EASTON: Convention hears call to find connections to sometimes-hidden unity
Episcopal News Service. March 5, 2007 [030507-09]
Heather E. Cook, Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Easton
The 139th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton, held February 23 and 24 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort in Cambridge, Maryland, was characterized by a sense of unity through respectful conversation and listening, even as clergy and delegates struggled with difficult and potentially divisive issues.
The theme of convention was "connect," finding the unity that may not immediately be apparent. Banners in the convention hall displayed words and phrases with the word "one" hidden within them (owned by God, loaned to the world, never marooned), and delegates, for the first time seated at round tables, were invited to be playful with packets of words to create their own sense of unity.
Bishop James J. "Bud" Shand, tenth bishop of the diocese, in his convention address focused on the four essential actions of the Eucharist: how we are gathered, blessed, broken, and given. "Our unity is centered in the Eucharistic," he said. "This is the place where everyone comes to the table, everyone is welcome, everyone is fed."
"When the word ‘broken' is used in a Eucharist," he said, "it is not an entirely negative, hopeless word. It is a word full of possibility. Do you ever feel afraid when you see the priest break the bread? Of course not, because you know, in a deep way, that unless the bread is broken, it cannot be given. You know that the bread is able to be shared precisely because it is broken. If the bread remains intact, it cannot feed the many who wish to receive it. Broken bread leads to future wholeness, future shalom."
He went on to speak of the sense of brokenness many feel regarding the Anglican Communion, and urged patience in keeping the focus on Christ.
"The relationship I have with Jesus Christ, whom I worship and adore, and to whom I have committed my entire being, continues to deepen because of his inclusive embrace, not his exclusion," he said. "The brokenness I feel when brothers and sisters hurt each other is more than I sometimes want to admit. The hidden blessing is that we all are becoming a little more tolerant, and, yes, respectful of one another. No one has the monopoly on what God desires for the beloved, so I ask that we keep our minds, hearts, actions, and conversations centered on the Christ, who, if lifted up, will draw all of humanity to himself."
The complete text of Shand's address is available here.
The Rev. Dr. Ian T. Douglas, professor of Mission and World Christianity at Episcopal Divinity School, was a special guest at the convention. He led a workshop on the Anglican Communion and preached at the Eucharist.
"Our unity with God in Jesus is not about ourselves or for ourselves, but rather our unity is for the sake of the world," he said in his sermon. "The unity of the Body of Christ, is not then fundamentally about the Church, but rather is about the world, and more specifically God's mission in the world. As Christians we are given the gift of unity so that we, empowered by the Holy Spirit, may be signs and symbols of a restored and reconciled creation which is what God wants for the world. Walking in love for the sake of a restored and reconciled creation is the raison d'etre for our unity with God and each other in Christ. Our unity in and through Christ thus is profoundly missiological, it is for the sake of God's mission."
The complete text of Douglas' sermon is available here.
Other workshops focused on congregational development; stewardship asset mapping; the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); Mississippi after Katrina; and creative prayer ministries.
One of the highlights of convention was the welcoming of the Rev. David Knight, rector of St. Patrick's, Long Beach, Mississippi, whose church was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. He was presented with a check for $7,000, with a pledge of another $5,000 to come next year from the diocesan budget. The diocese has already sent mission teams to Camp Coast Care four times, and four more mission trips are scheduled in a long-term commitment to rebuild.
Although the diocese had pledged to support the MDGs at its 2005 convention, another resolution was passed urging each parish to become a "ONE Episcopalian congregation" by taking practical steps to support the MDGs. The proposer of this resolution asked delegates to "love our neighbor 0.7% as much as we love ourselves." White ONE Episcopalian wristbands were distributed to everyone.
Other resolutions were passed to establish a companion diocese committee; prepare to respond to a flu pandemic; and create a diocesan environmental awareness committee.
Information about the resolutions is available at the bottom of the page here.
The Diocese of Easton comprises about 9,750 Episcopalians worshipping in 40 congregations.