The Presiding Bishop's Address from the Chair to the Executive Council in Seattle, Washington, June 13, 1995
Episcopal News Service. June 21, 1995 [95-1161]
Edmond Browning, Presiding Bishop and Primate
"When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." I want to say a very warm hello this morning to our sisters and brothers of the Diocese of Olympia who are with us today. We are delighted to welcome you, and I am grateful that over the last four days, I have had a wonderful opportunity of being part of this diocese.
Pam Chinnis and I, along with Diane Porter, Pat Mauney, Barbara Braver and Jim Solheim -- and his omnipresent camera -- have just concluded a visitation to this diocese, learning something about the vital life and ministry, and enjoying the warm hospitality.
Friday was our first full day here and it was gorgeous. Lots of sunshine, warm breezes. People tried to tell us that was typical Seattle weather. In any event, I know this will be a great week, and a productive time together as well, rain or shine.
Our visit to Olympia is the fourth of the diocesan visitations we have made as part of a effort to develop models for partnership between the national church and the dioceses. You will recall that just before our February meeting in Providence we visited Nevada. Since then we have traveled to Mississippi and Connecticut. After these four visits, Pam and I can say that the visitation program has greatly surpassed our highest expectations. As we had hoped, the visits have helped us to evaluate the effectiveness of our national program, and to learn how we can better be in partnership with the dioceses for the strengthening of our common ministry. As this week progresses, Council will be discussing the follow up to the visitations, including the covenants we are making with dioceses, and our programmatic emphasis as we move through the triennium.
I want to say in his presence that the Diocese of Olympia is very well served by the model of servant leadership of Bishop Vincent Warner. Seeing the ministry carried out here, with Vince's leadership, has been an empowering experience for me, and the other visitors.
A year ago at Easter, Patti and I were in Jerusalem and spent time with Vincent and Janice Warner, with whom we share a passionate commitment to peace in that part of the world. Vincent and Janice know that your neighbor isn't just the person who lives down the block, and that knowledge informs their ministries.
I want to say to those members of the diocese who are here that your bishop makes a tremendous contribution to the life of the whole church. It's good to know that he has around him such a wonderful group of clergy and laity, most certainly his staff, who have done so much to make our visit productive, and enjoyable as well.
We read this morning from John in the gospel for Trinity Sunday: When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. Isn't it interesting: the gospel does not simply say that we will be guided to get the facts.
I want to frame my remarks this morning in the context of our knowledge of God's gift to us of the spirit of truth, who will guide us into all the truth.
It will not surprise you to know that I have thought and prayed a good deal lately for the leading of the spirit into all truth. I have thought a good deal lately about the difference between truth and fact, about the distinction between appearance, and reality. I have thought about the wonder of knowing that what we see with our eyes is just a fragment of the greater reality of God, seen and unseen.
Last week I received a wonderful card and note from an old friend in California. On the card was the photo of a duck. Some of you may know that I am a collector of handcrafted duck decoys. I now have quite a few spread around our little log cabin retreat in Pennsylvania and I think Patti is getting a little anxious! Anyway, the photo of the duck immediately caught my eye. Inside my friend had copied out these words from Wendell Berry.
Spell the spiel of cause and effect,
Ride the long rail of fact after fact,
What curled the plume in the drake's tail
And put the white ring round his neck?
Well, we just don't know do we, even after riding down the long rail of fact after fact. We just don't know why the drake has that white ring. Some things, you just never do know, even when you have all the facts. Then, you must wait for the leading of the spirit of truth to lead you into all truth.
I think at Providence we were all still in somewhat of a state of shock. The news of the embezzlement of funds by the former treasurer, Ellen Cooke, was fresh, and painful. The most powerful emotion I felt in those first two or three days after our discovery was betrayal. The full impact of what had happened was not yet clear. At that time, we had only the first fragments of the facts.
A great deal has happened since February in Providence, including an exhaustive, full-scale investigation by an independent auditor. You will have seen my five-page statement of May 1 and I won't rehearse that here. That statement was based on the report of Coopers & Lybrand, which you have received in the mail. We know how much was taken, and from where, and how, and when it was taken. We are confident that we are in full possession of all of the facts surrounding the embezzlement. We are now working our way through the mop up.
Throughout this week we will be hearing from the Administration & Finance Subcommittee of their very decisive response since that time, and also of the related activities of the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget & Finance, the Committee on Trust Funds and the Audit Committee. Members of these groups are working closely together and our financial house is coming into good order. I am extremely grateful to these committees for all of their good work in defining and clarifying their responsibilities for ensuring our judicious management of our resources.
Behind the facts of our reordering of our house, there is a truth. It is this. I believe it is profoundly true that there is a way in which we will be more faithful and prudent stewards than had we not experienced the embezzlement. In a very particular way, behind the fact lies the truth that this shared pain will make us a stronger community.
Over these last months one of the books Patti and I have returned to is The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen. He has been a mentor in writing for years, and now has become a good friend. Those of you who were in Indianapolis at the General Convention know how much his message meant to us.
One of the reflections in his book seems so appropriate for what we as a church have been through: He writes: "A shared pain is no longer paralyzing but mobilizing, when understood as a way to liberation. When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope.
"Through this common search, hospitality becomes community. Hospitality becomes community as it creates unity based on the shared confession of our basic brokenness and on a shared hope. This hope in turn leads us far beyond the boundaries of human togetherness to him who calls his people away from the land of slavery to the land of freedom...
..A Christian community is therefore a healing community not because wounds are cured and pains are alleviated, but because wounds and pains become openings or occasions for a new vision. Mutual confession then becomes a mutual deepening of hope, and sharing weakness becomes a reminder to one and all of the coming strength.
..Community arises where the sharing of pain takes place, not as a stifling form of self-complaint, but as a recognition of God's saving promises."
My friends, these are truths that lie beyond the facts. Looking at both the facts and the truth, I believe that we, who are the Board of the Domestic & Foreign Missionary Society, are now prepared to assure the members of this church -- whose trust has been sorely tried -- that we are financially healthy and confident of our new directions, and living as a healing community.
We aren't through all of this yet, and we don't yet know precisely how this will be resolved and how this chapter will conclude. Some things we do know. The federal authorities are conducting a criminal investigation. They have contacted us from time to time for additional information. Their work is not public, and we do not know how far along they are, or when the investigation will be completed.
We are also continuing vigorous efforts toward restitution. Our attorneys are exploring all possible restitution possibilities with Mrs. Cooke's counsel, and working with an asset search firm to locate additional sources for recovery. Also, our counsel is meeting with the insurance company counsel and accountant to facilitate their work in connection with our claim.
Finally, if restitution is not forthcoming in a manner that responds to the loss, then, we will begin a civil suit.
I want to share with you now another truth: Ellen too is a part of the Christian community, as is her husband, as are her sons. My prayer is for Ellen's contrition, and repentance. Let us remember that prosecution and restitution do not preclude forgiveness and healing. In God, it is all possible.
I referred to the phase we are now coming out of as "the mop up." That is an apt description as this has been a messy and difficult time. I want to say now that I am certain we would not have gone through it in the manner we have without the efforts of one who stepped into the breach at our February meeting to serve as treasurer. I am speaking of course of Donald P. Burchell. I want to commend Don Burchell for all he has done to provide leadership during this very difficult four months.
As you are aware, Don has made a decision to return to Washington. As Don explained to Pam and me, the job he came here to do is not the job he now has. It would be an understatement to say that having a household in one city and a demanding job in another -- which has meant a total disruption of family life, coupled with the stress of this situation -- have certainly not contributed to wellness.
I have thought recently that Don's immediate appointment as treasurer last February might be somewhat analogous to a new rector coming into a parish in the wake of a scandal involving the previous rector. Lots of cleaning up is needed before the parish can make a fresh start.
In retrospect, Don's should perhaps have been the interim appointment that he himself suggested at that time. Be that as it may, we clearly needed some time for healing, and Don's steady presence has been crucial in helping that healing begin to come about. Don now believes, and I concur, that a move now -- as we form a new leadership team -- will not only be healthy for him but will also signal a fresh start.
I am more grateful to Don than I can say for all that he has done during the clean up operation of the last months. Later in this meeting we will have an opportunity to hear from Don and to thank him for his monumental efforts, for his faithfulness.
As Pam and I said in our letter to you, we have asked Robert Brown, who retired as assistant treasurer last fall, to assume the position of interim treasurer. He will begin before the month is out. Don has agreed to remain for a time until Bob Brown gets reacclimated. The fact that Bob has a familiarity with our operations will serve us well.
I want to report to you that the search committee is now in place with their first meeting scheduled later this month. As Pam and I said in our letter, the committee is composed of representatives of the four key committees who interact most closely with the treasurer, plus four members-at-large. This is an excellent group of people, which will be convened by Maria Campbell, who is the assistant to the rector of Trinity Church, Wall Street. Other members are: John Cannon, parliamentarian of the House of Deputies; Tom Chappell who has served as a deputy from the Diocese of Maine; Vince Currie of Program, Budget & Finance; Toni Gilbert of the Audit Committee; Bill McKeown of the Committee on Trust Funds; Byron Rushing, deputy from Massachusetts who has served on PB&F, and Don Wimberly representing A&F.
The committee will be instructed by Pam and me to bring one name to us for our review. We will then bring that name to Executive Council for your approval at the November meeting. Should the search move along quickly, such that within the next few months Pam and I and the committee all believe that we have the name of an excellent candidate ready to bring to you for approval, I plan to ask that person to begin the duties of treasurer in an unofficial capacity as treasurer-designate. This will enable us to normalize our operations, with a new team tentatively in place, without having to wait until our November meeting.
You may be aware that I have asked our former controller to leave her position. It was a tough decision but I believed that her remaining in that role was untenable, for us and perhaps for her as well. She was obviously dealing with the betrayal she had experienced and was angry and unhappy. This caused a lot of friction throughout our staff, which is not what we need right now.
I know that the Executive Council doesn't need to hear this, but, because of the most unusual set of circumstances we have been dealing with, for the record, I want to say clearly that Don's resignation, and the termination of the controller, in no way reflect on their honesty and had nothing to do with the embezzlement.
No question about it: these have been testing times. However, I want to interject parenthetically here that the Cooke debacle has not brought the mission activities of the Episcopal Church to a screeching halt. Life has gone on. Mission has proceeded. We have continued to join together in the breaking of bread and in the prayers. Some of us have had the responsibility of focusing microscopically on Ellen Cooke's misdeeds and the dynamics that allowed them to happen and to go undetected. But, let us not for a minute think that the work of the church has been put on hold. If I hadn't been certain of that before, my days here in Olympia would have writ it large.
Dear friends, I do believe it is a deep truth that the difficulties of the past months are, even as we gather here, giving way to a the hopeful promise of the next months. Let us move on. I have taken full responsibility for the facts of what has happened on my watch. Let us move on past hand wringing, second guessing and fruitless exercises in twenty-twenty hind sight. Let us move on and give the full speed ahead signal to the church.
What has been is the beginning of what is about to be. And what is that? What is about to be? What is God doing through us and what are we to do together?
Here is a part of it. With great joy, I announce to you that one who is a respected and trusted friend of many of us, the Rt. Rev. Charlie McNutt, the about-to-retire Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, has accepted my appointment as the Chief Operating Officer of the Episcopal Church. I wish Charlie were here and we could whisk him in from behind a curtain and all of us could rise and greet him, and this wonderful news of the new ministry he is taking on. He is not here because he winding things up in his diocese. In fact, I could not give you any advance word of his appointment because he met with his Standing Committee just yesterday to firm up the timetable for his departure. The diocese of Central Pennsylvania elected their new coadjutor just this past Saturday. And, interestingly enough, a priest of this diocese was elected: the Rev. Michael Creighton. It says something, doesn't it, about how closely we are all connected. When we pray for those whose lives are closely linked with ours, we aren't leaving many people out!
I have had in mind for some time, and shared with Council and with the staff, that our church would be very well served by a Chief Operating Officer empowered to act on my behalf, which is particularly needed given the emphasis I place in my ministry on being out and about in the church. Charlie will serve as my alter ego, my trusted friend and colleague. The Executive for Program and the Treasurer will report to Charlie and together they will make a strong team. I know Charlie will provide as well steady support and direction to the other staff.
After some preliminary conversations with Charlie and other staff, I have decided that the COO will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Church Center and field offices. In addition to his work directly related to the ministry of the Office of the Presiding Bishop, Charlie will have oversight on my behalf of the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief. I have discussed this with the chair of the Board, Ann Vest of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, and she is delighted about this turn of events. A letter announcing this appointment will go out tomorrow to the bishops and to the Board of the Presiding Bishop's Fund.
Over the next months Charlie will be taking time to meet the staff and become familiar with his new responsibilities. We expect that he will begin work in September.
Because of Charlie's reputation, the affection and respect in which he is held around the church, I know this is going to be welcome news. He is going to be a wonderful friend and companion along the way to all of us, and I anticipate having him sit once again at this table. So, keep Charlie and Alice in your prayers as they begin this chapter.
In this new ordering of things, the role of the treasurer's office will be limited to the traditional responsibilities. As of this time, I can share with you that four functions are going to be removed from the portfolio the treasurer and into the Office of the Presiding Bishop and will receive particular oversight by the Chief Operating Officer. They are: Mission Information Systems, which includes all of our data processing and computer functions, human resources, building services, and purchasing. I continue to look at the place of the Sherrill Resources Center and the Archives.
Charlie is getting a big job but he is going to get a lot of help, too. You all know what I think of the gifts and abilities of the Rev. Canon Richard Chang. He has been my right hand since Hawaii days, about 16 years. Now, he is going to be Charlie's right hand too, or maybe Charlie's left. The persons in those four areas I just mentioned -- MIS, human resources, building services and purchasing, will relate to the COO through Dick Chang, and these areas will benefit from his superb administrative skills.
I'm glad for the opportunity to share all of this with you today. We are coming together into some new days, new times, and -- I do believe -- great and good adventures. This is a new day friends. We have understood the facts. Now, let us claim together the deep truths of where God is in this with us.
I want to thank you, and so many others around the church, for your prayers and your support. I have felt these last months carried and supported by a great river of prayer, a great river carrying me more deeply into the truth of our life together.
On the flight from New York to Seattle last Thursday morning I read Morning Prayer and the lessons for that day. As is so often the case, in the sentences of scripture, I felt met and in touch with the living God. The verses that day, from Corinthians, hold a deep truth, a wonderful, beautiful, mysterious truth, of how God works in us.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
All through these last months I have been asking what for me is always the question. Where is God in all this? And, how, how am I made strong?
This last Sunday evening a few of us who were here for the diocesan visitation went with Vincent and Janice Warner to St. Mark's Cathedral for the service of Compline. We kind of slipped in incognito. This service has been going on every Sunday evening for the last forty years. You know perhaps that Seattle is a mecca for young people. Some of them are here working, or having adventures. Some are homeless. On Sunday evening they come to the Cathedral. They pack the Cathedral, filling the pews and overflowing to the floor. Then, in the darkened Cathedral, they listen, we all listen, to the chants written hundreds of years before they were born. There was something numinous in the experience. I felt so strongly around me the presence of God.
I knew I was sharing in something with these young people. I knew they had come there, been drawn there, in the hope and expectation of an encounter with the Holy. And so it was. In that darkened cathedral, I felt the presence of God.
Where is God in all of this? God is with the young people, heads bowed, who might not have been in church for some time, and might not be soon again. God is with them. God is with us. Now. All that is required of us is that we be faithful, attentive, watchful, obedient, and then, then, we will be led by the spirit of truth into all of the truth.