Teleconference Extends Griswold's Conversation with the Church
Episcopal News Service. January 27, 1999 [99-2284]
(ENS) A year to the date since he was invested as the 25th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church -- and on the very same place in the crossing at Washington National Cathedral -- Frank Griswold pulled up a chair and continued his conversation with church members.
The presiding bishop said in his introduction that he had been struck by the effectiveness of the telecast of his investiture and how "people felt connected," inviting "a richer and deeper sense of who we are as church."
Describing his first year in office as "an incredible one," Griswold took his wide-flung audience on a whirlwind video tour of that year, from a conference of young clergy and meetings of the Executive Council and Trinity Institute, to the Middle East for a pastoral visit and to a soup kitchen in New York City, providing images of what he called "a year rich in new experiences."
Griswold repeated comments from his sermon that morning at the cathedral. "What I have encountered everywhere I have gone is faithfulness and generosity of spirit and a deep desire for the Episcopal Church to manifest in all aspects of its life the mind and heart of the risen Christ." He said that he has been impressed with his discovery of "a capacity to honor and respect diversity." The church, he said, has "a vast center," representing a variety of perspectives.
Addressing his audience, in the cathedral and at 136 Downlink sites, Griswold said that the two-hour teleconference would be "a conversation among members of one household... one that informs and shapes us." He would field questions and entertain special guests who joined him at the cathedral.
The first question was about Griswold's recent participation in a conference for younger clergy. Initiative for the conference came from those who were moved to action when they discovered that there were fewer than 300 clergy under the age of 35 in the Episcopal Church. The presiding bishop cited the capacity of participants for accepting diversity while expressing themselves with passion. He also suggested that the church should be seeking good candidates for the ministry.
A question from Michigan asked what church members should do in a world marked by an ambivalent spirituality. Griswold responded by saying that the church often seems to be an association of external activities that don't address issues of the heart. The church should address the deep spiritual yearnings of many people, inviting them to come and share the deeper mysteries and realities of the sacramental life, he said. And the church should not be shy about the depth of its faith.
A caller from Indiana asked what Griswold thought about the "depressing drama" surrounding attempts to impeach the president. He said that he deplored the "extreme partisan nature" of the proceedings and expressed the hope that "the whole experience would make us stronger as a nation." And it may teach us tolerance, an ability to be "compassionate to one another."
Griswold welcomed as his first guest Pamela Chinnis, president of the House of Deputies. She said that it was difficult to believe that a year earlier she and former presiding bishop Edmond Browning had walked down the aisle of the cathedral to welcome Griswold to his investiture.
Calling the first year "a wonderful experience," Chinnis cited the close partnership she had developed with the presiding bishop, starting with a joint meeting of all the church's committees and commissions in Minneapolis. In response, Griswold expressed deep appreciation for the collaboration with Chinnis -- and for her respect for the decision-making role of the General Convention. He said that he drew on her experience in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as a balance to what he called his "more impulsive" nature.
As he has on other occasions, Griswold said that he saw his role as one of a "pastor of systems." He shared his conviction that the role of the Church Center in New York, for example, should be "clear and transparent -- and linked to ministries in the church."
After a few more questions, Griswold welcomed his wife Phoebe as his second guest. She said that her curiosity about how the church responds to disasters through the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, and some personal questions on human suffering, led her to a December visit to Honduras and Nicaragua to see for herself the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Mitch. She related heartbreaking stories of the loss of life and livelihood. The presiding bishop reported that Episcopalians had already contributed over a million dollars to address immediate needs in the area
Griswold jumped down to the Diocese of Texas where bishops Claude Payne and Leo Alard told of the model they were developing built on the premise that congregations are missionary outposts. "Evangelism is the center of all we do," Payne told the national audience, announcing a goal to triple church membership in the diocese in the next decade.
A church member from New Hampshire told the presiding bishop that his parish would be more generous to the church's national program "if we could see how our money is used." In response, Griswold said that he accepted the recommendation that the church find a way to translate budget into human stories.
The next guest, Bishop Simon Chiwanga of Tanzania, said that discipleship is an issue in his diocese, which has only 70 clergy to serve over 500 congregations. As chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, he argued that it was more representative of the church than the Lambeth Conference because the ACC included members of all orders. He admitted that he did not enjoy the debate on the sexuality resolution at last summer's Lambeth Conference because it didn't follow principles of mutual respect so important to Anglicans in a pluralistic world.
The issue of sexual orientation, and the Lambeth condemnation of homosexual activity, was raised in a question from Maine. Griswold said that Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said that the resolution stated where the Anglican Communion is at this time, but not necessarily where it will be. And Carey admitted that the issue is now clearly on the church's agenda, setting in motion "a process of listening."
When asked how he protects his own spiritual life, Griswold described his efforts to stay personally centered. He said that he depends on the traditional spiritual disciplines, such as the daily office and, when possible, the daily Eucharist at the Church Center. And he is learning, and encouraged others, to "sit loose with your own plans and don't judge yourself when things don't go right. Accept life as a mystery full of surprises," he said.
In his concluding comments, Griswold repeated a theme that has become a cornerstone of his ministry, encouraging church members to embrace conversation that makes room for the other, even though the discipline can be difficult. "Look for the things that we share" because "listening takes us to that deep place and leads us to conversation and a deeper sense of communion.... where we discover truth."
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