The Work is "Just Beginning" House of Bishops Engages in Conversation with Archbishop of Canterbury, Looks towards Mission
By Emily Cherry
September 21, 2007
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Conversation was the order of the day for the start of the House of Bishops meeting on September 20 and 21 at the InterContinental Hotel in New Orleans. Over 150 bishops from the Episcopal Church were joined by invited guests Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, four members of the Primates' Standing Committee and nine members of the Anglican Consultative Council's Standing Committee.
The private meetings included an exchange of ideas, as well as a set of working questions posed to the bishops by Archbishop Williams regarding their roles as bishops, and how they see themselves being able to provide appropriate pastoral care for the entire Church. Media briefer the Rt. Rev. John Rabb, bishop of the Diocese of Maryland, characterized the conversations as both "respectful" and "rich in content." The bishops' sessions will resume on Monday. "The work here is not finished," emphasized Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. "It is in fact just beginning."
No decision emerged regarding the hot-topic of the House of Bishops' response to the communiqué issued by the primates of the Anglican Communion after their February 2007 meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Among other issues, this communiqué requested that the Episcopal Church "make an unequivocal common covenant that the bishops will not authorize any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses or through General Convention" by September 30.
In a press conference on September 21, Archbishop Williams made clear that the requests of the communiqué were by no means an ultimatum. Any decisions made by the House of Bishops will be examined by the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates Joint Standing Committee and the Archbishop. "I hope these days will result in a constructive and fresh way forward for us all," said Archbishop Williams, making clear that he and his fellow bishops felt that "the need that we have for each other is very deep," adding, "I think it would be rather an admission of defeat if we said we were incapable of working together."
Bishops with a Mission
"Humanity renewed, restored, re-centered in God" was the theme of the evening at an ecumenical service for 2,000-plus attendees at the Morial Convention Center on September 20. To help achieve this renewal, restoration and re-centering, Bishop Jefferts Schori issued a challenge to each bishop prior to the meeting to bring a $10,000 contribution for the dioceses of Louisiana and Mississippi. Generous giving from Virginia Episcopalians in response to a request issued jointly by Bishop Lee, Bishop Johnston and Bishop Jones resulted in a gift double that amount. At the ecumenical service, each bishop processed to the front of the auditorium to present his or her donation, reaching a grand total of $931,000 for rebuilding homes and parishes.
Mission remains a crucial component of the bishops' gathering. On Saturday, September 22, the bishops will travel throughout the dioceses of Mississippi and Louisiana for a group workday. Bishop Lee is scheduled to work at St. Paul Homecoming Center, while Bishops Jones and Johnston will report to the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative."One of the greatest privileges of being here has been the chance to see something of the quite outstanding work being done by the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana in the ongoing work of social reconstruction in a city still deeply scarred by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina two years ago," said Archbishop Williams.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, jazz musician Irvin Mayfield's father, Irvin Mayfield Sr., was reported as one of those missing. When his body was found, his son retired a song that he had played for his father while he was missing. On Thursday evening, Irvin Mayfield took "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" out of retirement for the bishops and attendees present at the ecumenical worship service. Playing a unique trumpet created to honor the memory of his father, the Elysian Trumpet, Mr. Mayfield and his quartet closed the evening, inspiring a procession of attendees to dance through aisles, throw their handkerchiefs in the air and sing "When the Saints go Marching in," making the evening a uniquely New Orleans-style celebration. As Bishop Charles Jenkins of the Diocese of Louisiana said, "I told the archbishop that the only thing Elizabethan about this service tonight would be him."
