The present and the future Presiding Bishops shared the podium for a time at the last convention of the Diocese of Chicago at which the Rt. Rev. Frank Griswold, Bishop of Chicago, would preside.

At a "town hall meeting" in St. James' Cathedral Nov. 21, the Most Rev. Edmond Browning, Presiding Bishop, spoke of his 12 years in office and responded to questions from clergy and lay delegates.

Bishop Browning said he had come to Chicago for two reasons, "to honor you and your work here, and to share with you in the odd mixture of joy and sorrow that is yours in offering one of your own to the wider church." That the diocese is "in good shape to begin your search for another bishop," is, he said, "a tribute to you and to Frank Griswold."

Bishop Browning went on to describe the shape the church is in: "What is Frank walking into? A complicated church," with "a few scars, a lot of strength ... awesome challenges ahead." One of these, he said, is "How do we address the culture and the political process from Christian perspective?" This idea was echoed later when in response to a question he stressed the importance of ministry among the poor and the church's role as advocate, in Washington, D.C., and other arenas. "I get very worried about our government, about Congress" particularly regarding recent actions on welfare.

Paralleling these questions of communication, Bishop Browning said, "Frank will have to find ways to allow profound disagreement within the body to stay together in love, if not in harmony." The church will grow again, he said, "but it will be a different church from the burgeoning one [of ] the 1950s. But ours is a culture which is seeking a spiritual foundation," and Bishop Griswold is well equipped for that challenge. "He brings ancient traditions into fresh contact with a culture that needs them."

Internationally, Bishop Browning said he is "afraid we have not seen the last of war - wouldn't it be nice if we had?" The church, he said, "will respond with compassion to ... crises arising from war and human cruelty throughout the world." Additionally, he said the church will continue to seek "religious institutional unity" as well as "interfaith dialogue, which will be more important than ever before, given the explosive situations worldwide in which religious differences are brought to bear and, often, to fan the flames of hatred." To work for peace in the Middle East, for example, "religious bodies must work together." In answer to a question about "the new millennium," Bishop Browning emphasized the importance of "communication, sharing, and caring for creation" throughout the whole Communion, with a special appreciation of the "strength and grace received from other parts of the Anglican Communion."

Among the church's strengths, Bishop Browning said, are a "General Convention, in which each part contributes to the whole, and the collegiality between the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops." In lay ministries in the various dioceses, he has seen "how seriously people take their baptismal covenant." He expressed great hope and joy in the young people of the church, the extraordinary energy and vitality he experienced and the EYE conferences, where "I'm known as Eddie!"

There were personal notes, including an opening description of how his office at the Church Center looks now that "my family pictures and all my mementos of my years in this ministry are gone, on their way to Oregon where Patti and I will retire. My office looks a little sad, but it also looks a little excited - empty, expectant, waiting for its new occupant." Of the new occupant and the very hard job awaiting him, Bishop Browning said, "Frank is up to it."