we have to work with, and it is what Program, Budget & Finance has to consider.” Noting that she has heard “firsthand of the confusion and indeed frustration” about the recent budget process, the presiding bishop also points out, “Neither I nor anyone else
has the authority to change the document itself, but I hope it may be helpful to have a detailed commentary that might, at least, make some explanations available and allow some things to be better understood.”
Commentary The 17-page introduction to the budget process provides a comprehensive explanation of the process that was followed throughout the creation of the 2013-2015 draft triennial budget. It is divided into nine areas: Executive Summary; Introduction to the Budget Process 2013-2015; The Draft Budget was Formulated by Executive Committee rather than Staff; Survey of Leadership on “Subsidiarity”; Core Principles and Strategies for the Budget; ECEC’s Work on Budget: Between the October and January Meetings of Executive Council; An Alternative: The 19% Asking as a Transition; Executive Council Considers the Alternative Proposals; Where We Go from Here. On page 16, the commentary lists the upcoming process: • PB&F will convene at General Convention. It will hold three public hearings: July 4 at 12:30 p.m. on the framework of the budget and the budget process, July 6 at 7:30 p.m. on funding, and July 7 at 7:30 p.m. on spending. PB&F will present a proposed budget to a joint session of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops on July 10 at 2:15 p.m. A final vote on the budget is expected on July 12.
Budget The 19-page 2013-2015 Draft Budget offers a line-byline explanation of the 816 individual line items.
Canada: New First Nation diocese for Rupert’s Land by Diana Swift
[Anglican Journal] In the fulfillment of an aspiration long held by indigenous Anglicans in the north, the ecclesiastical province of Rupert’s Land is poised to have a new diocese by 2014. The 47th session of the provincial synod, held in Brandon, Man., June 7 -10, unanimously approved a resolution from the diocese of Keewatin to divide the diocese and create a fully independent indigenous diocese from the portion known as the northern Ontario region. “We have been walking together and now we are dancing together,” said Wayne McIntosh, rector of St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Fort Frances, Ont., after seconding the mo-
tion at the synod. The region’s current bishop, Lydia Mamakwa, will head the as-yet unnamed diocese. “It is important to note that we are not talking about separation here. We are talking about growth and development,” says Bishop David Ashdown, the current — and almost certainly the last — bishop of Keewatin. “A critical part of our operating principles in the diocese has always been that our three regions are selfdetermining, but we walk together for strength. This is just the fulfillment of that very principle.” Ashdown added that Keewatin’s time-honored practice of walking together in ministry will continue in some form. The
continued on page 11 www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
Presiding bishop proposes alternative 2013-2015 budget A ‘beginning of reforming effort’ to ‘reorient’ church towards mission by Mary Frances Schjonberg [Episcopal News Service] In a somewhat unusual step, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on June 21 proposed an alternative budget for consideration by the upcoming meeting of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention. The proposal is “more clearly based on missional strategy than the current draft proposed budget” approved in January by the church’s Executive Council, Jefferts Schori said in an eight-page message that accompanied the proposed budget. She said that “the heart” of the Episcopal Church is mission “in partnership with anyone who shares that passion” and her proposed budget “is intended to help us reorient ourselves to that passion.” “The strategic and spiritual principle of this budget proposal is that the church is most truly itself, the Body of Christ, when it lives and breathes mission,” she said.
Lane said PB&F will make “the appropriate adjustments” to council’s proposed draft budget based on all the input it has received and what it will hear at General Convention. He called Jefferts Schori’s proposal “important data” that lays out some clear priorities and said that “Program, Budget and Finance will have to consider that along with the rest.” He and other committee members are aware of “lots of proposals in the blogosphere, some of them quite specific,” and have been interviewing members of the church center staff and other church leaders “in order to be as prepared as possible when we gather” in Indianapolis July 4.
A zero-based beginning Jefferts Schori said her proposal began as zero-based budget, to allow for “a more theologically based and strategic process” that is “spiritually enriching rather than depleting” and made for a forward-looking document.
When asked by Episcopal News Service, the Rev. Canon Gregory Straub, General Convention secretary and the Katharine Jefferts Schori. Photo/ She also noted that the proposal is church’s executive officer, said that to ENS. more detailed in the areas of mission and his knowledge this was the first time a administration because that is where she presiding bishop had proposed a budget has oversight. It suggests an overall five percent reduction after Executive Council had sent its draft budget to the Joint in governance costs and anticipates “allocating those costs Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance. collaboratively, in consultation with other elected leaders including the President of the House of Deputies, the “I didn’t know that Bishop Katharine was preparing her Executive Officer of General Convention, and the Executive own budget,” House of Deputies President Bonnie AnderCouncil.” son said via email June 21. Anderson was attending an afternoon baseball game at Detroit’s Tigers Stadium and said she would “study what she has come up with when I get home.” Diocese of Maine Bishop Steve Lane, who is PB&F vice chair, told ENS in a telephone interview that he welcomed Jefferts Schori’s proposal. “I believe that budgets are leadership documents and I had been hoping that the presiding bishop, as our leader, would make a statement about budget priorities and strategy,” he said. “I am very pleased to see that she has done that. I think that is an important offering to the church.” While her decision to propose an alternative budget might seem “unusual,” Lane said, “I don’t see that it’s any kind of violation of canon or other things for the presiding bishop to make her own statement about direction and purpose.”
Ruach • Spring/Summer 2012
The proposal is based on asking the church’s dioceses and regional mission areas to pay 19 percent of their annual income from two years previous (minus $120,000) during each year of the triennium. That percentage is the same as the asking for 2012 after having decreased from 21 percent in 2010 and 20 percent in 2011. Council crafted its final draft version of the 2013-2015 budget by assuming the 19 percent asking and the spending outlined in a 15-percent version. To that spending scenario, council members then ranked their priorities for restoring parts of the budget to the 19 percent levels. Those priorities include investing in emerging networks and supporting existing ones, empowering local ministry and communications. Among the staff of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, 12.75 positions would be cut under the presiding
continued on page 35
Gay Jennings announces candidacy for HoD president by Mary Frances Schjonberg [Episcopal News Service] Gay Clark Jennings, who just completed a six-year term on the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, announced June 5 that she will stand for election as president of the House of Deputies. Jennings said in a posting on Facebook that she came to her decision “after much prayer and many conversations with Episcopalians around the church.” “I ask for your support, ideas, participation and prayers,” she said, asking people to join her on the page “so we can exchange ideas and questions about the work God is calling us to do.” Jennings also announced her intentions via a letter to members of the House of Bishops and Deputies e-mail listserv. “I’d like to work with you and other leaders to change the way we do business in the next triennium,” she said in the letter. “For the Episcopal Church to matter in the 21st century, we have to find ways to move forward together. I be-
I went to my first Caucus meeting in 1975 while still a seminarian. The Caucus has served as a powerful advocate for the ministries of lay and ordained women and for the inclusion of all God’s beloved children in every level of the Church’s life and governance. The witness of the Caucus has strengthened me over the years, and reminds me that while the work of full inclusion is much farther along than in 1975, there is still ground to break. Pam Chinnis and Bonnie Anderson were the first lay women to serve as presidents of the House of Deputies. With your support and prayers, I hope to be the first ordained women to serve in this role. — Gay Jennings
lieve that God is calling us to embrace a future with no more false choices between mission and governance. No more false wars between individuals or groups. No more jockeying for turf or control.” Jennings said that, beyond askGay Jennings. Photo/ ing for the support of deputies, she “hope[d] that all of you will invest and ENS. participate in building collaborative and networked partnerships for the work that God has called us to do at this General Convention and in the next triennium.” If elected, Jennings would serve from the adjournment of the July 5-12 meeting of General Convention in Indianapolis, Ind., until the adjournment of the next convention meeting in July 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She would succeed Bonnie Anderson, who has served two three-year terms as House of Deputies president. Anderson announced May 23 that she would not ask convention to elect her to a third and final term as president. The House of Deputies includes up to eight voting members from each of the church’s 109 dioceses, one area mission and one convocation. The General Convention is one of the largest legislative bodies in the world. The president of the House of Deputies serves as vice president of the Executive Council and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (the Episcopal Church’s corporate entity). The president presides over the House of Deputies at General Convention, appoints clergy and lay members of all the standing commissions and convention legislative committees, and performs many functions of liaison, development, and opportunity between conventions. The position is unpaid, but in the 2010-2012 triennium General Convention provided a budget of nearly $589,000 to cover Anderson’s expenses, to compensate staff to assist her and to cover the costs of maintaining an advisory council which the president appoints. Since Anderson announced her decision to retire some observers have commented on how the demands of the job could financially impact potential candidates. Jennings, 61, lives in Sagamore Hills, Ohio, and has been the associate director of CREDO Institute Inc. for the past nine years. CREDO provides an array of conferences and post-conference resources that help eligible Church Pension Fund participants examine, evaluate, and re-energize their health and wellness. continued on page 27 www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
Martha Alexander to stand for election as House of Deputies president by ENS staff [Episcopal News Service] Martha Bedell Alexander, a trustee of the Church Pension Fund and a North Carolina state legislator, had announced that she will stand for election as president of the House of Deputies. “I see it as a wonderful opportunity to serve God and His Church — and to make a difference,” Alexander, 72, said in a June 20 press release from the Diocese of North Carolina. Saying the idea of her standing for election originated through conversations with others, Alexander added, “I gave the possibility of the nomination a lot of prayerful, thoughtful and careful consideration.” Alexander is serving her tenth two-year term as a Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. She was first elected in 1992 and is standing for re-election on Nov. 6. The election will take place during the 77th meeting of General Convention July 5-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Alexander is the second candidate to announce her intention to stand for election. The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, who just completed a six-year term on the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, announced her plans on June 5. The person elected will succeed Bonnie Anderson, who has served two three-year terms as House of Deputies president. Anderson announced May 23 that she would not ask convention to elect her to a third and final term as president. Nominations from the House of Deputies floor for the
office of president will open July 9. The deputies will host a “meet the nominees” gathering the evening of July 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (the location to be announced). The election for president will take place on July 10.
Martha Bedell Alexander. Photo credit: ENS.
A cradle Episcopalian, Alexander has served in a variety of roles throughout the church, as well as serving in a variety of organizations on a local, state and national level, according to the release. In addition to serving on the Church Pension Fund board of trustees, Alexander is on the General Convention’s World Mission legislative committee for the upcoming session. She is a member of the Diocese of North Carolina Standing Committee and is the companion diocese coordinator for the church’s Province IV. Alexander serves on the Botswana-North Carolina Companion Link Committee, chairs the dispatch of business for the diocesan convention and is a member of the Micah Initiative’s microfinance committee at Christ Church in Charlotte where she lives. “I have had lots of responsibility over my lifetime on different committees and assignments throughout the church, and I bring a willingness to serve and work, a passion for social justice issues and a desire to ensure all people are welcome in this church,” Alexander said in the release. Alexander lives in Charlotte and has two children and five grandchildren.
Caucus legislative team determines focus for GC
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he Caucus legislative team has announced resolutions it will focus on at General Convention in Indianapolis in July.
“Attend a hearing or follow the discussions in committee and/or the vote in the HOD/ and/or HOB,” she said.
Team members Elizabeth Kaeton, Pamela Kandt, L. Zoe Cole, Carole Cole Flanagan, Marge Christie and Cynthia Black will meet each morning before legislative sessions, and will keep in contact throughout the day about action taken. Kaeton said anyone attending General Convention, even for the day or just a few days, who would like to help monitor legislation would be more than welcomed.
Ruach • Spring/Summer 2012
The team’s priority is in supporting the resolutions from the Executive Council Committee on The Status of Women (page 623), said Kaeton. The following resolutions will receive close attention: • •
•
A137 Strengthening Families A138 Ending Statelessness Discrimination Against Women A139 Gender Violence continued on page 16
Four extraordinary women selected to receive inaugural awards named for Episcopal trailblazers
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he Rev. Altagracia Perez, Canon Bonnie Anderson, the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas and Deborah Harmon Hines, Ph.D. are set to become the first recipients of the Pauli Murray Humanitarian Service Award and the Verna Josephine Dozier, Anna Julia Haywood Cooper and Mattie Hopkins Honor Awards respectively. “As varied as the reasons were for selection of each recipient, the UBE Board and selection committee overall felt that each person’s life work and journey exemplified the spirit of their award namesake,” said John E. Harris, Jr., president of the Union of Black Episcopalians. UBE Partners in Mission -—Union of Black Episcopalians, Episcopal Women’s Caucus, Episcopal Women’s History Project, Episcopal Church Women, Episcopal Church Foundation, Church Pension Fund, Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes and others — will present the awards at the Legendary Tribute & Gala set for July 3, at 6:00 p.m. at the Indianapolis Marriot Downtown. Bishops Barbara Clementine Harris, retired, and Catherine Maples Waynick of the Diocese of Indianapolis will serve as honorary co-chairs for the event.
service, she took my hand and walked with me out of the Church while we talked about being lay people.” “When the going gets tough,” Anderson said, she reads from Dozier’s books where she is able to “gain renewed courage and inspiration.” Douglas, professor and director of Religion at Goucher College and associate rector of Church of the Holy Comforter in Washington, D.C., said, “I am overwhelmed and humbled to be honored in such a way. It is with sincere humility and deep gratitude that I accept the Kelly Brown invitation to be so honored as a recipient of the Anna Julia Cooper Award. Her pioneering Douglas witness as a proto-womanist has been very important to my work. I thank you and the committee for this gracious honor.” Douglas was the first black woman ordained a priest in the diocese of Southern Ohio. Her literary boldness and leadership in the development of a ‘womanist’ theology are a force to reckon with when discussing the complexities of Christian faith in African- American contexts.
Perez, rector of Holy Faith Episcopal Church, in Inglewood, California, said she was “so proud and moved” when she learned she had been selected. “Pauline Murray is one of my heroes and I was honored to accept.” An Episcopal Church Foundation Fellow, Perez led the faith-based community in the “call to action” against the Walton Family and Wal-Mart Corporation. Her ministry has focused on developing resources to support the work in urban congregations, understanding that leadership in urban multiAltagracia cultural, multilingual, theologically diverse Perez congregations need training and support in order to do their ministries. President of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church Anderson said she was “surprised and humbled to accept the invitation of the Union of Black Episcopalians to receive the Verna Josephine Dozier Award.” Bonnie Anderson
Anderson said she met Dozier years ago at St. Mark’s when her daughter was part of the community service program at the national cathedral.
“We went to church at St. Mark’s Sunday morning and my daughter steered me into the pew right next to Dr. Dozier. When we exchanged the peace, I told her how much I valued her ministry and saw her as a living saint. After the
Hines, vice provost for School Services and professor of cell biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, said “I am humbled to receive the Mattie Hopkins Award.” Hines was the first elected lay president of UBE and ignited a movement when she joined with Hopkins, Myrtle Gordon and Bishop Barbara Harris (then a priest) at the 1981 Task Force on Women conference. They addressed the distrust of the feminist movement and unveiled what became known as “The Black Women’s Agenda,” a challenge to white feminism. Deborah Harmon Hines
Please plan to attend and join the celebration of these outstanding women of the Episcopal Church. Tickets are available at www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=230131.
PowerPoint overview of GC available
If you’re looking for an overview of how General Convention (GC) works, visit the House of Deputies website for a PowerPoint “Introduction to General Convention” at houseofdeputies.org/introduction-to-generalconvention-presentation.html. Both English and Spanish versions are posted, as well as PDFs of the presentation in English and Spanish. You are free to download the presentations and use them as you wish, according to the website. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
General Convention ‘Blue Book’ available for download, pre-order for print, e-book
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he Report to the 77th General Convention, commonly referred to as “The Blue Book,” is available to download as a PDF for no charge at the Episcopal Church General Convention website, generalconvention.org/gc/prepare. This year, the cover of The Blue Book is salmon (PANTONE 169 M). General Convention 2012 will be held July 5-12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana (in the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis). The Blue Book, at more than 750 pages, contains reports of the committees, commissions, agencies and boards to the General Convention, as well as more than 150 “A” Resolutions submitted as part of those reports that will be considered at the July event. The Blue Book is available for pre-order in print format from Church Publishing at www.churchpublishing.org. And, for the first time, The Blue Book are available in e-book
EWC’s ‘Margo’s Fund’ seeks donations for lowincome travelers to GC The Episcopal Women’s Caucus has started “Margo’s Fund” to raise funds for low-income women and women from impoverished nations and countries to attend General Convention in Indianapolis in July. At the urging of the Caucus Board Member Margo McMahon, the Caucus is looking for 600 or more friends of women who would be willing to support the fund by donating $5 or $10 each. “It costs approximately $3,000 in travel, lodging and daily food expenses per deputy, alternate or visitor to attend General Convention,” Margo McMahon explained. “For low income women or women from impoverished nations and countries, this is an impossible amount for many to raise, particularly when the funds are needed in the diocese for programs, services and outreach.” Send your donation with “Margo’s Fund” in the memo section of your check, to: Episcopal Women’s Caucus, attn: Chris Mackey-Mason 1103 Magnolia St. South Pasadena, CA 91030 Donations of any amount to the Episcopal Women’s Caucus for their presence at General Convention will be gratefully accepted at this mailing address, too. Just indicate “EWC Presence” in the memo line of your check. 10
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formats, also from Church Publishing.
A PDF of The Blue Book in Spanish, El Libro Azul, is also available. For questions about The Blue Book, contact Christopher Barajas in the General Convention office, cbarajas@episcopalchurch.org.
other useful Links General Convention: http://generalconvention.org/gc Diocese of Indianapolis http://indydio.org/diocese2010/ The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org Twitter Hash for General Convention: #GC2012 The Blue Book now available for download, pre-order for print, e-book http://www.episcopalchurch.org/notice/blue-book-nowavailable-download-pre-order-print-e-book — Press release
‘CliffNotes’-type commentaries on ‘Blue Book’ available
Preparing for General Convention and overwhelmed reading the Blue Book? Two deputies have offered “Cliffnotes”-style commentaries and reflections on the content and resolutions. Liza Anderson, lay deputy to General Convention (GC) for Connecticut, has written a commentary on the GC2012 Blue Book. Anderson notes this caveat: “This summary and commentary contains strong opinions written on too little sleep, which should be taken with several grains of salt. Dissent, corrections, clarifications etc. are welcomed at facebook.com/liza.anderson.” Download it at http://yale.academia.edu/LizaAnderson/ Papers. Scott Gunn, clergy deputy for Rhode Island and a “certified technophile,” is publishing a series of reflections on the Blue Book at his blog, “Seven Whole Days” at www. sevenwholedays.org. “What you’ll see here is a list of resolutions and my current thinking about a vote. Some of my initial impressions will certainly change, based on insights, conversations, or reflections as the voting looms,” Gunn said. “And, of course, there will revisions to the texts, which could change my thinking. When I blog about one of the resolutions, you’ll find a link to that post in the index. Enjoy.” — Episcopal Cafe, www.episcopalcafe.com
WordsMatter Expansive Language Project works for use of language that honors all God’s people by Terri C. Pilarski
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hat comes to mind when you hear the phrase “expansive language” and the phrase “inclusive language?” This question is at the heart of the WordsMatter Expansive Language Project as it has explored the words, images, and symbols used to talk about God, self, and other human beings.
This particular aspect of the Expansive Language Project began in 2009 with a conversation among the members of the Expansive Language Committee, a sub-committee of the Women for Justice Working Group affiliated with the Episcopal Church and the National Council of Churches Office of Women’s Ministry.
The term “expansive language” is used in some circles to indicate that respectful language that honors all of God’s people is more than just gender inclusive. Expansive language also seeks to find words, phrases and images that neither offend nor reinforce stereotypes that may be harmful to anyone.
In December of 2009, members of the Expansive Language Committee created a vision — designed to bring a diverse group of Christians together — for a conversation on the language we use to talk about and describe God, ourselves, and other human beings. Although this project began as a conversation about inclusive language, it quickly grew into a conversation about expansive language, honoring the various contexts in which Christians live, worship, and come to know self, one another and God.
As Christian denominations celebrate being multicultural and multiracial communities of faith, welcoming forms and styles of worship not historically or traditionally associated with our origins, the conversation about the use of language in our churches becomes more critical, and more challenging. For Episcopalians, the conversation on language found authority in the General Convention in 1985 with resolution A95, which authorized the creation of inclusive language materials for Sunday and daily worship. The materials are known as “Enriching Our Worship.”
New First Nation diocese from page 5 provincial synod authorized the executive council to adopt and implement a plan for the other parts of the diocese when Ashdown retires.
For an area populated almost exclusively by indigenous people, the recent provincial approval is one more step in realizing the long-time dream of having a self-determining, self-reliant church of their own, while still walking closely with their non-aboriginal brothers and sisters. Two-thirds of the diocese lies in First Nation parishes, and five languages are spoken there: Cree, Oji-Cree, English, Ojibway and Dene. Many diocesan clergy and lay people speak at least two languages on a daily basis. As for the name, that will take some time. “There will be a bit of a celebration, and the elders will choose a name in due course,” says Ashdown. The only remaining step in this journey will be to receive the concurrence of the General Synod when it meets in 2013. The new diocese will likely become a reality in 2014. Diana Swift is a staff writer for the Anglican Journal.
A consultation, created by the Expansive Language Committee, took place in Chicago from August 9-11, 2010. Thirty people gathered, from a wide a range of aspects of Christianity: diverse ethnicity, sexuality and gender, denominations, and theology. The conversation guide is one outcome from the consultation. The conversation guide engages in personal story sharing and group discussions intended to expand and deepen our understanding of the cultural contexts in which we live and worship. The WordsMatter.Episcopal Expansive Language Project is a ministry of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus and is endorsed by the Episcopal Church, the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, and Anglican Women’s Empowerment. More information on the project can be found on the Caucus website: www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org/ wordsmatter.htm. The WordsMatter.Episcopal Expansive Language Project presented two learning opportunities at United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, at the Episcopal Church Center, in March. The Project will offer several learning opportunities at General Convention including an introduction to the project at the Caucus breakfast on Sunday, July 8. To learn more about the WordsMatter project, visit wordsmatter.org, the WordsMatter.Episcopal Facebook page, and a blog at expansivelanguage.blogspot.com. Terri C. Pilarski is rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Dearborn, Michigan, and a member of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus board. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Marge Christie: Love for the Episcopal Church never dims by Sharon Sheridan [Episcopal News Service] The two best decisions she ever made, says Marge Christie, were accepting her husband George’s marriage proposal and joining the Episcopal Church.
with women, standing room only,” she said. “That was the only place [in the church] that women really could function in those years.”
The two decisions were, in fact, related. After they met in high school, she said, “I used to go to church with him because, guess what? I had an extra day with him.”
But some men in the diocese thought that should change. One night, the Rev. Jack Stanton called and asked if she’d be willing to be nominated for the Department of Missions. “I didn’t know what the Department of Missions was, to be honest,” she said, adding, “I’m not known for saying no.”
They married in 1950 and raised four children before he died in 1995. Early on, she attended an inquirer’s class at the local Episcopal church and was confirmed. Soon she joined the church women’s group and embarked on a lifetime of service and leadership, spanning the days before women could serve even as convention deputies to today, when the presiding bishop and president of the House of Deputies both are women.
She was elected. She vividly recalls walking into her first meeting. “It was all men, and they were smoking cigars.” “That was kind of my launching pad in the diocese,” she said.
Throughout, her love of the church never dimmed. “I’ve had a challenging and an interesting and a spectacular time,” said Christie, who turns 84 in May. And she’s not done yet. In July, she will return to General Convention for her 13th stint as a deputy or alternate at the Episcopal Church’s triennial legislative meeting. She’ll serve as first alternate for the Diocese of Newark beside her granddaughter, Caroline Christie, elected deputy at age 17. Meanwhile, the two just spent a week as roommates as part of an Anglican women’s delegation to the annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Christie’s service in the church started with the women’s group at St. Matthew’s in Paramus, New Jersey. “Before I knew it, I was president.” She began attending district and diocesan meetings. At the first annual diocesan Episcopal Church Women‘s meeting she attended in the mid-1960s, the cathedral “was packed 12
She later became one of the first female deputies seated at diocesan convention. And when George Rath, who served as suffragan and then diocesan bishop, was on the nominating committee for a Province II representative to Executive Council, Christie asked why she hadn’t been nominated. He called for a second round of nominations. “I was elected.”
Marge Christie and her granddaughter, Caroline Christie, at the Episcopal Diocese of Newark’s annual convention in January. In July, they will attend General Convention together, Caroline as a first-time deputy and Marge as first alternate in her 13th trip to the triennial meeting as a deputy or alternate. Photo/Sharon Sheridan
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Few women served at that time, she said. “It was sort of like carving a new path.” In 1970 and 1973, Christie served as diocesan representative to the ECW’s triennial meeting. In a 2009 interview at General Convention, she recalled being an ECW delegate in 1970 when women first were seated as convention deputies. “We recessed and went in the gallery and watched the original 24 women who were seated” after the convention approved allowing women to serve. In July 1974, Christie was vacationing with her family on Long Beach Island when she read a front-page article in The New York Times saying some women were going to be ordained as priests in Philadelphia. She assumed Rath would continued on page 23
Inside Look
Rachel Sabbath Initiative promotes Millennium Development Goal 5 on global maternal health, family planning access for ‘all women, everywhere’ by Marie Alford-Harkey
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he Religious Institute (http://www.religiousinstitute. org/) is a national, multifaith nonprofit that promotes sexual health, justice, and education in faith communities and society. One of our most important programs focuses on global maternal health and universal access to family planning, which is generally uncontroversial for most of the faiths and denominations with whom we work. However, we’re often confronted by skepticism on the part of “secular” sexual and reproductive health organizations. It’s difficult to convince them that for many people of faith, our faith informs our commitment to principles like universal access to family planning services for ALL women, everywhere. To this end, the Religious Institute created the Rachel Sabbath Initiative (www.religiousinstitute.org/rachel), now in its third year. Funded by the United Nations Foundation, this initiative was created to promote Millennium Development Goal 5 (www. un.org/millenniumgoals/maternal. shtml), which focuses on improving maternal health with a specific target of achieving universal access to reproductive health services — including family planning — by 2015.
History of the initiative The roots of this project stem from a meeting between the Religious Institute’s president, Unitarian Universalist minister Debra Haffner, and Eve Ensler, the creator of The Vagina Monologues. The encounter occurred at the 10th anniversary celebration of Ensler’s V-Day foundation (http://www.vday. org/home), which works to end violence against women all over the world, and especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Debra asked Eve how she had engaged religious leaders in the movement to end the violence against women in the Congo. “Religious people want nothing to do with me,” Eve told Debra.
Debra and the Religious Institute proved her wrong. In less than a year, 156 congregations, alerted to the crisis by the Religious Institute, had participated in a “Congo Sabbath” to raise money and awareness for women in the Congo. That program inspired the Rachel Sabbath Initiative, with a broader focus on women around the world. The goal of the Rachel Sabbath Initiative (http://www.religiousinstitute. org/rachel) is to engage congregations and denominations in a campaign to reduce maternal mortality and expand access to family planning services worldwide. In other words, we want people to talk about family planning, women dying in childbirth, and how to save those women’s lives — at church. Talking about family planning at church may seem like a challenge, but this is an issue for people of faith to address. It is clear that the death of any woman is not only a loss to her family and community; it diminishes us all. It’s equally clear that women in the developing world should have the same access to lifesaving family planning information, services, and supplies as those in the developed world. These are the values reflected in Jesus’ charge to us to “love our neighbor as ourselves.”
Why Rachel? The Rachel Sabbath Initiative is named for the matriarch Rachel in the Hebrew Scriptures, who died in childbirth. Rachel first appears in Genesis 29, when she encounters Jacob, her future husband. Her story progresses with heartache and infertility. Eventually, Rachel gives birth to a son and desires for even more children. Like millions of women today, “. . . she suffered severe labor.” In Genesis 35, with a midwife by her side, Rachel dies after delivering her second child. Jacob’s caravan stops to bury her on the road to Ephrath. (In many cultures, the bodies of women who died in childbirth were considered a threat to those still living.) continued on page 14 www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Rachel Sabbath Initiative: Maternal health, family planning access for all from page 13
Later in the Hebrew Scriptures, we find Rachel referenced again: “Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15). We think that people of faith can agree that no woman, anywhere in the world, should lose her life creating a new one. Yet it is still true that one woman dies nearly every 90 seconds from complications of pregnancy. Nearly 90 percent of those deaths are preventable. Around the world, 215 million women who want to delay or prevent pregnancy are not using effective contraception because they don’t have access, in some cases because they fear side effects, or frequently because of significant cultural barriers . Experts estimate that providing access to modern contraception to women who don’t currently have it would result in 50 million fewer unwanted pregnancies, and 289,000 women’s lives saved every year.
open letter from theologians In 2010, the Religious Institute convened a group of distinguished theologians to develop what would become the Open Letter on Maternal Mortality and Reproductive Justice. It was a remarkable group in its depth of talent, commitment to these issues, and cultural and religious diversity. The Open Letter, which provides a theological/moral framework for considering maternal mortality and the need for universal access to reproductive health care, has been endorsed by nearly 700 clergy and religious leaders throughout the United States, and sent to every member of Congress and key Administration targets. (Add your endorsement and show your support for women around the world at www. religiousinstitute.org/endorse).
observe the rachel sabbath in your congregation Each year since the publication of the Open Letter, the Religious Institute has asked congregations of all faiths to honor mothers worldwide and to offer prayers for those women who die giving birth to the next generation. Mother’s Day is a particularly appropriate time for this observance, but it’s certainly not the only opportunity. Another prime date is July 11, 2012, World Population Day. Download the Prayers of the People to use or adapt at 14
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www.religiousinstitute.org/sites/default/files/Rachel_Sabbath_Prayers_of_the_People_Episcopal.pdf. There are many other resources, including a collect, responsive reading, bulletin insert, and sermon preparation materials at www. religiousinstitute.org/rachel-sabbath-initiative-resources. It’s vitally important that you let us know if you’re observing a Rachel Sabbath. Having “numbers” demonstrates faith-based support for women around the world and allows us to maintain grant funding. Send an email to alford-harkey@ religiousinstitute.org with your name and the name and location of the group observing the Rachel Sabbath.
More about the religious institute The Religious Institute presents a progressive religious voice on sexuality issues. We advocate in the public arena in venues as diverse as the Huffington Post, CNN, and “The O’Reilly Factor.” Recently, the Religious Institute mobilized a demonstration of religious support for contraception coverage in the Affordable Care Act. You can read the statement from 31 mainstream religious leaders, including the Episcopal Women’s Caucus’ own Elizabeth Kaeton at our website. The Religious Institute supports sexuality education for future clergy and religious professionals through its Seminary Project and our list of Sexually Healthy and Responsible Seminaries (www.religiousinstitute.org/seminary). We provide technical assistance to congregations seeking to implement or improve comprehensive sexuality education and safe congregation policies. To add your faithful voice to our network of 5,500 people of faith who support our work, visit us at www.religiousinstitute.org/faithfulvoices). If you’re a religious professional, you can join the nearly 3900 other clergy and religious professionals who have endorsed the Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing, our founding document that calls for a sexual ethic based on justice rather than particular acts, at www.religiousinstitute.org/endorse). To find out more about the work of the Religious Institute, find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ReligiousInstitute) or follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/ReligiousInst). We look forward to meeting lots of Episcopalians at General Convention in July. Marie Alford-Harkey is the director of education and training at the Religious Institute. She is a parishioner at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hartford, Connecticut, the deputy convener of Integrity Connecticut, and a 2010 graduate of Episcopal Divinity School. Before seminary, she had a 20-year career as a high school educator. Stop by and see Marie at the Religious Institute’s booth near the Consultation at General Convention in July. Follow her on Twitter @EMarieAH.
Commentary
Continuing the advocacy for women, theologically, spiritually and politically! by Heather Mueller I am writing to express my appreciation for the continuing work of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus. To know that there is an organization in our church which is “advocating for women since 1971, theologically,spiritually and politically” is a great gift. The work of this organization has been extensive and consistent. The members of the Caucus, and especially the board, have been very present in many places to advocate for women, and the Caucus has made meaningful connections with other organizations. Members of the Caucus have been present at the House of Bishops meetings and Lambeth Conference, and in dioceses where women were forbidden to serve: Fort Worth and others. There have been many alliances with other advocacy groups in our church, such as the National Network of Episcopal Clergy, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Integrity, and many others. These alliances have helped us to be even more effective and visible to a larger segment of our church. My own experience in ordained ministry began in March, 1973, when I went to a party in Sausalito and met Nedi Goss, as she was then, now Rivera. We were talking about this and that, and our conversation moved to the fact that she was attending seminary at Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP). She said that there was to be a debate on the ordination of women the following week and would I like to go? As I was a budding activist in Marin County at that time, trying to save the Bay, save the Ridge lands, serving at St. Stephen’s Church in Belvedere, and functioning as a leader of the Campfire Girls for my daughters; of course I was interested in joining her to attend the debate. The person who spoke in favor of ordaining women made an argument for me that not only was clear but would strengthen the church I loved and had been a part of since my birth. I took the GRE and entered seminary at CDSP in the fall of 1973. Of course, it was a very active time in the church for debates and the position papers on both sides of the subject, were flying around from all directions! It was a great disappointment to all of us in 1973 when the women’s ordination was defeated at General Convention by
abstentions. The ECW and many other groups in the church got mobilized in anticipation of the General Convention in SeptemHeather Mueller ber, 1976. It was exciting to be a part of all of this and then to hear about the upcoming ordination of the Philadelphia 11 in 1974. I was studying and raising two daughters, and being a part of this moment in the life of our church was exciting and rewarding. Of course, I knew about the Caucus; several members came to CDSP. I especially remember Suzanne Haitt, who came in 1974. When the ordination of women passed in September, 1976, I was serving as a seminarian intern at All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii. Edmond Browning was the bishop and we all know what kind of advocate he was for many issues, including the ordination of women. Because of him, I transferred my process to Hawaii, and then he ordained me to the diaconate in 1979 at All Saints in Kapaa, Kauai. I was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Browning in Lahaina, Maui, in April 1981. I was called to be the rector of St John’s Episcopal Church in November of 1981, and I served at that church for 29 years. I am now retired, which means I am receiving my pension from our wonderful Pension Fund but I am now also serving as priest-in-charge at St Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Kapa’au, The Big Island of Hawaii. I was privileged to serve on the board of the EWC in the mid-’80s and as a member I went to the House of Bishop’s meeting in 1987 at Pheasant Run outside of Chicago. This was when we were advocating for the ordination of women to the episcopacy. Our presence was meant to say to the bishops that we were “watching.” It was at that meeting that I had breakfast with Jeannette Mitchell. I was due for a sabbatical and I was saying that I wanted to go and serve in England, so that people there could see that when a woman served it was safe and the roof did not fall in. I was asking her about any associate positions she may know of. She said, “ Heather, don’t go to England. Go to Australia.” In Australia, there had recently been a vote at synod that defeated the ordination of women by three votes. Bishop David Penman and Howard Dillon, who was the priest-in-charge of continued on page 16 www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Caucus legislative team identifies focus for GC • • • • •
A140 Advocate for Maternal and Infant Health A141 Fund Meetings of the Council of Episcopal Women’s Organizations A142 Study Expansion of Canonical Residency A142 Develop a Search Tool Kit A144 Monitor Women and Other Underrepresented Groups
Other resolutions they will track and/or support include: • • • • • • • • • •
A049 Authorize Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same Gender Relationships A050 Create Task Force on the Study of Marriage A051 Continue Trial Use of Holy Women, Holy Men (so we can add more women and people of color) A052 Identify Additional Church Calendar Commemorations (especially, to add more women and people of color) A080 Income Tax Reform A081 Call for Reform Certain of Interest Rates A082 Call for Reform of Mortgage Lending Practices A083 Advocate for Reforming Credit Reporting A084 Establish Episcopal Credit Union A085 Asset Based Community Development
• • • • • • • •
A127 Recommit to Being Anti-Racist for the Next Three Triennia (until 2018) A128 Direct Diocese to Examine Impact of Doctrine of Discovery A129 Increase Aid for Ministry with Native People A130 Increase Program Budget of Office of Native Ministries A131 Express Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples A132 Dismantling of the Effects of the Doctrine of Discovery A133 Financial Support for the Indigenous Theological Training Institute A145 Continue Dialogue in the Anglican Communion (and say a very clear “no thank you” to the Anglican Covenant)
The committee also will track the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance, especially in terms of budget cuts which support the hierarchy and not mission and ministry, said Kaeton. “It’s going to be an interesting ride, starting with a Blue Book that is pink,” said Kaeton. “It’s an amazing metaphor for a church that is so wed to its past it cannot see the reality right under its nose.”
Continuing the advocacy for women the Mission of Saint’s James and John at the Old Cathedral, were looking for a woman priest from another part of the Communion to go to Melbourne and simply serve whenever and wherever she was invited. Alison Cheek and Diane Heather were two of the people who facilitated my fourmonth time of service in Melbourne. I was given a house, a car complete with a book of maps, an office with a phone, and a license from the bishop to serve wherever I was invited to go. I did baptisms, eucharists and preached in places throughout the diocese. I was very busy. I was part of the Witnessing Community at Lambeth Conference in July, 1988, and as we all know, Barbara Harris was elected in September, 1988. These were important moments in our church and the Episcopal Women’s Caucus was right in the midst of it all! I spent last year serving as Minister of Hospitality at St. George’s College in Jerusalem. This college is in East Jerusalem and, as such, is in the Muslim and Christian part of the City of Jerusalem. As I am sure people know, there is a great need to support the Palestinian Christians, especially the women. Being imbedded in a Muslim culture,which limits the roles of women pretty severely, while being part of 16
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from page 15
Christianity, which is in rapid decline in the Holy Land, puts women in a very challenging situation. The most difficult part of my year in Jerusalem at St. George’s College was to see, week after week, a few men trying to do all of the work in a huge and declining diocese. One Sunday, at St. George’s Cathedral, I saw one priest read the Gospel, preach, serve the paten and the chalice, with me in the congregation. I could not assist in any way. (I was allowed to read Scripture.) I see this as a terrible waste of talent and ministry as women are so limited in how they serve. I am very impressed with the work of the EWC, which continues. I am grateful for the women who have stepped up. I am also very grateful to see the history written by Marge Christie, and wonder whether it will be put into the form of a book? I will be at General Convention, and I look forward to seeing other members and sharing breakfast. I have signed up to preside at a worship service offered by the Caucus. Thanks, everyone, for continuing the Advocacy for Women, Theologically, Spiritually and Politically!
Commentary
Fulfilling ‘Great Commission’ through lifelong formation by L. Zoe Cole The work of the Standing Commission on Lifelong Christian Formation & Education is near and dear to my heart as a public lay theologian. After reviewing their Blue Book Report and considering on-line discussion of their proposed resolutions, I have some concerns. The proposal (Resolution A042) to remove the canonical requirement of Confirmation for holding certain leadership positions in the church and to add instead (Resolution A041) a requirement to “complete[] instruction in the history, structure and governance of this Church and in the duties and responsibilities of their office” seems well-intentioned, but ill-conceived. It is true that I am old and I was confirmed, after at least a year of preparation in Sunday School and in my religion class at the parochial school I attended. My vocation --- Public Lay Theologian --- doesn’t actually exist in the church; I had to borrow the term from one of the few others who figured out before I did what she was doing. I have been an Education For Ministry (EFM) mentor for more than 15 years, I am a Godly Play Storyteller for 3 to 6 year olds (and was previously trained in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), I occasionally lead adult education forums in my parish or other parishes, and I am also pursuing a Ph.D. in Religious & Theological Education. All of which makes me feel I know something about lifelong Christian formation, which I call discipleship (as in “go and make disciples of all nations”), and which seems to me to be essential to the Proclamation of the Good News. I thought I understood Confirmation as the affirmation of promises made on my behalf when I was baptized as an infant. In that sense, it has never particularly troubled me or seemed a contradiction of the notion that baptism is the sufficient rite of membership/ministry in the church. In fact, to me, that makes a lot of sense for a church that practices infant baptism and does such an increasingly dismal job of forming its members. The suggestion some have made that my appropriate relationship with episcopal authority as a lay person is the mere fact that I was confirmed by a bishop (now long dead) is particularly repellant. I am also reminded of a skit we did as teenagers at my Happening, drawn from a long-running “Saturday Night Live” sketch involving the clay character Mr. Bill, who was routinely smashed by his nemesis Sluggo. In our version, Sluggo was the bishop who smashed Mr. Bill, the confirmand, with his big bishop ring. Others have suggested retaining Confirmation as a rite of initiation for lay ministry. I realize the intention is good, but this strikes me as an affirmation that the formation of lay leaders is of less concern to the church than ordained leaders. Implicit in this
suggestion is that confirmation, as is, is good enough for the laity, while the motivation for the resolutions is precisely that Confirmation as it now stands doesn’t really “equip” L. Zoe Cole anyone to do anything. Of course, neither does the baptism of infants --- especially since we also don’t routinely or consistently form their godparents in any way. The proposal (A041) to specify types and categories of formation for those whose vocation involves certain kinds of leadership in the church is an attractive one. However, I suspect it will not have much more impact than the existing requirements for certain kinds of licensed ministries. I was recently and briefly part of a group that thought we’d like to become licensed preachers --- until we read the educational/formation requirements for licensing. We were horrified and totally unwilling to make a commitment to that sort of formation. This speaks to me of a deeper problem of church culture than mere confusion about the nature or purpose of Confirmation. I am also concerned that the resolution to add this formation and the resolution to remove the canonical requirement for Confirmation are unrelated to each other. Certainly, they are intended to complement each other --- and there is good reason not to overload a single resolution. However, it seems to me possible, even likely, that we would remove the requirement for Confirmation while not adopting the requirement for formation at the parish level. All of which begs the question of the wisdom of requiring parishes to provide formation opportunities. I’m not sure how we address the culture of ignorance in the church, but I am concerned both that we need to and that the resolutions proposed by the Standing Commission on Lifelong Christian Formation & Education will not advance this goal. It strikes me that most people have some relationship to The Book of Common Prayer (although this relationship is also decreasing, partially because the place of printed texts in the world generally is changing). Perhaps augmenting our practices for Confirmation with prayer book changes is more likely to make an impact at the parish level than General Convention resolutions. For a variety of structural and resource reasons, few people at the parish level ever come to know much about most General Convention resolutions (despite existing canonical requirements that deputies share this information in their dioceses). In discussing the pros and cons of Confirmation, some have suggested teen rites of passage such as Rite 13. Although I don’t continued on page 27 www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach 17
Sr. Marjorie, SSM: ‘An alleluia to by Kathleen Nyhuis
A
braided life, of devotion and art, with God woven throughout — that is what Sister Marjorie Raphael, SSM, has lived and continues to live.
Sr. Majorie is a Renaissance woman who lives well her vows, using the gifts God has bestowed upon her to God’s glory and the betterment of the world. She has been a member of the Society of St. Margaret (www.ssmbos.com), an Episcopal Religious Order of women, and an artist of note, excelling in service and beauty. Her life is filled with humility and a willingness to be present and to share. Early this year, the Helen Bumpus Gallery in Duxbury, Mass., hosted an exhibit of Sr. Marjorie’s paintings. For the exhibit, Sr. Marjorie gave a formal statement that sums up her deep faith and love of art as an expression of gratitude: “If others can write of ‘Joy in the Heart of the Quest’ (Helen Luke, Jungian analyst and writer, 1904-1995), thenwhat, in this case, is the quest? For me, it is the response of soul, and brush, and paint to the magic of snow, autumn leaves, November scapes, and in rare courageous moments, to the wonder of the human face. It is sometimes a ‘slice of life,’ a quick answering to quickly moving clouds, seas, or to changing light on trees or hills, on a house or barn. “But always it is an alleluia to the Creator’s unfathomable gift of all that is of life, relationships, the earth, and the asyet-unknown.” Marjorie Wysong’s childhood was spent in Port Washington, Long Island, N.Y. Her paternal grandfather was a horseand-buggy doctor, ministering to the rich and poor of that town, and enjoying his small farm. This love of farm never left her father, so her summers were spent on a simple farm near West Saugerties, N.Y., in the Catskills. It became for her the school for “plein air” out-of-door oil painting, for every autumn her mother and grandmother would spend four weeks together, just painting trees and hills and waterfalls. Although idyllic painting with her grandmother and mother ended when she was 14 years old, with her mother’s death, she still uses the skills she learned: alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue for the magical purple that adds perspective to a tree, and skies that need a tiny touch of Prussian blue mixed with white to put sunlight into the predominantly ultramarine blue sky. After her mother’s death, Marjorie’s painting became limited to holiday time and other breaks in her busy life. She attended a boarding school, St. John Baptist School, in Mendham, N.J. (where the idea of “becoming a nun” first entered her head), then Barnard College in New York, where she was graduated with a major in religion and a minor in art history. Following college, Marjorie had an eight-month apprentice18
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Sr. Marjorie ar work
ship with Violet Oakley (1874-1961), the great mural painter in Philadelphia; and then entered St. Margaret’s Convent in Boston for her life work. “Buried in a convent?” Not exactly! During her first three years Sr. Marjorie worked in the kitchen at St. Margaret’s Home in Montreal, which fed 50 elderly and sick women. She admits that she was not great with food, but the human needs and the Canadian spirit left their mark on her young life. When Sr. Marjorie returned to Boston, the Mother Superior asked her if she might like to go to the community’s mission house in Haiti. Without knowing just where Haiti was, she was excited at the thought, the real needs, the adventure, the mission. So, off she went into a new world that would engage 25 years of her life — from 1955 to 1963, and 1978 to 1994. Her last tour of duty in Haiti ended with the earthquake on January 12, 2010, after which she returned to Boston, via military transport, with 50 other U.S. citizens a few weeks later. The break between her two tours of duty in Haiti were spent as the elected Superior of the Mother House of the Society of St. Margaret, where Sr. Marjorie offered her gifts of administration. Because the Superior is also the overseer of the Haitian convent, she visited regularly and continued her contact with a country and people who had become her own. Sr. Marjorie’s work in Haiti began with weekly meetings of the women of the church. She worked in the sacristy and attended at least three services on Sunday; prepared children for Confirmation; and often visited the sick in their homes, trudging down mud corridors to find their humble dwellings. She learned to love the poor and to hear their heart-beat. Sr. Marjorie also helped organize a week conference during the summer for the Episcopal Churchwomen. Many of the 85 rural missions would send delegates, who slept under
the Creator’s unfathomable gift’ evacuation a few weeks after the horrendous earthquake of January 12, 2010. The quake killed many people, destroyed the convent and most of the buildings in the area, and left thousands without adequate shelter, water and food. Sr. Marjorie has a journal, recalling many tales of selfless sacrifice and love during the crisis. As she seems to be wherever she is, Sr. Marjorie was a praying, loving presence, on the soccer field at College St. Pierre where many camped out during the initial days after the quake, and in the shelter she received later. Her paintings that adorned the walls of the convent were saved, along with many of the library books.
Sr. Marjorie with one of her pieces of art.
tents on the church seminary property at Montrouis on the coast. Women would come by donkey, horse, bus, boat or foot, depending upon where they lived. Cooking was shared. Teachers and preachers were invited to instruct. “The sea kept us clean,” Sr. Marjorie recalled. “The stars at night shone upon us as mission stories and other tales were told, interspersed with dance and song. Women and church were alive.” Also during this first tour in Haiti, Foyer Notre Dame was founded in response to the needs of senior, indigent women who are alone or whose family is not able to fully care for them. After serving as Superior in Boston for 15 years, Sr. Marjorie’s second tour in Haiti was more concentrated on planting roots of the Society of St. Margaret in Haitian soil. She worked to find Sisters and leadership from among the Haitian people and to further develop collaboration with the North American Sisters. Encouraging this deepening relationship was the founding in 1983 of Maison St. Paul, a rented dwelling where some Sisters could spend several days a week as a presence in the village of Mathieu. It became the community’s first residence in a rural area, allowing the Sisters to become a living part of Haitian society. “The most difficult years for me were those beginning with the coup that brought President Aristide into exile in the U.S.A. and the long embargo,” Sr. Marjorie wrote in 1995. “Haiti had to rebuild from rock bottom.” However, the end of her time in Haiti was marked by her
Sr. Marjorie’s artwork has been painted in the beautiful mountains and seashore of Haiti, in British Columbia where she spent three weeks with her sister, on annual holidays with family in East Meredith on the western side of the Catskills, and in Duxbury, Mass., where the Sisters of St. Margaret have maintained a presence since 1903. It was here they first offered a summer camp for children, and it later became a place for quiet reflection and retreats. By the end of June, the Sisters will have completed the sale of their convent in Boston, and will move permanently to Duxbury, a town they love. In discussing her braided life, Sr. Marjorie quoted contemporary writer Thomas Moore: “The soul and the arts belong to each other ... Physical beauty is wonderful, but there is more than physical beauty. There is the Creator. There is God.” Amen, Sr. Marjorie, amen! To view all 259 of Sr. Marjorie’s paintings, visit www. flickr.com/photos/joelwysong/sets/7215762816374562/. Kathleen Nyhuis retired after 30 years in church administration and pastoral care in the dioceses of Los Angeles and Arizona. She also served as West Coast staff of the Episcopal Church Center for several years. Nyhuis served on the National Council of the Order of the Daughters of the King for nine years — six on the executive board — and currently serves on the boards for Olympia and for Province VIII. She was recently named chair of First Nation’s Committee of the Diocese of Olympia. Widowed in 2008, following several years of caring for her beloved husband Andy, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease and who died at age 66, Nyhuis is mother to two adult sons and has a 9-year-old granddaughter and a 7-year-old grandson. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Commentary
Oppression, abuse and arrogrant disrespect the norm for some by Carmen Guerrero In an article written by Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, she explores how appropriate attention to everyday violent behavior can protect potential victims and save potential perpetrators as well. As a Holy Week discipline I decided to write a few stories of the lives of people for whom “appropriate attention to everyday violent behavior” has not been a reality. My mother came to America from Mexico. She came here without documentation and worked for a family as a maid. Her American boss raped her while she worked in their house and she became pregnant. One day the department of immigration came to the neighborhood where she and other young women like her worked as maids. Most of them escaped and were taken to a ranch in a small town in Texas. It was during that time that I was born in an old woman’s house on a ranch in Texas. When we lived in Harlem my father were driving home from another part of New York and he stopped at a convenience store to buy milk and bread. It was what I call a “white neighborhood.” The man behind the counter said to my father that he did not sell to people like us. My Dad got very upset and I did not know what had happened. The man asked us to leave and would not sell us the milk and the bread. When I asked my father “why” he said it was because we were black. I still wonder “why do things like this happen?” I was really looking forward to going Trick or Treating. What nine year old boy wouldn’t? My mother said I could not go and I couldn’t understand why? What had I done wrong? I remember my mother telling me that there were some men patrolling the neighborhood; she said they were vigilantes who had announced that they would be looking for any Mexican along the Texas/Mexico border. We lived in La Joya, Texas which is about 10 miles from the Mexican Border. My skin is kind of brown but I am an American, but I was afraid the vigilantes might think I do not belong in the United States. I came to America from Thailand on the promise of a job. I was very happy to come because this way I could support my children that I had left behind in my country. I was brought to California to work in a garment factory. I lived with fifty-two other Thai women in an abandoned motel that was fenced in with barbed wire on top of the fence. We worked about 20 hours each day and were paid $100.00 per month. From that salary we had to pay for the one meal a day that we received as well as soap, toilet paper, and the mat we slept on each night. We made garments for stores like Nordstrom, Macy’s, 20
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Bloomingdale, J.C. Penny and others. I would send what ever money I had left to my family in Thailand. I did not know that in America there was still a system of slaves until I came here.
Carmen Guerrero
When my home country was celebrating a time of reconciliation for the first time in decades of war, we all went to the church to have a time of prayer and celebration. My friend and I drove to the church and parked our car in front of the church. We had arrived early and were sitting in the car waiting for others to arrive. The police stopped and asked us what we were doing there. We told them we were waiting for the church to open and they did not believe us. They made us get out of the car and searched us and then searched our car. We asked them why and they told us to shut up or we would be sorry. We were arrested and taken to jail. I was reminded of the way some of the soldiers treated us when we were still in the Sudan. I had hoped when I came to America that this would never happen to us again. I was a senior in high school and we went on a trip at the end of school that year. We all went to a state park and when I wanted to rent a bicycle so I go riding with my friends, the white woman who worked there told me that they did not rent bicycles to dirty Mexicans. My best friend, who is white, rented the bicycle and when we were far enough away from where the lady could not see us, my friend gave me the bike and we rode away. When it was time to return the bike I brought it in and the lady cursed me out for disrespecting her. I bought some land in Arizona, hired an architect, and helped design the house of my dreams. My new home would have over 5000 square feet of space. One Sunday after church I stopped by the construction site and found that someone had vandalized it. The writing on the wall said – “No N----- allowed.” There was this kind of anti-black racist slurs written all over the walls, even in the closets. I called the police, who assured me this would get investigated, after five years nothing has happened. Perhaps my most painful experience was watching the tears roll down my husband’s face. I was six years old and in the first grade when Mrs. Lawrence heard me speaking Spanish at recess time. She grabbed me by my arm and pulled me into the classroom. I did not know what I had done to make her so angry. She opened her desk drawer and took out a wooden ruler and asked me to put
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Oppression, abuse, arrogant disrespect is norm from page 20 out my hand with the palm up. She began to hit my hand and continued until the ruler broke. For many years as a child I did not understand why this had happened to me. I did not know I was Native American until my mother told me that we were going to the reservation and I told her I did not want to go because there were too many “Indians” there. It was after this experience that my mother got me involved in learning about my heritage and traditional dances. All I knew about Native Americans came out of textbooks and that was not me. They were savages wearing loin cloths and feathers. Because of what had been taught to me in school I was ashamed to be an Indian. It was from my uncle that I learned as a young adult that I am not a professional Indian who speaks for all Indians but rather “I am Indian” and can be proud of that. I was the first black person to serve as a church camp counselor in Mississippi. I was very proud and excited. During the week we were told that the counselors always got an evening off as a break from the kids. We were to go to a restaurant and the parents would come and stay with the campers. We were to meet at the edge of the lake, get on a boat and leave from there. I was told we would leave at 8:00 PM. I did not want to miss this great opportunity, so I went down to the lake at 7:30. When I got there I saw that the boat was half way down the lake. They had gone without me. I kept asking myself “why?” To keep myself from crying I began to pray and sing until I decided it was late enough for me to return to my cabin. I convinced myself that they had not done this to me intentionally.
I came to this country from Jamaica as a child and I spoke with an accent. I still remember the ridicule I experienced because of this. I was a black child who spoke like an English child. There was a kid who told me that he would be my friend even though I was black and spoke funny, but I would have to pay him everyday. I paid him from my lunch money and this continued everyday I lived in New York until we moved to Los Angeles. I hired a contractor, who happened to be white, to build my house in Arizona. He in turn hired sub-contractors, who happened to be Mexicans, to do the work. When the subcontractors finished their work, he refused to pay them and threatened them with turning them into the department of immigration so they could be deported. I overheard the conversation, and although I am an African American man I speak Spanish enough to understand what this white contractor was doing to these men. In no uncertain terms I made it clear to the contractor that if he did not pay the sub-contractors I would not only fire him, I would also refuse to pay him and I would call the police to let them know what he was doing. I had to stand up for these men who could not stand up for themselves. I am a fourth generation American from a Mexican ethnic background. My skin is brown and my hair is black. I had a Bachelor’s degree and two Master’s degrees when I arrived at seminary. The first professor I met on registration day advised me to sign up for tutoring because it was very embarrassing when they had to ask people of color to leave because they always had problems understanding graduate level classes. Is it because I am black?
GC Caucus breakfast features Bonnie Anderson
Is it because I am brown?
Join us for the Caucus’s General Convention Breakfast, Sunday, July 8, beginning at 7:30 a.m., in the Wabash Ballroom, Indiana Convention Center. House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson will be the featured speaker. $25 in advance for program and full breakfast, $30 at the door (if room remains). To secure your ticket(s), mail a check for $25 each, along with your name and email address, to: Episcopal Women’s Caucus, 1103 Magnolia St., South Pasadena, CA 91030. Please put “Breakfast” in the memo section. ou will receive confirmation via e-mail when your payment is received. Questions? E-mail mackmay22@sbcglobal.net
Is it because I am Native American?
Is it because I am a refugee? Is it because I am Asian? Is it because I am an immigrant? Is it because I am a woman? Or is it because I live in an environment where abusers know I can be oppressed and they can get away with it? What is it that leads people to be abusive and disrespectful of others? Who gives them permission to speak and behave with such arrogant disrespect? Carmen Guerrero is well known for her work as the Jubilee officer of the national church and her work in multicultural and urban ministry development in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Her significant contributions in addressing racism, justice and faith and issues related to poverty at all levels are well documented. She serves on the Episcopal Women’s Caucus board. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Commentary
How to stop the War on Women by Ann Smith
W
hen I hear the phrase “war on women” I sadly shake my head at the folly of the human race for allowing this terrible tragedy to continue. So often we in the United States think that this war is not here, but it is covertly fought, especially against women of color. It is much more than serious than political rhetoric. Several years ago when I was part of an Episcopal women’s leadership retreat on the Piute Reservation in Nevada, I picked up a local paper that had an article about Native American women having the highest murder rate in the nation. I was shocked and wondered why this was a hidden fact in public awareness. I went on to find that Native Alaskan women had the highest rate of violence done to them and the least opportunity for finding a safe place. The numbers of women and girls in sex trafficking in the United States and worldwide is beyond our imaginations… Read the rest of this posting on Ann’s blog at: Circle Connections United Nations statics show that violence against women worldwide is on the rise. Too often victims are silent because they have internalized the oppression and blame themselves.
Or they are silenced by violence. Last March at the UN Commission on the Status of Women Meeting we heard that the murder rate of women’s activists is rising.
Ann Smith
Not until the war on women is stopped will we stop the war on nature, transform poverty and live in a world of abundance for all. Can this happen in our lifetime? The good news is that the Divine Feminine is rising in the hearts of women and men, giving us the wisdom and courage to transform war against women into a peace plan that leaves no woman or girl behind. My Nordic ancestors give me the goddess Freyja as a model for standing up against violence and seeking a deep peace and love for all creation. I know once we truly embrace the power of the Divine Feminine we will overcome what seems impossible. The Divine Feminine named, claimed and embodied by each one of us gives us the power to transform the evils of war, all wars, freeing us to make a difference for the greater good. We can stop the war on women by continuing to host women’s sacred circles so every woman and girl is empow-
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Anderson will not seek re-election; election process for new president, vice president announced from page 4
The office of Vice President of the House of Deputies is now vacant. At the organizing session of the House of Deputies on July 5, the House will elect a Vice President to serve at this Convention. Deputy Scott Kirby, Diocese of Eau Claire, has agreed to be nominated to serve as Vice President. Other persons may also be nominated from the floor. If Deputy Kirby is elected, he has indicated that he will not stand for election for any office for the next triennium. The House will elect a President and Vice President to serve beginning July 12 after the adjournment of this 77th General Convention. Canon I.1.1(b) To facilitate these elections, Anderson will request Dispatch of Business present the following schedule for special orders of business: • On the fifth legislative day, July 9, nominations from the floor for the office of President of the House of Deputies will be open. On July 9 from 6:30-8:30 pm the House of Deputies will hold a “meet the nominees” gathering at a location to be announced. 22
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• On the 6th legislative day, July 10, the House of Deputies will elect the 32nd President of the House of Deputies. •
On the 6th legislative day, July 10, nominations from the floor for the office of Vice President of the House of Deputies will be open. The Vice President shall be of a different order than the President-elect.
• On the 7th legislative day, July 11, the House of Deputies will elect the Vice President of the House of Deputies. The President-elect and Vice President-elect will take office at the adjournment of the regular meeting of the House of Deputies at which they are elected and shall continue in office until the adjournment of the following regular meeting of the General Convention. The President and Vice President are eligible to stand for election for three terms in each office. Anderson will be the keynote speaker att the Episcopal Women’s Caucus General Convention Breakfast on July 8 at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are suggested.
Historic ordinations in Alaska church continue tradition of Native ministry
O
n Sunday, May 27, Bishop Mark Lattime of the Diocese of Alaska ordained Shirley Lee and Bella Jean Savino to the priesthood at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Fairbanks. The ordination service, which was conducted in four languages was part of an all-day Pentecost celebration, marked a historic occasion, celebrating and continuing the tradition of Native ministry within the church.
Vancouver Anglican School of Theology. A former executive director of the Fairbanks Native Association and vice president of the Tanana Chiefs Conference, she is currently director of the Tanana Chiefs Conference innovative “Housing First” program. Lee was ordained a deacon in 2010. Savino, 66, was born on the banks of the Porcupine River in Northeastern Alaska and raised in Arctic Village and Fort Yukon. She is a wife, mother of two and grandmother of six. Savino is retired from the Chief Andrew Isaac Alaska Native Health Center in Fairbanks and also has lived and worked on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming with the Shoshoni and Arapaho tribes. Currently Savino provides ministry for those who are homebound and also for the Denali Center Nursing Home in Fairbanks. Savino was ordained a deacon in 2002.
It is believed that Lee became the first Inupiaq woman and Savino the second Gwitch’in Athabascan woman to be ordained to the priesthood within the worldwide Anglican Communion. Both have ancestral family ties to earlier ordained Alaskan Native leadership. Both are currently associated with St. Matthew’s. Lee, 52, whose traditional name is “Bunnikjoruk,” was born in Fairbanks and raised in Fairbanks and Bettles Field/ Evansville. In addition to the Interior of Alaska, her family roots also trace back to Noorvik and the Arctic Coast. Lee, a wife, mother of six and grandmother of seven, has studied at the University of Alaska, the Antioch School of Law and the
Shirley Lee (left); Scott Fisher, rector of St. Matthew’s, Fairbanks; and Bella Jean Savino. Lee and Savino were ordained to the priesthood May 27 at St. Matthew’s, Fairbanks.
Marge Christie from page 12 be among the consecrators and wrote him a congratulatory letter. He wrote back explaining that he would not participate because he was waiting for the church to make a legislative decision permitting women’s ordination to the priesthood. “For me, that was a disappointment,” she said. “You do have to be a pioneer sometimes and take some risks.” Christie attended the “irregular” Philadelphia ordination of 11 women as priests. Four more women were ordained in Washington, D.C., in 1975. Then, in 1976, Christie served as a deputy as General Convention formally approved women’s ordination. “I also was at the service in Boston [in 1989] when Barbara Harris was consecrated bishop, and that was another absolutely moving moment in my political, but certainly in
held on the church lawn.
The ordination service was “breathtaking,” said the parish’s rector, Scott Fisher. “The mood was one big celebrational smile.” A covered dish with traditional foods, music and dancing followed the service and was
my spiritual, life,” Christie said. “A woman as a bishop was, I think, even more earthshaking for people. … Barbara Harris was absolutely the right person because she took a lot of guff, and she was the kind of person who could take it. She didn’t let it get to her.” Christie was among the first members of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus, initially formed to lobby for women’s ordination. At the invitation of Joe Leidy at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown, New Jersey, she also became involved with Coalition E, a political action group forming around justice issues coming before General Convention that was the predecessor of today’s Consultation. “There’s not a single woman among them,” he told her, “so I want to bring you with me.” To read the rest of the story, visit http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/03/08/delegate-deupty-activist-margechristies-love-for-the-episcopal-church-never-dims/. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Commentary
Safe, Legal, Rare* by Julie A. Bishop Craig
By the Reverend Julie A. Bishop Craig Note: here is my disclaimer, in the style of Ira Glass and This American Life: This post is not everybody’s cup of tea. These experiences and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of my denomination, in which I am a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in good standing. And, although there are no vulgar words in this, there are sentences that reflect the idea that sex exists. Read at your own caution if you are not sure how you feel about that. If you’ve been following the recent federal budget debates, you might know that part of the GOP strategy is to pass a budget that defunds Planned Parenthood, an agency for which I worked for ten years. I first learned about PP in the tenth grade, when amazingly, an educator came from Indianapolis all the way to my tiny rural high school to do a complete (comprehensive!) contraceptive class for a course euphemistically called “Family Life”. The year: 1978. Let that sink in. She passed around a diaphragm, an IUD, a packet of birth control pills, contraceptive foam, and demonstrated how a condom works. 1978. Rural Indiana. Tiny high school, enrollment about 300. We needed permission from our parents to be in class that day, which every kid got except the lone boy in the class. (I’m pretty sure he did not want to be in the room for that particular lesson.) We had an exercise in which we were allowed to anonymously write questions which the educator answered. No one censored our questions or her answers. Little did we know that in that class of about 30 girls, three were already pregnant. God bless my conservative, fundamentalist, evangelical Christian parents for letting me take that class. I mean that most sincerely. I walked away from that class thinking that that educator had just about the most interesting job in the world. Ten years, some really terrible boyfriends, a college degree, some good choices and some luck, lots of reproductive health care, a wedding to my college sweetheart, and one child later, I was her. In 1988 I went to work on the “front lines” of Planned Parenthood, at a local family planning clinic. I had an elevenmonth-old son and a need to be around adults for part of the week. I answered a want-ad in the local paper and was hired on the spot. From there I never looked back. The first lesson I had to learn when working in a sex-positive environment: everyone is sexual. Everyone. This had honestly never occurred to me before. The default setting for 24
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human being is: sexual being. Not everyone is having sex, but everyone is created as a sexual being. It is amazing how this changes your perspective when you look at the world through that lens. Quick: think of the most obnoxious, least-attractive person you know. Yep. Even them. Over the years, this realization would manifest itself in a myriad of ways. Rich, poor, young, old, attractive, and less so. Women who lived with disabilities, women who lived in fear, women who used men, (and vice versa) women who loved other women, even men who had nowhere else to go for services and information. I heard the stories of women that broke my heart, and stories that made me angry. Sometimes I had to check my sensitivity or my sense of hubris/righteous indignation at the door. I called the cops. I called social services. I called battered women’s shelters. When the laws changed, I gave out tGod bless my conservative, fundamentalist, evangelical Christian parents for letting me take that class. I mean that most sincerely. I walked away from that class thinking that that educator had just about the most interesting job in the world. Ten years, some really terrible boyfriends, a college degree, some good choices and some luck, lots of reproductive health care, a wedding to my college sweetheart, and one child later, I was her. In 1988 I went to work on the “front lines” of Planned Parenthood, at a local family planning clinic. I had an elevenmonth-old son and a need to be around adults for part of the week. I answered a want-ad in the local paper and was hired on the spot. From there I never looked back. The first lesson I had to learn when working in a sex-positive environment: everyone is sexual. Everyone. This had honestly never occurred to me before. The default setting for human being is: sexual being. Not everyone is having sex, but everyone is created as a sexual being. It is amazing how this changes your perspective when you look at the world through that lens. Quick: think of the most obnoxious, least-attractive person you know. Yep. Even them. Over the years, this realization would manifest itself in a myriad of ways. Rich, poor, young, old, attractive, and less so. Women who lived with disabilities, women who lived in fear, women who used men, (and vice versa) women who loved other women, even men who had nowhere else to go for services and information. I heard the stories of women that broke my heart, and stories that made me angry. Sometimes I had to check my sensitivity or my sense of hubris/righteous indignacontinued on page 25
Safe, Legal, Rare*
from page 24
tion at the door. I called the cops. I called social services. I called battered women’s shelters. When the laws changed, I gave out the phone numbers of clergy friends I knew who would help underage women legally obtain a “clergy bypass” for the abortions they needed. I gave out the phone number of a doctor in Wichita, Kansas who is now a member of the Church Triumphant, killed in the narthex of his own church. I sat in the room as fifteen-year-olds told their parents they were pregnant; I showed the parents the test stick when they asked for proof, then I sat with the parents as they cried. I held hands and handed tissues. I spoke in a gentle voice about the realities of the situation as a caring (I hope) but neutral outsider.
At the same time, it was difficult work. I didn’t always feel safe. I know for a fact that my license plates were traced, my address and phone number were obtained under false pretenses, and I was personally threatened for the work that I did. I endured obscene phone calls at work, and once while walking into a training event at the clinic in my city that housed the abortion clinic, was followed by menacing protesters right up to the door of the building as they screamed personal threats to me. I did this for about $8.00 an hour, averaged over the ten years.
I don’t know if I ever influenced someone’s choice when it came to unintended pregnancy. I was too busy trying to help people keep that from happening. But I believe that when faced with a menu of terrible choices, people use every bit of data at their disposal, so hopefully something I said was thrown into the hopper of helpful information. There were woman who made choices that I’m sure I disagreed with. That is part of everyday humanity.
It is unconscionable to me that in a so-called civilized, over-sexualized society, where we use titillation to sell everything, we will not tend to the reproductive health of our most vulnerable citizens. That we prefer ignorance and fear over education and the ability to make choices based on our deeply held beliefs, seems to me to be a crime against humanity. Just who do we think we are?
While I was doing all this, I was raising first one baby, then a few years later another. For six months I arrived early to work one Friday a month, while the clinic was empty, and stood in the lab, nervously waiting for the second blue dot to appear. Six times I was denied. Finally on the seventh try I saw it, and kept that happy secret from my coworkers for several weeks, smiling the whole time. I awkwardly worked up until two days before WG was born, choosing front desk duty so as to not freak out the pregnant teenagers in the last few months of my own pregnancy. I returned to work 10 weeks after she was born, still pumping every three hours in a dank little supply room. I wanted my daughter to understand somehow that my work was important, even if it was underpaid and undervalued. Occasionally I had the opportunity to bring my kids to the clinic, and let them see the pelvic models and bright posters of the reproductive system (both genders, thank you) that adorned the walls. Many of my colleagues had older children during those years, who used the services of the agency. That wasn’t an issue for me, since my kids were 11 and 7 when I left. But I always wanted to be reassured that when the time came, if my kids could not come to me for what they needed to know or to do, they had somewhere else to go. Not as a substitute to what we would teach them, but as a supplement, a safe harbor if/when they needed it. I cannot tell you what those ten years meant to me. I carry the stories of those women and men in my heart, some twentyplus years later. Giving people the information they needed to make informed and educated choices regarding their own health, and to take charge of their own sexuality was sacred work. I am certain of it. I was privileged to get to do this.
It was worth it. I would do it all again, in a heartbeat. If not me, who?
As a person of faith, I often hear my contemporaries speak of “God’s gift of sexuality.” Sadly they often say this resignedly as if to say “Well, its right there in Song of Songs, so even though we want to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist, we can’t. I mean, they are talking about ‘doin’ it’, right?” So the word “God” is slapped on the label to act as a divine bucket of cold water. Because if you put God + Sexuality together, the whole thing comes to a screeching halt. Right? Right? So, in the end God’s gift of sexuality becomes something precious and tightly wrapped, placed on a table just so and admired from a distance so as to not muss the bow and brightly colored paper. I don’t know about you, but when I’m given a gift, I eagerly accept it, give thanks to the Giver, then rip that sucker open. Why is this gift different than all the others? Can I get an Amen? Please support your local family planning agency. They are doing work that (often) nobody else will do, for a population that (often) nobody else will help. *”Safe. Legal. Rare.” is the slogan that many supporter of a woman’s right to choose use to describe the goals for keeping pregnancy choice alive in this country. Julie Bishop Craig is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and a member of the Presbytery of Milwaukee. She lives, writes, and cares for her spouse and rambunctious poodle mix puppy in Pewaukee Wisconsin, while their grown children get along just fine without her in other parts of the world. She is available for preaching and teaching projects, and she blogs at http://winsomelearnsome.com. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Art & Faith
In Connecticut, Barbara Campbell by Diocesan Staff
[Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut] Barbara Campbell of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Britain has been invited by the bishops in the Diocese of Connecticut to be the first “Diocesan Poet.” But don’t think of this as some stuffy, distant appointment. “We invited Barbara to tap into our inner poet and claim a creative expression of our faith,” said Bishop Suffragan Laura J. Ahrens, who took the lead on this effort. “By calling her ‘Diocesan Poet’ we hope she’ll help all of us, as a diocese, to claim our collective poetic voices.” Campbell understands her new role is more of an instigator than a distant expert, although she does come with credentials as a published poet. A retired high school and college teacher, she also has the first assignment.
Love of poetry Campbell loves poetry and has been writing poems for decades — “since I got my first computer more than 30 years ago,” she said. Her favorite poets (whom she calls her “poetic heroes”) include Billy Collins, Mary Oliver, Martin Espada, and Emily Dickinson. She’s also an active lay woman serving in both parish and diocesan leadership, including St. Mark’s participation in a
Last things
The poetry is connected. “As Diocesan Poet, I encourage the writing of poetry Connecticut’s Diocesan Poet as a way to continue to tell Barbara Campbell our stories,” she explained. “Directly related to us as Episcopalians is writing poems about our own reactions and those of others as we practice being missional, and our descriptions of living in a world and a church both constantly facing change. “From time to time I will invite poetry written on a designated theme. If I can be an instigator of creativity, give an opportunity for a voice to be heard, encourage working as co-creators with God, the effort will be well-placed,” said Campbell. For more about Connecticut’s new “Diocesan Poet,” and to read one of her poems as well as her first poetry invitation to the diocese, visit http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ ens/2012/05/21/in-connecticut-barbara-campbell-named-firstdiocesan-poet.
from page 2
of what it means to be Church, much less the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Other women have told us that they prefer parish ministry, finding it satisfying in unexpected and joyful ways to lead a community of faith into the mission of the church, deepening the spirituality of those they serve through prayer and study and liturgy, and being part of the formation of a new generation of Christians. Still other women — lay and ordained — are finding new ways to do mission and ministry both inside and outside of the institutional church where they are not weighed down by anxiety about a perception of scarcity and the institutional impulse to protect and preserve itself while it consumes energy in worried, confused conversations about structure and governance. Rather than a return to the genesis of the church and the imperatives of the Gospel, “mission” is being spoken of as the new “silver bullet” to kill the demons of decline in growth, flaccid evangelism and growing financial insecurity. This led one of my colleagues to muse: When we see new people walk in our red church door, do we see a dollar sign or the sign of the cross? New ways of being in community are emerging. The igniting spark may be an issue of social justice or Gospel imperative or just world-weariness and spiritual hunger and thirst. 26
multi-year regional partnership to develop missional churches.
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It may be the desire to be nourished for ministry by gathering in someone’s home, sharing a community meal and the stories of our lives followed by Eucharist. No church politics. No building to heat and maintain. No “Killer B’s”: Budgets, Boilers and Bishops. Or, it may be the longing for a new form of monasticism — living in the world and using technology to stay in communication and pray in ‘real time’ as a way to be in a faith community over miles of distance. The War on Women has opened the eyes of many women and men who now see that progress is not secure and can be reversed, even on seemingly settled, non-controversial issues such as birth control. The growing disparity between rich and poor and the diminishing middle class has sparked the Occupy Movement. We may have a Black man in the White House but racism has never been more virulent or repugnant. Marriage Equality is making slow and steady gains even as LGBT adolescents continue to be bullied to death. Immigration reform seems locked in the twin stranglehold of bureaucracy and xenophobia while the children of immigrants persist in their dream of becoming productive, contributing citizens in the only country they know as their home. New models of leadership are emerging which are more circular coninued on page 34
Fulfilling ‘Great Commission’ from page 17
work with teenagers, I have heard lots of positive feedback from those who do about the impact of Rite 13. At the same time, I know that in my own parish and others in my diocese, there are at least as many adult confirmands as teenagers. Rites of passage have a host of important benefits for both individual and group formation. Our secular culture seems mostly bereft of positive rites of passage. It seems a shame to reduce the church’s ability to remedy that lack by eliminating the requirement for Confirmation. Instead, perhaps we would be better off specifying the general content of Confirmation preparation classes. Which then leaves us free to consider how we begin to fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of all though lifelong formation (and not simply preparation for Confirmation or licensed ministries or leadership positions). If we finally heed Paul’s admonition to stop laying the same foundation over and over again and relying on spiritual pabulum to sustain us, perhaps we will find ourselves increasingly formed and transformed into communities of spirit. Perhaps God knew what God was doing in urging us all to become so formed in the likeness of Christ that we are capable of each living fully into our God-given vocations in the life and governance of the church, as well as becoming teachers. Maybe things like evangelism and mission and the budget would even begin to sort themselves out if we understood the Great Commission as an invitation to lifelong formation of those already in the Body of Christ, rather than simply to conversion of those outside. Episcopal Women’s Caucus board member L. Zoe Cole is a deputy to General Convention from Colorado. An assisting municipal judge in Lone Tree, she combines her legal acumen and knowledge of Scripture and is an articulate and eloquent representative of “the law and the prophets.” Zoe has a special passion for collaborative efforts with other women’s organizations.
LCWR board meets to review CDF report The national board of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) met in Washington, DC, May 29-31 to review and plan a response to the report issued to LCWR by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which oversees Roman Catholic Church doctrine from its offices at the Vatican. The report, issued in April after a Vatican investigation, said the LCWR, which has 1,500 members and represent about 80 percent of American nuns, had “serious doctrinal problems” and promoted “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.” Board members raised concerns about both the content of the doctrinal assessment and the process by which it was prepared, said a press release issued June 1. They concluded that the assessment was based on unsubstantiated accusations and the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency. Moreover, the sanctions imposed were disproportionate to the concerns raised and could compromise their ability to fulfill their mission, the LCWR board members said. “The report has furthermore caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and created greater polarization,” the press release stated. The board determined that on June 12, the LCWR president and executive director will return to Rome to meet with CDF prefect Cardinal William Levada and the apostolic delegate Archbishop Peter Sartain to raise and discuss the board’s concerns. Following discussions in Rome, the LCWR will gather its members in regional meetings and in its August assembly to determine its response to the CDF report. “The board recognizes this matter has deeply touched Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world as evidenced by the thousands of messages of support as well as the dozens of prayer vigils held in numerous parts of the country,” the release said. “It believes that the matters of faith and justice that capture the hearts of Catholic sisters are clearly shared by many people around the world. As the church and society face tumultuous times, the board believes it is imperative that these matters be addressed by the entire church community in an atmosphere of openness, honesty, and integrity. — LCWR press release
Gay Jennings to run for HoD president from page 7 “I am working to ensure that I will have all of the time necessary to devote to the position of president of the House of Deputies,” Jennings told Episcopal News Service shortly after she announced her intention to stand for election. Prior to joining CREDO, Jennings served as canon to the ordinary in the Diocese of Ohio for 17 years. She was ordained deacon in 1978 and priest in 1979, and served parishes in Virginia and Ohio early in her ministry. Jennings stood for election as bishop of the Diocese of Virginia in early 2007 when current Bishop Shannon Johnston was chosen. She is married to Albert Jennings, rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Macedonia, Ohio, and dean of the
diocese’s Summit Mission Area. Jennings chaired Executive Council’s Governance and Administration for Mission committee during the final three years of her term on council. As part of its work, the committee took the lead in revising the council’s bylaws and the personnel policy handbook for employees of the DFMS. She is also the clergy member of the Episcopal Church’s delegation to the Anglican Consultative Council, which next meets this fall in Auckland, New Zealand. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Commentary
Ending the War on Women: Lent and Liberation by Jay Emerson Johnson
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6) We are currently in the midst of a cultural and political war on women and women’s bodies. Perhaps you’ve noticed. If you had any doubts, the recent and truly creepy image of an all-male panel testifying before Congress about contraceptives should convince you. (Just imagine an all-female panel testifying about the virtues of vasectomies.) Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. If Lent can be retrieved as a practice for liberating humanity from the chains of oppression, then ending this war on women must take priority. This will involve attending carefully to the propaganda machine (both secular and religious), mobilizing people to vote when appropriate, repenting where necessary, and recommitting ourselves to the hard work of creating a different world, a world where all can thrive and flourish (if that’s not a suitable goal for a Lenten discipline, I don’t know what is). I’ll begin with three observations: First, the current war on women is not new; it is of course many, many centuries old. (I was reminded of this recently by reading a great analysis of the ancient Greek three-cycle play, The Oresteia, and it’s recurrent theme of the fear of powerful women.) While none of this stuff is new, the current iteration of this power struggle is particularly virulent and insidious in the United States. By “current,” I mean the cultural trajectory that began taking shape more explicitly in the 1970s after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision – a decision that acknowledged what should have been the case long ago, that women have rights over their own bodies. (Yes, abortion is complicated, but my friend and colleague, Susan Russell, recently wrote eloquently on this very topic.) Second, I believe the current virulence in the war on women is fueled by having an African-American man in the White House. African-American men in American history have quite frequently been the subject of emasculating rhetoric if not also castrating violence; they still are today. Make no mistake about this: white men in power keep their power by subjugating women and treating non-white men like women. If we fail to link sexism and racism we do so at our own, very grave peril. 28
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And third, I am a white man. That means a lot of different things, not least that I enjoy a remarkable amount of privilege in Jay Emerson Johnson western society. That doesn’t make me bad or evil. It does make me accountable and it should make me responsible. I have, alas, too frequently failed to live up to the responsibility of that privilege for the sake of women’s thriving. In a recent professional gathering, I was witness to a blatant form of sexism — in both rhetoric and posture — yet I said and did nothing. I hereby repent, and I resolve to do better. As just part of that commitment and for my Lenten discipline this year, I’ll devote regular blog posts to analyzing theologically and culturally the pernicious peril our world faces from the twin threats of sexism and racism. Notice that I didn’t mention homophobia. I believe the disdain and opposition toward LGBT people is but a symptom of a much deeper and more intractable poison in western culture: the confluence of misogyny and white supremacy. Upon that “wedding” rests most if not all of the truly hideous moments in western society. (Pictured here is Sojourner Truth, from the 19th century. A perfect icon for the incarnation of race and gender.) One further observation needs to be made here: Religion (including Christianity) has contributed significantly to the subjugation of women and women’s bodies, both historically and today. In that regard, my obligation and responsibility deepen as I am not only a white man, but also a Christian and a priest in the Episcopal Church. Sojourner Truth
I believe the peculiar character of Christianity, for all its severe faults and foibles, can still help us achieve a better world where all can thrive and flourish. I have some ideas about how to do that but I need help. As I post my own suggestions this Lent, I hope you will add your own. Let’s create a great toolbox for planetary thriving! Continued on page 33
Resources The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
by Philip Pullman New York: Canon Gate, 2010 265 pp., with 2011 Afterword by the author. reviewed by Lyn G. Brakeman When the editor of Ruach tossed a suggestion for a book review my way I was intrigued by the title as any good provocateur would be. I was also also repelled. And, on the third hand, I said to myself, this could be heresy and it sounds right, eccentrically right. Instead of consulting God I went to Google who told me about the author a well known, popular, award-winning British author of many books. I admit one of my early speculations had been that this title was a new take on the ills of the patriarchal church written by a woman sick of a male-dominated theology. But Pullman is a man seemingly sick of the same things. Then again I pondered if this book could be simply another bad attempt to tell the Christian story making it look better and easier than it really was, or is, under the guise of fiction. But a putative atheist wrote this fictional account so it must contain some good news from afar, or be a parable told alongside the usual atonement or Jesus-as-only-unique-martyrforever parabolic narratives attached to the historical event Christians call THE Crucifixion. I have a crucifix I pray with daily and often kiss. Some would gag and accuse me of being, god forbid, being Catholic—Romanized instead of Anglicanized. I’m both. The cross mysteriously helps me get through my own frets and sufferings— accompanied. Feeling left with no choice but to google, click, and Amazonize, I purchased this odd title. Truth: I usually give my business to my local bookstore but I thought they might know my profession and wonder. Further truth: they probably don’t know me or care less about my priestly vocation. Besides, they’re professionals trained not to gossip about a customer’s buys except sotto voce. The book came within 2 days and I let it sit for a week. From Amazon I knew that this was commissioned as part of a Myths Series, the retelling of great myths by gifted writers. Was Jesus a myth? Of course he wasn’t. But was Christ a myth? The story a metaphor? Before I opened the book with its beckoning red cover I was enmeshed in the Christian tangle of the centuries, the one the Creeds did not solve, and the same one that keeps Christian
faith alive and smoldering within souls until on occasion it bursts into flame and awakens—over and over. I was scared of this book. I was drawn to this book. In equal measure. This annoying detailing of my process is meant to confuse. Get to the point, the end, the book! That’s how I felt reading this book. I intend to replicate its style, to let you know this book does not lend itself to a neat orderly and clear review, and that it is as unyieldingly perplexing as its title. But then neither so are the four gospel accounts, or anything biblical for that matter. At last I opened the book and hit the very first sentence: “This is the story of Jesus and his brother Christ, of how they were born, of how they lived and of how one of them died. The death of the other is not part of the story.” It was tempting to say, “Oh yes I know the story and its end” and turn aside with a yawn. But not with a beginning like that. We know the story and its end, yet many of us go to church Sunday after Sunday to again hear it in Word and consume it in Sacrament. You don’t know this story by heart. I don’t either. Even though Pullman’s novel follows the basic New Testament outline with all its parts, truth is veiled, glimpsed through a glass dimly. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is not as clear a polarity as it appears. The book is an extended parable and I would say a book-length midrash. John Dominic Crossan in his book The Power of Parable. How Parables of Jesus Became Parables About Jesus defines the kind of parables Jesus tells as metaphoric narratives with a bite designed to provoke and challenge the listeners to THINK and think hard about all the assumptions they hold about themselves, their society, their world, and their God. Parables don’t provide answers; rather they turn your world upside down and inside out— if you have ears to hear. Parables compel your participation in both the ministry and the mystery of God. I recommend this book and this definition. Many Christians will be offended but the author is authentic in his efforts, does not present a neo-atheist rant casting stones of sarcasm at either the Church and its Christ or the historically constructed Jesus of the gospels. Twists of the plot we think we’ve understood are abundant. Jesus’ actions are retold and Christ does the reportage for posterity. It’s hard to tell who is authentic and who dissimulates. Perhaps the whole truth demands a both/and mind a what-if imagination. A couple of lean examples to entice. Mary & Martha: No one can eat burnt bread. Christ and the Prostitute: Jesus acts in passion, Christ out of calculation. One of them sins that grace may abound. Jesus in Gethsemane: ends with silence speaking to silence, no invocation of divine will. Pullman attempts to wrestle down the Chalcedonian twin continued on page 31 www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach 29
Commentary
‘Kodak moments’ of a different sort: What about the LGBT lay people? by Chris Mackey-Mason
I
just have to say that, as a lay person in the Episcopal Church, I am very discouraged.
As a lesbian, I could not be more supportive of women in the church and in the world politic. Women have amazing strength. We are able to bear children and then do it again; even though it’s unspeakable pain, we welcome it again (which I personally think is God’s grace). I am the general manager for Integrity’s presence at General Convention 2012. There has been a discussion of the Integrity Eucharist procession into the worship space and the need for clergy to process in, and then for the clergy to come up
Louie Crew honored by OASIS Newark
onto the stage at the end in full regalia. Where does that leave us lay people who have struggled for gay and lesbian rights over the years?
Chris Mackey-Mason
I as a lesbian person was fired from my position as a teacher in a Catholic high school for girls when it was discovered that I was pregnant by insemination. Blue Cross at that time would not insure a non-married woman. My partner Sheila and I had to apply for health insurance through State Farm and they insured us. (This birth would be covered only if some unforeseen event happened. Patrick, our first born, was three weeks late, and they knew when I had conceived. As it turned out, he just didn’t want to come out and weighed 10 lbs. 15 ozs. Thankfully State Farm covered the birth, as I had to have a C-section.) I understand why in the past gay/lesbian clergy’s procession into the Integrity Eucharist was so important. You had suffered. You wanted to be priests and were denied because of your sexual preference. It was important for the church and the laity to see you in all of your glory. It was very supporting to see one another and hear the welcome of the congregation. I believe that that time has passed. You are welcome in church now in most of the dioceses. Where does that leave us LGBT lay persons? Most of us have suffered along with you. Think Louie Crew. I have over the last 25 years worked for gay and lesbian rights. I have selected not to be in the front of the camera because of my two boys who needed anonymity.
The OASIS, the LGBT ministry of the Diocese of Newark, honored Louie Crew (center front) for a lifetime of justice ministry at a reception June 1, and presented its first annual scholarship and grant awards, created in his honor. The founder of Integrity, Crew served on Executive Council from 2000-2006 and in the House of Deputies from 1993-2011. The first Louie Crew scholarship was presented to writer and activist Darnell L. Moore (right). The first OASIS Commission Grant was awarded to the Montclair Protestant Chaplaincy to support the work of Diana Wilcox (left), chaplain at Montclair State University. Also picture are (clockwise from top) Bishop of Newark Mark Beckwith and OASIS Commission members Karen Rezach, John Simonelli, Christian Paolino and Peter J. Madison. Photo Credit: Nina Nicholson. 30
Ruach • Spring/Summer 2012
Why do the clergy continue to need to be in the forefront of gay and lesbian rights in the Episcopal Church at the Integrity Eucharist at the General Convention? I know the procession is a “Kodak moment,” but are all of us in this together or are we not? Why are the priests celebrated and not the lay persons who have suffered as well? This is what I suffered in the Roman church. I expected more from the Episcopal church. When I spoke up during the conference call of the Integrity leadership and voiced my objections to having this procession, my objections fell on deaf ears. That’s my “Kodak moment.” Chris Mackey-Mason is business manager of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus and General Convention manager of Integrity USA. She is a member of All Saints, Pasadena, Calif.
Resources: Book reviews FROM PAGE 29 natures, divine and human. Jesus is strong, mischievous and at times ill-tempered. Christ is weak and wimpy and at times equipped with spiritual power and words. Which is which? There are many temptations on this read, so many you won’t be able to put it down. In his own words Pullman tells the story he absorbed as a child and invites believing Christians into a “thought-experiment” leaving them, us, with a faith question of Herculean proportions. It’s a dare. Yours is only to discern to whom you would pray — to what you would give your heart. Lyn G. Brakeman is an Episcopal priest, pastoral counselor/ spiritual director, and author of two books and a memoir seeking publication. Brakeman is a fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), an associate of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, and a long-time member of EWC. Through writing, teaching and preaching, she champions full inclusion and acceptance of women’s ministries, lay and ordained. Brakeman writes a blog offering spiritual wisdom to souls challenged and nurtured: www.spirituallemons.blogspot.com.
When Sheep Attack by Dennis R. Maynard CreateSpace, 2010 168 pp. reviewed by Rita B. Nelson
As Yogi Berra would say, “It was déjà vu all over again,” as I read and re-read Dr. Maynard’s excellent book, When Sheep Attack. While a slim journal of slightly more than a hundred pages it is packed with unbelievable tales of clergy abuse and ouster by a mere 2 percent of their congregations. Dr. Maynard calls them “Antagonists” and in some cases are as few as 4 to 5 people. What I found most startling is that these few antagonists’ only goal is to remove the senior pastor and they are quite successful in these efforts. Each month 1,300 senior pastors or rectors are forced to leave their churches according to the work of Gene Wood author of Leading Turnaround Churches. That amounts to over 15,000 clergy a year. Sadly, Wood also reports an additional 1,200 clergy a month leave their parishes due to stress, burnout, or other church or family related issues. My own pain, humiliation, and suffering at the hands of six parishioner antagonists came flooding back as I turned each page. At one point I was not sure that I could continue reading and get to the end of the book. It was riveting as I kept saying “yes, yes,” to the tactics and methods used by these antagonists as they attacked their senior clergy. Dr. Maynard’s book is based on his years as a consultant with over a hundred churches in conflict and, in particular, on 25 individual clergy who were the victims of this type of abuse. Unfortunately, some
of the respondents were anonymous, so When Sheep Attack does not enumerate how many female clergy vs. male clergy are abused in the study. All of these clergy chose to leave their churches to end the fight. I too made that same decision under many of the same circumstances reported in this book, but as I read on I realized that many of the tactics cited were much worse than those I experienced, and the consequences on these clergy families were much more than mine. Many clerics suffered post traumatic stress syndrome, depression, and ongoing illnesses. While the book left me with the understanding that I was not alone, it was still difficult to read as it brought back so many feelings I had left behind. Dr. Maynard states that “Painful experiences can be forgiven and healed, but they are seldom forgotten.” So true. Antagonists it turns out appear to have a predictable personality profile. According to Dr. Maynard they have high control needs, foster anger and resentment, display envious and jealous behavior, and have an egocentricity bordering on narcissism. These antagonists work in the realm of rumor and innuendo, are character assassins, and will go to any length to remove and destroy their target clergy. They have learned the artful use of triangulation and can take over a governing vestry or board through the election process. Financial misuse and infidelity claims against clergy and their spouses is a fertile ground for these abusers of our clergy and their families. They couch their accusations as “concerns” and build on them from there. Often they will circulate a petition and present it to the Bishop. Unfortunately, in all cases, the Bishops sided with the antagonists, joining them in requesting or demanding that the clergy resign or retire. Even my own Bishop called me one morning and insisted that I call a special vestry meeting the following week and announce my retirement. I declined at that time, but months later I too gave up the fight and resigned. In my case it turned out there was a thief in the henhouse and thousands of dollars were disappearing from the income of a trust fund. When interest income was reported as much less than expected from a multi-million dollar endowment, I launched a major effort to put our financial house in order. When I convinced the vestry to have an independent audit I must have been seen as a threat because that is when the antagonists kicked into high gear. They eventually went so far as to accuse me of taking the money. It was not pretty and although I was exonerated, the memory of the experience is still painful to recall. Dr. Maynard paints an illuminating picture of the abused clergy as well. In every one of the twenty-five cases they were well liked and well regarded by a great majority of their congregation. Their churches were growing with increased financial support as well as growth in programs and ministries. These clergy were not run-of-the mill clerics, but leaders and pastoral shepherds held in great esteem. And, in all cases not a one of them had done anything illegal or canonically in error. They had done nothing to cause them to be abused or forced continued on page 32 www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach 31
Resources
from page 31
to leave, but were subjected to the same humiliation, pain, and suffering that I experienced, and in some cases, the antagonists even prevented them from obtaining another call. Many became interim pastors, some diocesan staff, and others simply retired. Congregations too, Dr. Maynard points out, have a profile that opens them to allowing the tyranny of the minority to get rid of a priest or pastor. It is, he says, in the congregational DNA and in the majority of cases the congregations had previously managed to force a cleric to leave. Unfortunately, most of the ousted clergy knew this fact before accepting the call, but felt that their ministry would be the exception. Another sign of a congregation where this abuse might occur have either a “beloved” retired associate with a loyalty base, or an untouchable staff member or administrator with political connections. Many of these people will join the antagonists, or even be the leader of the attack. When Sheep Attack is not only a litany of abuse by the antagonists or a description of clergy and congregations, but an excellent guide for congregations and churches alike to study and implement methods and tactics to prevent such a small group from dividing a congregation and dismantling a cleric’s ministry. In fact, I think it should also be required reading for each and every Bishop or ecclesiastical leader. In every case the abused clergy said that had their Bishop/ecclesiastical leader supported them there would have been a vastly different outcome. None of them had the support of his or her Bishop. This is a sad commentary on the state of our highest leadership positions in the church. As a guide, each chapter is followed by 5 to 8 study questions for a group of elders or vestry to consider as they seek to keep and maintain their clergy and provide a healthy environment for the congregation as well. There are also definitions of the levels of conflict and how to manage it, methods to avoid triangulation, and suggestions on how to discourage and dismantle the antagonists. And, there are also preventative measures outlined for the clergy to protect themselves should an attack occur – for example, provisions in a Letter of Mutual Ministry agreement defining days off, sabbaticals, continuing education, and severance compensation. One of the most constructive sections in the book details ten action steps for both clergy and congregations to follow when under attack. This section could be extremely useful in not only controlling and diffusing the antagonists, but hopefully, preventing future attacks as well. The book is an easy read and well organized. Each chapter begins with an appropriate passage of scripture that highlights the fact that God’s chosen leaders have been under attack from time immemorial. It is a solace to those of us who have been abused and a warning to all clergy and congregations that it re32
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quires only a handful of folks to destroy a cleric’s ministry and divide a congregation. In addition, When Sheep Attack provides a step-by-step guide with action steps for congregations and clergy to help control and prevent such abuse. I highly recommend the book for anyone in a clerical or leadership position in the church. Perhaps, if Dr. Maynard’s suggestions are implemented our churches will truly be places where they will know us by our love, not our hateful methods of congregational division and clergy abuse. Rita has been rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Laurel, DE, since 2005. Rita is also the chair of the Diaconate Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware and has served on the Claymont Community Center Board, the Laurel Boys and Girls Club Board, the Siesta Key Condominium Association Board as president and various condominium boards. Prior to being ordained a priest in 1999, Rita spent over 15 years in management consulting for the General Electric Company and her own firm, Nelson Peters, Inc.
Shared Governance: The Polity of The Episcopal Church
compiled by House of Deputies Special Study Committee Church Publishing, May 2012 112 pp. Shared Governance: The Polity of The Episcopal Church, a collection of essays on the history and theology of church governance by the House of Deputies Special Study Committee on Church Governance and Polity is now available from Church Publishing. “The collection is intended specifically as an educational and reflection tool for Deputies to the General Convention, and offers a number of insights particularly geared to their work,” said the Rev. Tobias Haller, who chaired the committee, which was appointed by Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, after the 2009 General Convention. “However, any Episcopalian wanting to be better informed about how and why our church came to function in the way it does will find the essays helpful.” The book focuses particular attention on the history and structure of the two Houses of the General Convention and how they interact; the role of the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies and how their offices have evolved; and the role of the Executive Council, which carries out the work of the church between sessions of General Convention. Haller said the collection dispels “some of the prevailing mythology concerning the origins and practice of our shared governance.” continued on page 33
Commentary Perfect structure: ‘Not the holy grail’
by Jennifer Phillips
It’s interesting to me that over 15 years of attending General Convention, restructuring the church has taken up a significant amount of time and energy, at best as I recall, every single one. Had this energy been directed toward mission or, say, outreach to young people, I wonder what might have been accomplished. Every version of church has had its pluses and minuses; all restructurings have been expensive in all sorts of resources. Perfect structure is not, I suspect, the holy grail. Restructuring can be a path of diversion from issues outside an organization. I note that many CCABs (Committees, Commissions, Agencies & Boards) already meet electronically for the bulk of their work — certainly the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music does. However there is some work, and at some stages, that needs incarnate presence. Like church itelf — one can podcast services — a lovely thing, but coming to the table in the body to receive the body has no substitute. I note from experience, too, that even in projects that have had literally thousands of Episcopalians involved in creation, review, and input, as projects come to GC there are always voices saying this work was advanced by a small minority of partisans and not enough people got to have their hands in it. We make working bodies smaller at some peril of increas-
Resources
From page 32
“I want to thank the House of Deputies special committee for creating this remarkable resource,” said Anderson, who is serving her second term as President of the House of Deputies. “Our polity distributes authority among all church members, whether lay or ordained, at every level, in the parish, the diocese, the provinces and at General Convention. It is a great gift, and one I hope the church will always safeguard and treasure.” A copy of the book has been mailed to every deputy to next month’s General Convention, and to every diocesan bishop. It is also available through Church Publishing’s website. “One of the things I am most committed to for Church Publishing is our role in facilitating the dialog within the Episcopal Church,” said Nancy Bryan, editorial director of Church Publishing. “How do we help people talk to each other, share ideas and collaborate and come to a clearer sense of the church’s call and mission and vocation? For me Shared Governance is a piece of that dialog.”
ing the sense of alienation and disenfranchisement of sisters and brothers across the church. Going to Province 9 for face-to-face consultation, for instance, may be the only way to invite strong participation from that province with its particular needs and gifts, and Jennifer Phillips it is not cheap. And having served some inner city parishes, I am aware that though we have a myth that every young adult has a smart phone and computer, the reality is that many — and many seniors — still do not, and I would hate to see them left out of our church for lack of technology ... especially in a denomination that itself has such a struggle to manage current technology ... and I’m guessing this may have been true when they invented the golf pencil, too! Diversity in community, relationship in community takes time and it is invaluable...and it is what we are here for. I send prayers for all of you preparing for General Convention. I give thanks for Bonnie’s extraordinary gifts, generously shared. May God bless the mess, as God usually does. Jennifer M. Phillips, an Episcopal priest and writer, is rector to St. Francis Church, Rio Rancho, NM. She has written extensively on social justice, AIDS, and liturgics; her latest book is Ambassadors for God: Envisioning Reconciliation Rites for the 21st Century from Church Publishing. This piece was first posted by Phillips on the House of Bishops/Deputies listserv.
Ending the War on Women: Lent and Liberation from page 28
At the very least, let us commit ourselves to ensuring that no one ever again has to see a panel of all men making decisions about women’s bodies. That would be a small but nonetheless significant step on the Lenten road toward new life. Jay Emerson Johnson is Lecturer in Theology and Culture at Pacific School of Religion and a member of the core doctoral faculty at the Graduate Theological Union. I’m also a priest in the Episcopal Church. “Call me a theological geek or maybe just peculiar, but I truly believe that the Christian Gospel can transform individuals, communities, and the world,” he says. He blogs at peculiarfaith.com. This was his February 22 post, and is reprinted with permission. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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Last things from page 26 in nature, with shared authority and shared tasks and clarity about the commonality of purpose and goals. We’ll be hearing from House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson about this at the Triennial Caucus Breakfast in Indianapolis on Sunday, July 8 The members of the Caucus board reflect all of these realities. Some of us are anxious about our financial forecast, while others of us have never been more clear and excited about the mission and ministry of the church, or their own contribution to the work of the Gospel outside the institutional church structures. Our membership base is declining even as our Facebook has over 780 members and our website has seen increasing amounts of activity. We’ve “gone green” and now publish Ruach primarily online and not in print. Our electronic newsletter, “The Monthly Caucus,” keeps our membership base informed. No one seems to have the time, energy or money for conferences or workshops, but the Triennial Caucus breakfast continues to be on everyone’s “must do” list during General Convention. We struggle not to be discouraged when people stroll over to our convention booth and say to us, “The Episcopal Women’s Caucus? What’s that?” A new way of being leaders in community is emerging for us and the jury is still out about our embrace of its effectiveness. The new model makes wonderful sense in theological and philosophical terms but the pragmatics can be a bit daunting. It’s so much easier to fall back on what you know — even if that’s not working as well any longer — than to risk something new and bold and untested. This is my last column as national convener of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus.
I’m really not leaving. I’m in this struggle for the long haul. Always have been. Always will be. There remains so much work to be done. We may have won many battles in the institutional church but the struggle for full equality continues. We are all finding our way to be effective agents of change while honoring and celebrating the progress of the past. I’m no different. Marge Christie, one of the grandmothers of the Caucus, tells us that, “The Episcopal Women’s Caucus was formed on October 30, 1971 — a year after the first women were seated as deputies to General Convention — during a meeting of professional lay women and deacons. Notified that the House of Bishops had created yet another study committee on the ordination of women, without having taken action on its previous studies, the women informed the Presiding Bishop of their refusal to cooperate further and constituted themselves the EWC.” Defiance is in our DNA. Refusal to accept the status quo is in our DNA. Feminism — that outrageous idea that women are human, too — is in our DNA. Activism is in our DNA. Feistiness is in our DNA. We have everything we need to continue the movement as first expressed in 1971: “The Episcopal Women’s Caucus is a national group — lay women, clergy, seminarians and professional church workers — formed to actualize the full participation of women at all levels of ministry and decision making in the Church.” New questions are also emerging: How will we adapt ourselves to the changing definition and varied incarnations of what it means to be church? How can we be fuel to the fire that sparks the continued movement toward full equality? How can we be leaven in the loaf of bread that seeks to feed and nourish all of God’s people? How can we create new wine skins to carry the cup of blessing to God’s people that will both satisfy and embolden our thirst for justice and peace? I hope to continue to add my voice to that conversation.
This 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church will be my last. I’m having a hard time saying goodbye. Perhaps that’s because
More importantly, I hope to hear yours. Elizabeth Kaeton is soon to be past-convener/president of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus.
How to stop the War on Women ered. We can organize, circle by circle, religious, spiritual and secular organizations, agencies, governments to unite efforts. We can show off our Divine Feminine in bold ways by singing Her praises — Bless Sophia with the vision, share the wisdom dwelling deep within. Let’s step into our leadership where we equally share the information, resources and power. Let’s vote for candidates who protect women’s rights and the rights of Mother Earth and get out the vote so those who have felt powerless in elections become change agents for true democracy. Let’s dream and work for the United Nations 5th World Conference on Women. Take this statement and make it yours and share far and wide. 34
Ruach • Spring/Summer 2012
from page 22
We support holding the 5th UN World Conference on Women and call upon our own UN ambassador and those of member states in the General Assembly to pass the 5WCW resolution needed to hold it in 2015. We want 5WCW to address new and emerging issues affecting women and girls since the Beijing Conference in 1995, to build upon and not re-open previous UN documents. Let’s hold these intentions in our hearts and minds and dream about the day when the Divine Feminine is claimed and embodied by a critical number of dedicated citizens. Let’s be the transformation we want to see happen in the world. Mamaste — the Divine Feminine in me salutes the Divine Feminine in you. Ann Smith is co-founder and director of Circle Connections. This piece first appeared in the blog The Divine Feminine at www.patheos.com/blogs/thedivinefeminine.
Presiding bishop proposes alternative 2013-2015 budget from page 6 bishop’s proposal, although as many as five of those positions are currently empty. Jefferts Schori centered her proposed budget around the Anglican Communion’s Five Marks of Mission, which the General Convention endorsed in 2009 (via Resolution D027) and said the church’s 2013-2015 budget ought to center on the marks as “strategic priorities.” Her message highlights six initiatives focused on the five marks and amounting to $8 million.
A change in budget organization The presiding bishop also anchored her proposal in the continuing call by herself and others to restructure and reform the church. “As it is in every age, our church is in need of reform, in order to engage the mission God has set before us,” Jefferts Schori said. “This budget proposal is intended as the beginning of that reforming effort.” The budget is organized by “spiritual priority” with mission being followed by governance and administration, she said, with the second and third being “servants” of the first.
The presiding bishop, with the help of certain members of the church center staff, traditionally presents Council with a proposed draft budget in the months leading up to each General Convention. The council then may alter that proposal. General Convention’s joint rules (in II.10 10 (a)) require council to give Program, Budget and Finance a proposed budget no less than four months before the start of convention. Neither council nor PB&F is allowed to change the budget document between the time it is sent by council to PB&F and the beginning of General Convention. Once convention begins it is up to PB&F to craft a budget for the convention’s approval. However, there have been questions about and a certain amount of frustration with the budget process and the documents it has produced. At the end of its April meeting in Salt Lake City Executive Council issued a memo saying that the proposed draft budget released to the church “is not exactly” the one it passed.
‘As it is in every age, our church is in need of reform, in order to engage the mission God has set before us. This budget proposal is intended as the beginning of that reforming effort.’
— Katharine Jefferts Schori
The presiding bishop also noted that her proposal represents a change from the triennial budget’s usual canonical (Canon I.4.6(b) and (c)) budget model of lining out canonical, corporate, and program expenses. Such a model “no longer adequately serves the Church in responding to a world very much in need of our partnership,” she said.
Each line item in the proposal is designated as belonging to one of those three areas “in order to satisfy the canons,” Jefferts Schori said, “but the existing canonical categories do not seem strategically useful and the budget proposal is not organized accordingly.” Jefferts Schori said this proposal is needed because while the Executive Council was “faithful” in its effort to prepare and approve a draft budget in a different way from previous convention years, “a coherent strategy did not emerge” from those efforts. Jefferts Schori cited a portion of Canon I.2.4(a)(1) as her authority in making the proposal. The portion says the presiding bishop is “charged with responsibility for leadership in initiating and developing the policy and strategy in the Church.”
On June 1, Jefferts Schori, Chief Operating Officer Bishop Stacy Sauls and Treasurer to General Convention Kurt Barnes released an annotated version of council’s draft budget.
Program, Budget and Finance began to study the 20132015 draft in early February. At General Convention it will hold three hearings: •
July 4 at 12:30 p.m. on the framework of the budget and the budget process,
•
July 6 at 7:30 p.m. on funding, and
•
July 7 at 7:30 p.m. on spending.
PB&F will present its proposed budget to a joint session of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops on July 10 at 2:15 p.m. A final vote on the budget is expected on July 12, the last day of convention. “Program, Budget and Finance is facing a daunting task,” Lane said, noting that its work on the budget must be done by July 9 in order for the budget to be presented the next day. Lane promised, “We will present to General Convention as clear a budget as we can manage to pull together in the time that we have.” Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service. www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org • Ruach
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