Sweep, Partnership Aid Diocese's Mission
Episcopal News Service. March 15, 1984 [84053]
ROANOKE, Va. (DPS, Mar. 15) -- The Diocese of Southwestern Virginia has become the first to implement the SWEEP (service, worship, education, evangelism, and pastoral care) concept in its parishes on a diocese-wide level and it has done so in connection with an adaptation of the Partners in Mission program. A celebration of this occurred at the recent Southwestern Virginia annual council meeting, where delegates and visitors from its 55 congregations exchanged ways they carry on their Christian mission in SWEEP categories.
Instead of hearing an "inspirational" address from a nationally known speaker as is often done at conventions, council representatives inspired one another with the stories of their congregations. Ranged throughout five rooms -- one for each convocation in the diocese -- they told these stories using slide shows, photographs, banners, newspaper clippings, posters, parish histories, skits, handouts, and conversation.
"This effort required some encouragement, for it involved some risk," commented the Rt. Rev. A. Heath Light, bishop. "Congregations were appropriately uneasy about 'bragging' and understandably anxious about odious comparisons."
Delegates and visitors spent most of Saturday morning browsing through the exhibits, talking with representatives from each congregation, jotting down ideas to take back to their parishes and simply learning what their diocesan partners in mission are doing.
Among the visitors were the diocese's "external" partners in mission: two laypersons from Southwestern Virginia's companion diocese of Bradford, England; a deacon from the Sudan -- Bradford's and Southwestern Virginia's companion in mission; an assistant to a Lutheran bishop; a Presbyterian cleric; and a Roman Catholic priest who is co-pastor with an Episcopal priest of Holy Apostles, Tidewater, Va., the only Episcopal/Roman Catholic parish in the nation.
During a panel discussion following the tour of exhibits, each ecumenical partner in mission commented on the strengths and weaknesses they had perceived when looking at the life of the diocese.
Commented Charles Shenberger, administrative assistant to the Lutheran bishop of the Virginia synod: " I realize that your working together on a project such as this... has a value in and of itself."
Panelists noted the diocese's strengths in worship and the wide range of key ministries to the elderly, hungry, deaf, emotionally handicapped and college students.
"I appreciate the way you cooperate ecumenically", said the Rev. Raymond Barton, Roman Catholic priest. "That makes so much sense."
Panelists also noted the diocese's weaknesses. They saw no emphasis on world and local issues. They missed seeing ways Episcopalians evangelize to outsiders.
"I see the Gospel being displayed by love and deed, but what about the Word?" asked Mrs. Joan Simns, Southwestern Virginia's partner in mission from the Diocese of Bradford.
" Your very invitation to a group like this to be partners with you in mission is one of the rich gifts that has historically characterized your church," said the Rev. Dr. George Telford, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg, Va. and a member of that denomination's ecumenical coordinating team.
Initiated two years ago, the adaptation of the Partners in Mission concept as used in the diocese, was designed to overcome the attitude that the Church is only "our congregation."
"We had no cross-fertilization between the congregations," explained the Rev. Richard Hayes, deputy for congregational life. "We weren't sharing our common strengths and didn't trust one another enough to talk about our weaknesses."
Having evaluated themselves in terms of the five elements of mission as requested by the Presiding Bishop and the 1982 General Convention, the congregations went a step further and shared evaluations with one another.
As a result of this effort, Hayes anticipates that congregations will respond more intently to the direction of the diocese's common life. He sees congregations making a more serious effort in the area of evangelism and moral discourse on global issues during the next five years.
"The good seeds have been planted. Whatever fruit they bring will be up to their nurturing and to God's grace," Hayes said.