Prayer Fellowship Celebrates Family
Episcopal News Service. May 5, 1983 [83078]
Barbara Benedict, The Colorado Episcopalian
DENVER (DPS, May 5) -- A spirit of celebration reigned as the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer marked its 25th birthday at the Marriot Southeast Hotel here, April 28-30.
Singing, sharing and camaraderie were interlaced with worship and teachings on "Prayer in the Family of Christ," this year's theme based on Ephesians 3:14-19.
Conference leader was Bishop Frank S. Cerveny of Florida, with Presiding Bishop John M. Allin and Colorado Bishop William C. Frey also on the agenda. Leading breakfast Bible studies were Bishop Shannon Mallory of the Diocese of El Camino Real and the Rev. Samuel S. Johnston of the Fellowship board of trustees.
"There are a few assumptions we've got to shatter," Cerveny told the conference. "One is that there's such a thing as the perfect family. It never existed in the Old Testament, the New Testament or today."
Cerveny went on to say that many of today's Christians are "religious schizophrenics" who do not connect church and home. "We've got to bridge that gap," he said.
"The spiritual family into which we were baptized and the nuclear family into which we were born are so intertwined that if one suffers, the other does too."
"We talk about renewal in the life of the Church, but we can become victim of our individual pieties," he continued. "Renewal of the Church also means renewal of the family." He challenged his audience to make the church a more loving, caring, nurturing community.
"Many people find it difficult to believe that God really loves them," he stated. "The church pews are filled with people with broken self-images."
Allin carried that theme further, saying, "We -- the Church -- are like a family because we are a family. 'The Fatherhood of God' and 'Brothers and Sisters of Christ Jesus' are accurate descriptions, and the term 'Mother Church' still has real meaning.
"Have you ever known a family that didn't have disagreements?" he asked. "We tend to be so myopic that we don't appreciate the variety of creation in the family.
"Many people do not know what it is to be a member of a family, especially of the family. We must enable them to belong," he continued.
"When the Christian family is being the family, it enables each member to be nourished and mature."
A discussion of "The Church as a Caring Community" formed another segment of the program, with Cerveny and Frey joined by Betty Connelly of Newport Beach, Calif., a member of Executive Council and former presiding officer of the Triennial Meeting and Kay Harlan of Englewood, Colo.
Conferees also had a choice of nearly 30 "seminar/discussion" groups.
One, "Prayerful Peacemaking," was conducted by Frey, who chairs the Church's Joint Commission on Peace. Earlier Frey had expressed his gratitude that the Fellowship and a national conference on peace issues were meeting concurrently in the city.
"Peace and prayer really belong together," he said. "They are not simply two sides of one coin but one and the same thing. Both deal with God's reconciling love."
At the closing Eucharist, held in St. John's Cathedral, Colorado Suffragan Bishop William H. Wolfrum reminded the congregation of "prayer" and "peace" delegates that Jesus Christ is not just someone elected as president of the club but Lord of all.
We have to wrestle with the "mind-boggling information" that everyone, everywhere is our family, he said.
"It is not real life when we live only with the like-minded... that leads to very small families!"
The Fellowship is a world-wide organization working through diocesan representatives to serve the life of prayer and prayer groups, Executive director is Harry C. Griffith of Winter Park, Fla.