CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA: Diocese challenged to do more with less
Episcopal News Service. June 12, 2007 [061207-03]
Mary Frances Schjonberg
Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania Bishop Nathan Baxter, during his first convention address to the diocese, complimented the congregations on their achievements and challenged them to become a fuller part of a shared diocesan ministry.
The convention took place June 8 and 9 on the campus of Bucknell University and in other area Episcopal locations.
Baxter, who was consecrated on October 21, said he and his wife Mary Ellen "have discovered wonderful evidence of God's way of love in the fellowship, worship and ministries of your parishes" during their travels around the diocese. Many of these ministries result from the efforts of comparatively small congregations who use their limited assets in creative ways, he said.
Baxter noted that there are some tensions that can hamper congregations. "We have little control over what will happen within the Episcopal Church or the Anglican Communion over the next several years," he said. "But if we 'bite and devour and are consumed by one another' then we will not glorify God; we will be just one more entertaining spectacle de jour to the world, no matter who is the victor or the justified. So, in Central Pennsylvania we will strive for 'the more excellent way.'"
Noting that the coming year's budget, approved in the convention's only resolution, contains a 10 percent decrease in spending, Baxter asked all congregations to make a sincere effort to work toward a full contribution of the diocese's "fair-share asking."
"I will challenge you; including reviewing with the Diocesan Council of Trustees and the Standing Committee, the current canonical criteria for being a 'Congregation in Good Standing,' especially as regards Fair Share," he said. "But I will work faithfully and creatively within the framework of our means."
Baxter asked congregations to think creatively about new ways to accomplish ministry, noting that doing more with less will mean that tasks and ministries happen in new and different ways. He also reaffirmed the long-standing diocesan commitments to significant outreach projects in Brazil, Uganda, and the Gulf Coast of the U.S.
In introducing Mississippi Bishop Duncan Gray III as the convention's chaplain, Baxter noted that nearly 300 people from the diocese have been involved in Gulf Coast recovery efforts since Hurricane Katrina.
Seven new deacons were ordained, five to the transitional diaconate and two to the vocational diaconate. The offering at the ordination Eucharist was dedicated to Gulf Coast recovery efforts.
Baxter's entire address will appear in the July Tidings, which is posted online.
The diocese comprises about 15,250 Episcopalians worshipping in 68 congregations.