WEST TEXAS: Council hears bishop call for true listening
Episcopal News Service. March 5, 2007 [030507-08]
Mary Frances Schjonberg
The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, meeting February 23-24 in Corpus Christi, Texas, for its 103rd annual Diocesan Council heard its bishop talk of a "wintry season."
Bishop Gary Lillibridge outlined the diocese's growth and signs of vitality during his address. Then he turned to what he called the "wintry season" of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
He re-iterated his stance as a "Windsor compliant bishop," meaning, he said, that he would refrain from giving his consent to the election as bishop of any person living in a same-gender relationship, would not authorize a public rite for blessing same-gender relationships, and that he agrees with the Windsor Report's call for bishops to stop intervening in dioceses beyond their own.
"I have also said that we are not going to pick and choose the parts of the Windsor Report that we like and disregard those that we don't like," he told the Council. "There is little ‘Communion' future there."
Endorsing the call of the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution 1.10 to seriously engage a "listening process," Lillibridge called on members of the diocese to prepare for a conversation recognizing that "the gospel truth seems clear to me: we conservatives, we liberals, we moderates are each other's family; we are each other's brothers and sisters -- because God is our parent and Jesus is our brother."
"We may not like some of our siblings, but we cannot change what God has done in bringing us together at the Eucharistic table as God's family," he said. "As St. Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Lillibridge told the Council "we cannot simply talk "about" gays and lesbians."
"We must talk ‘with' them. These are fellow Episcopalians and Anglicans, not Philistines," he said. "They make pledges to their congregations, they serve on Altar Guilds, they are ushers and lay readers; they serve on vestries and bishop's committees; maybe even as diocesan council delegates. They, like all of us, have an experience of the Holy Spirit in their lives and we need to hear about it. They did not wake up one day and say, ‘Hey, let's destroy this Church that we love.'"
"At the same time, we simply cannot talk ‘about' conservatives. We must also talk ‘with' them. It is most inaccurate to view persons who hold a traditional position in matters of human sexuality as Neanderthals who hate gays and lesbians. They also have experiences and a faith to share and they need to be heard. Those persons who have come out of the gay and lesbian lifestyle also have a story to tell, as do those who are living celibate lives."
Lillibridge called on the diocese during the coming year to study and pray over the Gospel according to Luke. This study follows last year's contemplate of the Acts of the Apostles.
The entire text of the bishop's address, as well as his sermon to the Council Eucharist and his bible study with the Council are available here.
Among the resolutions passed by the Council were ones to:
- reaffirm its commitment to provide homes of dignity for the poor and call on the Commission for Christian Faith In Action and the Diocesan Habitat Taskforce to evaluate the results of prior efforts and to develop a course of action to continue with Habitat for Humanity affiliates within the diocese;
- have Lillibridge appoint a special commission to study whether the mission of the diocese would be enhanced by the introduction of permanent deacons;
- "remain firmly committed to the Windsor Report in its entirety;"
- commit "to listen to people on all sides of the issues which divide us;" and
- designate May 6 and September 23 as "Guest Sundays" in the diocese "in order to deliberately and conscientiously nurture friendships with those we wish to, and do indeed, invite to worship with us."
Information about all the resolutions passed by the Council is available here.
The Diocese of West Texas comprises about 27,400 Episcopalians worshipping in 92 congregations.