Annual Council, Friday, January 24, 2014 (full size gallery)
This thing was big – 176 registered clergy, 198 registered lay and many others there
Heard on Twitter – "- that was like a PYM weekend for grown ups"
"Here is what I take from Virginia’s way of doing business: that it is a diocese in which lay people are heard from, rather than just spoken to; that the accumulated wisdom of those lay people is respected by the clergy and lay professionals who work in the diocese, and that the members of the council care enough about each other to hear one another out."
The theme of this council was taken from the hymn "Awake My Soul, Stretch every Nerve."
In his State of the Diocese address Bishop Shannon posed a question “We have new ways of doing church and being church. It can be scary. Are we willing to take the risks?” Apparently the planners were ready – for this was a far different event than in the past. I think they succeeded. People were generally excited about what they saw and heard.
It was a great showcase of ministry in action that would not be recognized otherwise. In his wrap-up he challenged us to take a couple of examples to our churches, those that moved us. He said if we felt that way it would be an example of the Holy Spirit in action
It was a change in both format and message. There were no long speeches and more short excerpts of examples of how we can stretch every nerve. That was music and more use of technology in the use powerpoints, prezi and an innovative poll program on Saturday.
This review will only go through the first morning on Friday due to the amount of material. In the afternoon were three workshops and then the church service for all at St. Paul’s.
Bishop Goff got the day going as she said “Through stretching we look to what is next. Prayer is soul stretching. It is a way to awaken the soul. We stretch every nerve to be faithful people."
I. Bishop Shannon address used to be one address for 30+ minutes . Instead he posed some challenges and then sat down for the other Bishops for a conversation moderated by Ed Jones. Then there was an extended segment by Buck Blanchard and mission followed by a wrap up by the Bishop Shannon.
Shannon wrote that we need to see what is going on in the Diocese and see our aspirations to see what are called be like
He was optimistic of the life and ministry in Va . We are now experiencing renewal and today the staff will show examples with examples spanning the Diocese We are becoming be more engaging and intentional about church. He referred back to the theme “Awake My Soul, Stretch Every Nerve.” We must look to our neighbors in business, politics, other churches – they may be just on the other part of town and develop relationships, working together. We must welcome the stranger in hosting visitors or even in visiting jails. We must be willing to look for news relationships and partnership around the globe.
II. Ed Jones interviews
1. Ed Jones, Chief of Staff, took the bishops to a living room setting and asked. "What challenges, opportunities have you found"
Shannon – Church is best when challenged, not when not challenged and comfortable. We become complacent then. The status quo take over
Bishop Susan – Examples of discernment in the diocese. Large numbers coming on discernment weekends for priests, deacons and those associated with ministries
Bishop Gulilck – – was enthused at working with the seminary middler class where the average age is 28
2. Top priorities in 2014
Shannon – 3 top priorities
1. Re-energize 5 priorities of mission and ministry introduced in 2009
A. Youth and Young Adult Formation
B. Strengthening Our Congregations
C. Evangelism & Proclamation
D. Multiculturalism and Ethnic Ministries
E. Mission Beyond Ourselves
2. Clergy formation – clergy sessions 1 day. Bring in teachers but provide other cases examples from clergy
3. Social justice. Politics is part of the discussion
Bishop Susan – spirituality. Sense of renewal vs. angst, anxiety
Ironically numbers going down to church but yet people interested in finding spirituality. For example, use of yoga. People used to come to church to make business connections. Now they do that using social media. This has led to a decline in numbers.
We sense both guilt and failure. We some times feel like failure in a time of massive change. It is not failure but reflecting changes we are going through. . Only a failure is we do the same old way and ignore the trend. We need to make connections. We need to investigate what the Holy Spirit is doing
3. What is the line between faith and politics? We are confronted with political issues including immigrations, guns and violence.
Susan – Not see the line in the separation of faith and politics. Faith like politics is about relationships. God and Jesus include other people which reaches into politics. Both faith and politics involve practices that cause us to live faithfully together.
We need to change to verb from “Come” to “Go”. People are not coming to Church. We need to meet them where they are. That pushes us into politics.
We confuse politics with these affiliations which divide us
Shannon – cites Bishop Tutu. Christian must be political or not they are practicing Christianity. Church must address issues intertwined with the virtues of the Gospel. “Politics” is rooted in the word “People.” It is part of our call.
Our primary identity is with our baptismal covenant. We are first baptized, not republican or democrat.
Ted — If German Christians had confronted Nazi issue earlier may not have had holocaust. We must avoid partisanship but definitely use politics as part of God’s story. We engage to teach that story which forms us and whose we are
4. What are your weirdest hobbies?
Bishop Shannon –Interest in hard rock
He said Led Zeppelin was the greatest band. He also likes AC/DC
He has fondness in studying the Presidents from 1870-1920 as someone said “thosed bearded guys”. He has learned leadership and styles from them. He owns two biographies of Rutherford B Hayes
Susan – art sculpture. Came out her cast after broke ankle. Fiber sculptures sitting in chairs.
Ted – Learning the organ again at age 65. Loves to go chainsawing in snow
5. Favorite TV shows growing up?
Shannon – Bewitched – Fantasy, magic engaging characters – Paul Lynda’s Uncle Arthur, Esmeralda
Susan – Star Trek – Teacher in middle school had them watch it and then talked about science of star trek and other interdisciplinary ideas which did get to religion
Ted – Mickey Mouse club with Spin and Marty episodes
III. Buck Blanchard, Office of Mission
How important is change? We abide in the risks. At that the end of the day we are in the “fear not business”. Let the Holy Spirit take over. He provide 9 examples
1 From Virginia to Liverpool
Youth from Richmond went to Liverpool and some of their teenagers came here.
The Youth commented on positive effect of fundraising where they got to know people. Experienced growth in faith rather than having faith on the shelf . Positive things was using faith in everyday life.
They found Liverpool teenagers asked the same questions and had a lot in common
They made friends and it changed how they look at world.
Leader from Grace and Holy Trinity had son on trip and led. This was a 2 year program.
From the September, 2013 Virginia Episcopalian – one youth wrote “it got me thinking about my relationship with the Lord for the first time and I now consider the relationship stronger and exponentially more fulfilling than it was before.”
In Virginia, they participated in a service at Shrine Mont and investigate the slave issue
It was noted the Diocese of Va. has more international connections than other Diocese.
2 Downtown Mission with St. Paul’s, Richmond – Rev. Melanie Mullen
After two and a half years of parish-wide discussions at St Pauls, Richmond, a consensus emerged, focused more on the philosophy behind the downtown missioner position — the church would be a sort of base camp for promoting and organizing good works — than on the specific duties of the job.
Who are our neighbors ? How do we become a church in the world?
On Ash Wednesday, Mullen and members of St. Paul’s took containers of ashes that had been blessed at the altar and carried them around downtown, offering imposition of the ashes to anyone who wanted it. The response — from nearby medical students, office workers and parking garage attendants — was overwhelmingly positive, Mullen said. They also looked to the homless and had a homeless memorial service
If the church is going to be successful in the future, we need to look back and look at what Jesus did. Jesus taught and walked around,” Hains said. “It’s not about the building. It’s about the people.”
The downtown mission is less about bumping up the roster, he said, than it is about being a catalyst for community change.
Downtown Missioner Melanie Mullen calls this "the art of neighboring"; engaging with residents, supporting local businesses, aiding efforts to improve life in the city and otherwise spreading the spirit of St. Paul’s to the broader downtown area.
While Mullen holds the title of downtown missioner, the mission itself is a collaborative one, she said, relying on the efforts of civic-minded people both within and outside the St. Paul’s congregation. The ultimate goal, she said, is to inspire Richmonders, even those unaffiliated with the church, to put community first.
3 Musical Performance: La Iglesia de Santa Maria Musicians
La Iglesia de Santa Maria from Falls Church provided an original song with guitar, percussion and singers
“Many People, Just one family." The whole stage was clapping along with the music
4. GIRLs and Women of Faith
St. George’s group of three teenage girld studied hunger issues in Africa and met the Presiding Bishop at the UN last year
They have a radio show on a local station each week. The Presiding Bishop made a video appearance in today’s sessions
Susan Goff talked about the role of women citing the following verse:
Galations 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
However, women clerics make 80% of male salaries. There are oOnly 15% women in House of Bishops
When we work together, we all get a glimpse of what God wants for us in the future. We are living that change.
One message in life – God loves us as we are. The media cripples us with images of beautiful people
5. The Falls Church and the Dayspring Spirit
In his capacity as rector at St. James’, John Ohmer led the congregation in the planting of a daughter church, St. Gabriel’s, Leesburg. At the diocesan level, Ohmer has served as a member of the Commission on Ministry and the Resolutions Committee. He is also a staff writer for Center Aisle, the newspaper about the General Convention.
In December 2006, the majority of worshipers at The Falls Church Episcopal decided to disaffiliate from the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and the National Church. 1,950 split from church vs. 123 continued. Some of those continuing met in Ohmer ‘s living room. Some 23 grew to 50 and soon needed new quarters -in a Presbyterian church
A Virginia Episcopalian article wrote
“These last five and half years have been challenging but also tremendously gratifying. In the early days of this new journey. We had nothing but our small group and our faith that we were doing the right thing in God’s eyes. We were grateful for our Episcopal friends around Northern Virginia who gave us prayer books, altar linens and communion service items. As we had no offices, our ministers worked out of their cars. We would laughingly call our church “a church in a box” since we had to unpack and pack up every Sunday in the lovely but limited space we had, used by other groups throughout the week."
"We shared coffee hour with our friends at the Presbyterian Church, and gradually joined with them in outreach programs to the community and" Vacation Bible School. They will always be our friends in Christ.
Over the years, they have become a vibrant 200-plus congregation
They know what it is to be the Body of Christ
They returned formally to their church Easter Sunday 2012. "We are all together now as a welcoming group of believers whose message is one of trust in the hope-filled promises of Jesus Christ, love for one another, and service to the community. As scripture says, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body.” (I Corinthians 12: 12-13)."
6. Grace on the Hill
This project grew out of St. Andrews, Richmond. It is an intentional community in the Oregon Hill neighborhood. When Abbott Bailey came as priest to St. Andrew she read in the Parish Profile under the section on the Outreach Commission, “members are uncertain about the church’s call to serve the neighboring community and how well that mission is being carried out"
It asked “for a rector who [would] help discern the nature and scope of [the church’s] call to serve the community that surrounds us."
What grew was a commmunity for young adults in Oregon Hill
A working group around Bailey gave a proposal to the vestry, basically indicating that they really sensed God’s work behind this and asking for approval to move from the feasibility phase to the implementation phase. The vestry gave permission to move forward with two stipulations: 1) that the project would be budget neutral (i.e. not creating a larger deficit than the one we currently enjoy ) and 2) that the congregation would embrace it
Grace-on-the-Hill became a newly forming ministry of St. Andrew’s Church in partnership with the Diocese of Virginia that invites young adults in their twenties to engage their Christian faith through a 10 month period of service, vocational discernment, and leadership formation. Interns will live together in community while sharing in the social, relational, economic and ecological regeneration of the neighborhood and the wider community through active engagement in the neighborhood and internship placements in area non-profit organizations and churches. hey fill out a plan of worship and living together
They are increasing from 3 to 6 people in the next year.
7. Jump Start with Church of the Resurrection, Alexandria
JumpStart was developed by the Episcopal Church Building Fund, and presented jointly with the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and the Church of the Resurrection in Alexandria. This one-day workshop proved to be an exciting and compelling way for congregations — ready to face their fears about decline in attendance, dwindling finances and the future of their congregations — to explore new and revitalized ministries and mission.
Betsy Faga around the 50th anniversary of the church said the church was a in crisis.
Jan 2012 – rector retired and in precarious position. Attendance declining, revenues falling , operating budget five figure deficit and the 50 year old building major expenses. 27 episcopal churches are within 5 miles of the church
They wanted to change their destiny. They developed a year long reevisioning process. They knew they had to look different. They looked at 20 options including shutting doors, sharing clergy, mergers with other churches within 5 miles
The congregation has struggled with financial stress and the problems that accompany an aging building. They’ve explored new models of how to move forward — including the possibility of developing affordable housing on their property, as a dual ministry and income stream.
"We discussed what our passion is and what God is calling us to do," Faga of Resurrection’s Re-Visioning Committee told the workshop attendees. "We preserved our values and mission — caring for our church family and community service."
Ms. Faga also said that they came to realize that the difficulties at Resurrection are part of a cultural trend and that those difficulties were not the fault of anything they or anyone connected with their congregation — lay or clergy — "did or did not do." They also realized, she said, that there is no one single solution to the difficulties facing churches and that re-visioning is not the best approach for all churches.
They narrowed it down to 2 possibilities:
1 – budget cuts, using reserves, – sustain church as it
2 – commit to idea to revitalize church while connecting to the surrounding community
They wanted to emphasize outreach to community
They would strengthen attention to congregational development activities that welcome new members and support current parishioners
Leverage property to provide a new facility that has a church and housing . Church will be on lower floors and housing above.
8. Mission and Ministry at Buck Mountain, Earlysville
Rev. Connie Clark created a ministry in Rosewood Assisted Living facility
Few assisted living facilities have chaplains. She decided to extend the church into the facility.
First there was monthly service then twice a month and then in Holidays. They developed a hymn book with a variety of hymnals and added larger type and easy to use formatting. When Buck Mount sent 7 pilgrims to Tanzania, the living facility handed Clark and envelope $2,750
It thus has became a mutual ministry
9. Shout It from the Mountain
Bishop Ted said campers come to understand what it is like living like Christ. They find the importance of helping others. Teens understood they are valued in God’ creations. It is a place to further spiritual journey
Diocese appointed two co-chairs for the Shrine Mont Camps capital campaign
Barbara McMurry
Rev. Andrew Merrow
5,000 people were provided a survey . 24% responded to that. 98% said move forward. Basic goals:
1. Scholarships
2. Renew St. George’s camp – delayed maintenance
3. Endowment Camp facilities
$2MM goal – $2.5MM stretch goal
Second Meditation – Mr. Jordan Casson, St. Paul’s Ivy
Shannon Wrap-up
You have seen creative, life changings presentations
What 2 or 3 things strike you the most? That reflects the movement of the Holy Spirit
We need to grow to be disciples of Jesus Christ
What kind of witness will provide the most inspiration and energy ?
How to emphasize the importance at home and spread the mess age to others ?
Awaken Souls – let the stretching begin!