'Change' is Watchword for Episcopalians in 1992 News Stories
Episcopal News Service. January 15, 1993 [93011]
Jeffrey Penn
A survey of news stories in 1992 shows that change was a watchword for the Episcopal Church. Like a mirror to the wider society, many of the issues that garnered banner headlines in the secular media were reflected in the church as well.
Diverse opinions and experiences continued to challenge long-held assumptions about institutions. Have minority groups and the marginalized called into question the nature of leadership and authority? How have those challenges affected the common life of the church? Once again the church confronted the dilemma about how to shape its mission in the world without allowing the world to define the mission.
Our choice of the 10 most important themes in 1992 represents broad concerns that received attention in individual news stories during the year. Yet, each of them also represents important issues that the church will continue to address long into the future.
In the secular realm, pundits referred to 1992 as the "Year of the Woman" because of the large number of women who ran for public office and the visibility of so-called "women's issues" in the public policy debate. In the church, the visibility of women and women's issues were high on the agenda throughout the year. The historic vote in the Church of England on November 11 to ordain women to the priesthood was a particularly significant sign of the increasing support for women's ministries throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion. In addition, Anglican provinces of Australia and Southern Africa joined a growing number of churches that approved the ordination of women to the priesthood.
The May 30 election of the Rev. Jane Dixon in the Diocese of Washington, and her subsequent consecration on November 19 as second woman bishop in the Episcopal Church, was another milestone for women in the church. The Worldwide Anglican Encounter in Brazil during March was an historic gathering to lift up the concerns of women and build international networks
Throughout 1992, traditionalists in the church sought ways to press their viewpoints. The Missionary Diocese of the Americas (MDA), a nongeographic diocese created by the traditionalist Episcopal Synod of America (ESA), was embroiled in a dispute between St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, and the Diocese of Southern Virginia. Unauthorized episcopal visits to the parish by retired Bishop Donald Davies, leader of the MDA, underscored the serious question that plagued the MDA -- was it a part of the Episcopal Church or not? By year's end, Davies and others affiliated with the MDA severed ties with the ESA and bolted from the Episcopal Church to form a new denomination, the Episcopal Missionary Church.
Meantime, the Diocese of Fort Worth elected the Rev. Jack Iker, a traditionalist opposed to the ordination of women, as bishop coadjutor to succeed Bishop Clarence Pope, the president of the ESA. Local supporters of the ordination of women in Fort Worth publicly opposed Iker's election and called on the church to withhold consent to his election. Following the November vote by the Church of England supporting women as priests, bishops of the ESA appealed for the consent of Iker and the toleration of their theological views.
Lesbian and gay Episcopalians continued to press for increased acceptance despite what they suggested was continuing hostility or ambiguity by some members of the church. In an effort to support the General Convention's call for serious dialogue about sexuality, Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning made an unprecedented visit to the national convention of Integrity in July.
The decision by local parishes in California, Maryland and Michigan to bless same-sex relationships continued to fuel controversy throughout the church. In November, a vote by Episcopal Church representatives to the General Board of the National Council of Churches (NCC) to reject observer status for the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church drew sharp criticism from lesbian and gay Episcopalians.
Meantime, dioceses across the country began to organize local parishes to participate in a dialogue on sexuality as requested in the resolution (A104sa) of the 1991 General Convention.
A special meeting of the House of Bishops in March and a regular meeting in September focused attention on the changing role of bishops in the church. At issue was the search for a more collegial style of leadership in the face of the house's theological diversity. Bishops radically reoriented their annual meetings, moving away from a contentious legislative format to one that provided for more informal conversations in small-group settings aimed at building consensus and community.
All during 1992, Americans debated the appropriate way to acknowledge the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's so-called discovery of the New World. Amid the controversy, Native Americans celebrated 500 years of survival at the Washington National Cathedral on Columbus Day. The liturgy mourned the loss of several native cultures and marked the contributions of American Indians to the wider society.
An increasing number of lawsuits stemming from allegations of clergy sexual misconduct is forcing many dioceses to establish policies and guidelines to deal with the situation. Many observers contend that financial settlements from misconduct cases will seriously strain the church's resources in the next decade. The resignation of the Rev. Wallace Frey, vice-president of the House of Deputies, following charges of sexual misconduct was the most visible case in the Episcopal Church in 1992.
Following the Los Angeles riots, the Episcopal Church stepped up efforts to address racism. The church invested more than $600,000 in community development programs, including investments in minority-owned banks, the establishment of revolving loan funds and the establishment of community development credit unions in the riot-torn areas of South Central Los Angeles. The presiding bishop took a four-state tour of black ministries throughout the church to support local efforts to eradicate racism. The church continued to distribute financial aid from the Martin Luther King Legacy Scholarship Fund to students of color.
During his first official visit of the United States, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey toured six dioceses of the Episcopal Church. Carey's whirlwind tour took him to a variety of ministries, including special programs for youth, the laity, immigrants and persons living with AIDS. Carey's quick wit and evangelical fervor charmed congregations across the country and affirmed the "bonds of affection" that comprise the worldwide Anglican Communion. Observers were particularly impressed with Carey's strong support for the ministry of the laity.
The continuing national economic recession continued to drain financial resources at all levels of the church -- from local parish, to diocese, to the national offices. Many dioceses were forced to dip into reserves or endowment in order to make ends meet. In February, the Executive Council instituted a 35-percent cut in the national program budget because of an anticipated shortfall of funds
Throughout the country, the church's response to the growing AIDS crisis has become one of its fastest-growing ministries. Participants at the convention of the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition (NEAC) in October predicted that the AIDS pandemic will require a significant amount of the church's resources and energy in the years ahead.