March 28, 2007

Bishop's Letter

Dear Friends,

As I travel around the Diocese in the springtime, I see evidence everywhere of a church that is alive and focusing on the new life that is available in the risen Christ.  We will emphasize that new life in a number of events that are coming up soon.

            At 11:00 a.m., on Maundy Thursday, April 5, 2007, clergy will renew their ordination vows and join at a special service of the Holy Eucharist that will include the blessing of oils.  Bishop Jones will preside at one service at that hour at Emmanuel Church, Brook Hill, Richmond, and I will preside at the same time at St. Luke’s Church, Alexandria.  This annual emphasis on the ministry we share is an important way of uniting us in Christ’s service.

            Then, on Saturday, April 21, 2007, we will gather at two sites for supplemental services of confirmation.  Bishop Jones will preside at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Burke, and I will preside at St. Mary’s Church, Richmond, both services at 11:00 a.m.  Two weeks later, at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, May 5, 2007, I will preside at the supplemental confirmation service in the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration in Orkney Springs.  I hope you will encourage people in your congregations to join in these three special services. 

            Monday through Wednesday, May 7-9, 2007, I am inviting the Clergy of the diocese, lay professionals employed in churches, and their spouses to our traditional conference at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs.  The keynoter of the conference is the Very Rev. Robert Willis, the Dean of Canterbury.  Presiding over the mother church of the Anglican Communion, Dean Willis has a particular vision of the breadth of our communion and we will be blessed to have him there.

            The ties that bind us across the world to our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion are far more than organizational.  There are international groups focusing on peace and justice, on ministry among women, on development in the world’s poorest nations, and on youth work.  It is important to stress these ties, especially when there is controversy at the institutional level.  Last week, I wrote you about the decision of the House of Bishops to recommend to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church that we not participate in the so called “Pastoral Scheme” outlined in the Primates’ Communiqué issued in Tanzania in February because we felt such a scheme violated the integrity of the Episcopal Church.  We also emphasized in our response that we were eager to share with brothers and sisters in the worldwide communion, to remain in communion with them, and to share our experiences as we live out our obedience to Christ in our own context.  Later in May, the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops will issue a study guide for people of the Episcopal Church to participate in a discussion of some of the issues raised in the Primates’ Communiqué so that our responses to the Primates by late September can be informed by what our own people think after prayerful consideration.  

            The Easter season celebrates new life in Christ.  I see signs of that new life across our diocese and across the world, and thank God for those signs.

Faithfully,

Peter James Lee