What is happening around the Diocese, Province, and wider church? Find out in the May enewsletter.
Gathering on Sacred Ground: Recording and Resources
Warm greetings to all who registered for Gathering on Sacred Ground, with Presiding Bishop Curry!
We are so grateful to all the participants and facilitators who shared their Sacred Ground stories, grateful for the poetry and the song, and grateful to the Presiding Bishop for blessing us and calling us forward. We are also deeply moved by how many of you registered: 4121! – and that approximately 3200 of you attended or watched the simultaneous livestream on YouTube (many more since). We are indeed living members of the Jesus Movement!
You can find and share the event recording on the main page of The Episcopal Church website as well as the main Sacred Ground page. Stay tuned for a closed captioned version of the recording and for an FAQ that responds to your most popular questions posed during the gathering. In addition, check out this wonderful story about the gathering in the Episcopal News Service.
The program leaflet is here, including the Litany of Repentance and prayers for racial justice, with sources listed (find more on the Religious Resources page of the Sacred Ground webpages). The Sacred Ground Is… poem created by the Trinity Church Santa Barbara circle is here.
Weblinks related to the gathering are listed below:
Support The Episcopal Church’s work for racial reconciliation, healing and justice - The Episcopal Church is very pleased to offer this curriculum at no charge… and, if you are inspired and touched by the work and are in a position to make a gift to help it grow, here is the link.
Episcopal Asset Map - This map shows the hundreds of locations across the Church that have registered a Sacred Ground circle
Becoming Beloved Community Where You Are Resource - The best place to start when discerning “What comes next?” after Sacred Ground and where God is calling you in the lifelong journey toward truth, healing and justice
Becoming Beloved Community – The Episcopal Church’s vision for racial healing, reconciliation and justice, plus resources, curricula and more
Racial Justice Audit and upcoming webinars - The Racial Justice Audit surveyed Episcopal Church leaders about their experiences of racism, racial identity, and power in the life of our church. – read the audit and attend the upcoming webinars to learn more
From Many, One - Conversations Across Difference is a campaign inviting Episcopalians and our neighbors to engage in one-to-one listening and sharing across the many differences that separate us.
Register for FREE tickets to the May 22 Concert for the Human Family – This inspiring virtual event will include the postlude song (“Welcome to the Show” by Kory Caudill and Wordsmith), “From Many, One” conversations across difference, and a post-concert conversation with Presiding Bishop Curry and guests
Social Justice and Advocacy - Episcopal resources and events on community organizing and working for justice that take us “from the pews to the public square”.
Summary of Anti-racism and Dismantling Racism Trainings - select list of trainings by groups familiar with the Episcopal Church
Finally, a few statistics that may be of interest: of the 4121 registrants,
720 were facilitators
3013 were participants
432 have been both participant and facilitator
235 were from other denominations/faiths (highest #’s: Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian)
In closing, we loved bearing witness to the growing community building around Sacred Ground. May there continue to be ripples of spirit that bring us closer to God’s and our dream of beloved community. After the event Katrina was out for a walk and saw someone wearing a T-shirt that said “Teamwork for Dream work.”
May it be so!
Webinar Recording:
Watch the webinar recording on the Episcopal Church website here. We will also let you know when a more accessible version with closed captions is available.
Thanks again,
Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers
Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation Care
Katrina Browne
Sacred Ground Curriculum Developer
Consultant, Becoming Beloved Community
Phoebe Chatfield
Associate for Creation Care and Justice
Presiding Bishop's Office
For more information on how to engage with issues of racial justice and reconciliation, check out The Episcopal Church Becoming Beloved Community webpage.
From email sent from sacredground@episcopalchurch.org on May 4, 2021.
Giving Is Worship: Stewardship Ministry Workshop Resources
Thank you to all that participated in the Giving in Worship workshop. It was a great evening with a presentation by Carrie Wilson, stewardship chair at Holy Family (Angola) on how to make the most of the TENS resources. We were also privileged to have the executive director of TENS, Davey Gerhard, deliver our keynote for the evening. A recording of the workshop and links to the slide decks presented are linked below for those that were unable to attend the workshop and those that attended but want to review the content.
Giving is Worship Zoom Recording
First Annual Earth Day Event Resources
Thank you to all who participated in the Creation Care Commission presents: First Annual Earth Day Event!
Below are links to some resources discussed today.
Place Matters: Reflections on Place and the Armenian Genocide - A version of The Rev. Dr. Nate Warne’s talk that was published today.
Upcoming events
Stay connected!
Giving Is Worship: Stewardship Ministry Workshop
Date: April 28
Time: 6:30-8 p.m. (EDT)
Where: Zoom
It's never too early to start thinking about your annual giving campaign. Join the Faithful Stewards Commission and the ONES Network for this workshop on how to make the most of the TENS resources, led by Carrie Wilson, the stewardship chair at Holy Family (Angola). Following a time of Q&A, the executive director of TENS, Davey Gerhard, will deliver a keynote on "Giving is Worship."
Episcopal eNews for April 2021
There is a lot happening in the Diocese and the wider church this month! Learn more about them in our Episcopal eNews for April 2021.
Pastoral Plan Update for In-Person Worship (March 2021)
28 March 2021
Dear Sisters, Brothers, Siblings,
Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One!
After several conversations with Dr. Greg Poland, a vaccinologist and infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, and in consultation with our missioners, I have decided to amend our Pastoral Plan for In-person Worship. These accommodations were shared with Clergy and Lay Leaders during our ZOOM Call on Wednesday, 24 March. A Summary Notes document from Dr. Poland was also shared with the Clergy and Lay Leaders.
I would like to identify the protocols that remain in place for all in-person worship:
Any person not feeling well, experiencing symptoms including fever, coughing, sneezing, is asked to remain at home, consider getting a COVID 19 test and if necessary, call your health care provider.
Continue physical distancing of 6 feet.
Well ventilated space.
25% of full capacity
Appropriate masks worn properly.
Having hand sanitizer available.
Continued contact tracing.
For those faith communities that have chosen to offer in-person worship, it is important to underscore that a hybrid experience of in-person and virtual worship should continue to be offered so that everyone connected to your faith community may join in worship.
Another adaptation that has been made is the opportunity for 4 to 8 people in a choir to sing in-person physically distanced and properly masked, in the setting of 25 % of full capacity in a well-ventilated space. Those gathered for in-person worship, observing the protocols above, can sing softly while properly masked. You are also encouraged to continue to check the State of Indiana Coronavirus Dashboard on a weekly basis.
An updated checklist can be found here. If you have any questions, please contact me or one of our missioners. We stand ready to continue to support you in any way we can.
Lastly, I give thanks to God for all those who have given of themselves, in so many ways, during this pandemic. I also encourage you to get vaccinated and if you have questions or concerns, discuss them with your health care provider. COVID 19 fatigue is real, even with the availability of the COVID 19 vaccines, we must remain diligent in attending to these safety protocols.
Be assured of my prayer and support. Please thank your clergy and lay leaders for their good work on your behalf.
This comes with a brother’s love…
Doug
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
VIII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana
Resources:
Download the Revised COVID-19 Regathering Checklist (Rev. 3/28/21)
Questions to consider when planning to safely regather in-person (Rev. 3/28/21)
Listen to the recording of the Clergy/Lay Leader Zoom call from March 24, 2021
Summary notes from Bishop Doug’s conversation with Dr. Greg Poland
Composting 101 Workshop with Master Gardener Jo Cimoch
The EDNIN Creation Care Commission and the Cathedral of Saint James are excited to welcome Master Gardener Jo Cimoch to give a Zoom workshop on composting on May 2, at 1:30 pm (EDT). Jo has been composting for years and will be a tremendous asset to those looking to learn how to make better use of what some of us may have thought to be 'waste' over the past decades. Join us to learn how your table scraps can be both a valuable addition to your garden and a great way to reduce waste and pollution.
Two composting kits will be given away during this Zoom workshop!
Registration is required. Sign up here.
Questions? Email Steven Slaubaugh
Indiana Bishops Oppose Elimination of Gun Licenses
On March 9, Bishop Doug Sparks and Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows sent the following letter to Governor Eric Holcomb urging the opposition of House Bill 1369. A copy of the letter was sent to all members of the Indiana Senate.
Dear Governor Holcomb:
The Indiana House recently passed House Bill 1369, which would eliminate the need for citizens of our state to obtain a license in order to carry a handgun. This is an ill-considered piece of legislation that will make our state a more dangerous place to live, and we urge you and the members of the Indiana Senate to oppose it.
Evidence from across our country confirms that states with stricter gun laws experience fewer gun deaths. Yet the House is proposing to get rid of a law that helps to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them, even as gun violence in our state is on the rise.
Indiana’s rate of gun deaths increased 30 percent from 2010 to 2019, compared to a 17 percent increase nationwide, according to data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of gun suicides increased 19 percent during that same period, compared to a 13 percent increase nationwide, and the rate of gun homicides increased by an alarming 57 percent compared to a 26 percent increase nationwide.
These are alarming statistics, but they don’t tell the whole story. This escalating violence takes a particular toll on our most vulnerable communities. Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children and teens in our state. It wreaks vastly disproportionate devastation on communities of color, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, it poses a singular danger to domestic violence victims who may not be able to flee their gun-owning abusers, and to people struggling with mental health issues.
If passed, House Bill 1369 would also intensify the danger faced by law enforcement officers across our state. And that, no doubt, is why it is strongly opposed by the Indiana State Police.
We Hoosiers are hardy people, and we do not expect our elected officials to solve all of our problems for us. But we should be able to rely on the state legislature not to make our state more violent and not to place its people at greater risk.
We are participants in Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a network of more than 100 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence in the United States. We acknowledge the importance of Second Amendment rights, but we object when those rights are understood so broadly that vulnerable people are put at risk. The current handgun licensing law does not present an undue burden on gun ownership, and our state will be safer if we keep it on the books.
We strongly urge you to oppose this legislation.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
Bishop of Indianapolis
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
Bishop of Northern Indiana
Cc: Members of the Indiana State Senate
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks Bishop of Northern Indiana
Episcopal eNews for March 2021
Click the link to view the Episcopal eNewsletter for March 2021.
Town Hall for Parents of Episcopal Youth Campers - March 27
Saturday, March 27, 2 p.m. (EST)
Parents of all current 2nd-8th graders!! We are excited to announce that plans for the 2021 EDNIN Kids Summer Camp are well on their way. As with most events this year, things will be slightly different, but we are doing everything we can to make sure we have a safe, successful, IN PERSON camp experience for your kids. In order to better communicate with those thinking of sending their kids to camp this summer, the camp directors will be holding a Town Hall to answer any questions that you have and let you know about some of the changes your kids might see at camp this year. To register for this Zoom meeting, click HERE. You will be able to submit your questions when you register for the meeting. Before you register, please review the Covid protocols we have already established for this summer's camp. You can find them HERE. We are looking forward to another great summer camp and can't wait to see everyone!
2021 Episcopal Youth Camp Staff Application
Dear Camp Staff Applicant,
We’d love to know if you’re interested in being on staff for this wonderful week! Once again this year we are using an electronic application. Please note that you will need to fill out the application in one sitting as there is not a way to save it and return, but it is short, so you should be OK. If you’d prefer to print and mail the application, please feel free to simply go to the application site and print and fill it out by hand. Please complete the staff application by April 1, 2021. We plan to be in touch with everyone by April 15 to let you know whether we can use your gifts at camp this year – and with luck, be able to give you an idea of where you may be working. As you consider your ability to take part in this wonderful ministry, here are some important dates to consider.
June 13-19: Please plan on clearing your schedule for the full week of camp. While emergencies can arise in anyone’s schedule, please start out planning on being there for the whole week – it is best for our campers and our camp community.
May 23: First mandatory pre-camp staff meeting via zoom starting at 2 p.m. EST
June 6: Second mandatory pre-camp staff meeting via zoom starting at 2 p.m. EST
June 13: New Staff Orientation 9:30 a.m. EST, All Staff Eucharist 11 a.m. EST
For staff applicants that have children planning to attend camp, you will be asked to pay a discounted fee of $150.00 per child. If this cost is prohibitive to you, we ask you to start by asking your parish for assistance. However, please do not hesitate to contact us as well.
Camper registration will be online and will be available at ednin.org/episcopal-youth-camp. Campers from previous years will receive postcards directing them to register online. Parishes will be asked to include the camp dates and info in the weekly announcements and bulletins. As our active camp supporters, please check with your rector to make sure that the information is available in your parish. Sharing your camp experiences with others can also encourage new campers to attend! Thank you all for prayerfully considering being a part of this amazing time for our youth.
If you have any questions or need more information, please email us at episcopalcamp@ednin.org or call Cindy at (260) 348-7061, Megan at (260) 515-1888, or Jodi & Daniel at (574) 226-6347.
In Christ,
Cindy, Daniel, Jodi & Megan
Camp Directors
Spring is arriving and with it a new year of Good News Gardens ministry
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Curry describes Good News Gardens as “A way of planting seeds for a new heaven and a new earth,” in this video invitation to join with others in this transformational agrarian ministry that feeds body, mind, and spirit. Good News Gardens is a church-wide movement of individuals, congregations, schools, colleges, seminaries, monasteries, camps and conference centers involved in a variety of food and creation care ministries – gardening, farming, beekeeping, composting, gleaning, feeding, and food justice advocacy. Collectively good news gardeners share their abundance, their prayers, and the Way of Love in their communities and beyond.
“Our call as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement is to follow Jesus Christ and his way of love, growing in faith and action, in order that we can bear witness to his way of love in and for the world,” said Jerusalem Greer, Episcopal Church staff officer for evangelism, “And we believe that one place we can bear witness to this love is through our relationship with the land. We believe that when we commit to planting more (be it beehives or herb gardens), praying more (with our words and our deeds), and proclaiming more (through our stories and our bounty) in order to share the loving, liberating, and life-giving Good News of God’s love with all people, we will find ourselves, our church, and our world transformed. Good News Gardens offers individuals, congregations, and dioceses a way to join in this transformation work intentionally.”
The benefits of joining Good News Gardens include a monthly newsletter, community support via the Agrarian Ministries of the Episcopal Church Facebook Group, and invitations to monthly gatherings and digital workshops, including “How to Host a Community Garden Training.” Available on demand, this introductory community garden workshop is hosted by Derrick Weston, manager of the Rockrose Community Farm, Baltimore, Maryland and co-host of the Food and Faith Podcast and Pat Munts, small-farm and acreage coordinator for Washington State University (WSU) Spokane County Extension and the Spokane Conservation District, Spokane, Washington.
Joining Greer in this ministry is Brian Sellers-Petersen who has joined the evangelism and creation care team as the Good News Gardens consultant and is shepherding a large portion of the community engagement. Sellers-Petersen, author of Harvesting Abundance: Local Initiatives of Food and Faith, also currently serves as agrarian missioner for the Diocese of Olympia in Washington state and senior advisor to the Society for the Increase of the Ministry based in New York. He is also a member of the General Convention Task Force on Creation Care and Environmental Racism. Most of Sellers-Petersen’s career has been with international relief and development organizations including 18 years with Episcopal Relief & Development. He lives in Roslyn, Washington in the Diocese of Spokane and is a member of the Church of the Resurrection.
“Brian Sellers Peterson has done more to teach me about our call as stewards of land, environment, and nature than any single person I have known,” said the Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, “He has the knowledge, but more than that, the passion for this connection. Through that passion and skill, he has helped transform our culture here in Olympia, with gardens, bees, connection, and advocacy. We need a lot of good news right now, and Good News Gardens is just that, with some amazing practical implications for our Church and our world.”
To join Good News Gardens, view last season’s workshops, or to find out more information, visit: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/good-news-gardens/.
Questions about the program? Email Good News Gardens or call Greer at 212-716-6219.
-Information from press release sent by The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs
Episcopal Church Toolkit for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations has put together a toolkit for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. This toolkit is designed as a compilation of ideas and educational resources to help your local Episcopal Church work with the government to help end this pandemic. Churches and church leaders (lay and ordained) can serve as important trusted bridges between public health officials and congregations.
The following information is provided:
Background
10 Actions to Help Everyone Get Vaccinated
Government COVID-19 and Vaccine Rollout Plan
Vaccine Hesitancy
Additional Resources
Sample Message to Your Congregation or Ministry
State-by-state COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Information
Absalom Jones 2021
The Feast of Absalom Jones
In the video below, Bishop Doug Sparks remembers the life, witness, and ministry of Absalom Jones, the first Black priest in The Episcopal Church. You can read more about Absalom Jones in the 2018 edition of Lesser Feasts and Fasts.
Service of Morning Prayer to Commemorate the Feast of Absalom Jones
Saturday, February 13, 2021
11/10 a.m. (EST/CST)
Christ Church Cathedral (Indianapolis) will host the annual Service of Morning Prayer to commemorate the Feast of Absalom Jones. The service will be broadcast on the YouTube-Live Channel ,the Cathedral Facebook page and website. Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows will preside, and Bishop Deon Johnson of the Diocese of Missouri will preach.
The Episcopal Church’s annual Feast of Absalom Jones commemorates a man who was born into slavery in 1746 in Delaware and worked for eight years to buy his wife’s freedom so that their children would be free. His master refused to allow him to purchase his own freedom, but in 1784 granted him a manumission. A gifted lay preacher, Jones led the founding of the Free African Society, a mutual aid benevolent organization in Philadelphia that became the first black Episcopal church in the United States. He was also a lay leader at a white-led church in Philadelphia until the church’s leaders forced segregation during worship. He was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1804.
Episcopal eNews for February 2021
Letter from Bishop Doug - COVID 19 Vaccine
Dear Sisters, Brothers, Siblings,
Grace and peace be with you in Jesus, the Light for all people!
I am writing to encourage every person in our diocese who is able to receive the COVID 19 Vaccine...to consider getting vaccinated. I'm confident in the research that developed the vaccines and grateful to God for the scientists along with the thousands of people who offered themselves for the clinical trials these last many months...so that we, members of the human family in this nation and throughout the world, could receive a life-saving vaccine. I know there may be some who may be concerned about taking the vaccine. If you are, I encourage you to talk with your healthcare provider, share your concerns so that they can be addressed by medical professionals you trust. I often invoke the Anglican principle...All may, None must and Some should...in addressing questions and important decisions in our common life. I am encouraging you to consider this principle at this crucial time in our common life as well. Glory to God whose power working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus, forever and ever. Amen! This comes with a brother's love.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
VIII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana
Episcopal Public Policy Network Action Alert: Support Statehood for D.C.
The United States, an international beacon of freedom and democracy, is the only democracy in the world that does not allow voting representation for its capital city in the national legislature. In a representative democracy, we see our Christian values of respecting the dignity of every human being reflected. One way we can honor the dignity of all is to grant equal rights, including the right to vote.
The District of Columbia, our nation’s capital, is home to more than 700,000 residents, a population greater than Vermont and Wyoming. According to data from the Census Bureau, nearly half the population of the District of Columbia is Black or African American followed by non-Hispanic White (37.5%), Hispanic or Latino (11.3%), and Asian (4.5%), making the district one of only a handful of majority-minority jurisdictions in America. D.C. residents have fought and died in every war since the founding of the republic, and more than 26,000 veterans reside in the federal district today.
The Episcopal Church’s 77th General Convention expressed support for the rights of D.C. residents in the strongest terms. The Episcopal Church views D.C. representation as a matter of justice. The U.S. government taxes D.C. residents without providing them with voting representation in Congress. Statehood is the only way this injustice can be remedied.
That is why The Episcopal Church strongly supports H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, sponsored by D.C.’s Congresswoman, the Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton. H.R. 51 would admit D.C. to the union as the 51st state, while carving out the immediate area around the White House, the National Mall, and the Capitol complex as “the Capital” to preserve the most immediately relevant areas of D.C. for federal government purposes.
By passing H.R. 51 Congress can right a longstanding constitutional wrong, address a lingering racial injustice (given D.C.’s majority-minority demographics), and further our founding mandate to build a more perfect union. We urge you to contact your representative and senators and urge them to support H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.
In Case You Missed It
Statement on President Biden’s Day One Actions
Upcoming Events
Democracy and Faith Under Siege: Responding to Christian Nationalism w/ Presiding Bishop Curry
Wed., Jan. 27, 4:30pm EST - Register here
Congress Weekly: EPPN Network Call
Thurs., Jan. 28, 1:00-1:30pm EST - Register here
Bishops Urge People to Stay Away from Inauguration Protests
January 13, 2021
Dear People of God:
Earlier this week, the FBI warned that armed protests are being planned for Washington D.C. and all 50 state capitals sometime between Saturday, January 16, and the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20. As your bishops, we write today imploring you to stay away from these protests and any counter-protests that might occur.
In these perilous times, when public demonstrations carry significant risk of both violence and exposure to COVID-19, we believe that God calls us to exercise both our Christian witness and our civic responsibility in ways that promote peace and safety. Between now and Inauguration Day, we can best follow our vocation to be peacemakers by staying away from places where harm could come to God’s people.
Staying home does not, however, mean staying silent. We hope that all people of goodwill will join us in raising our voices to support our country’s democracy, letting our elected officials know that we are praying for them, particularly in the aftermath of last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol. Whether you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent, please let your elected officials know that you cherish our representative democracy and our pursuit of a more perfect union, and that you expect that those who are found responsible for last week’s violence to be held accountable. The Episcopal Church has a robust witness in Washington D.C., and the Episcopal Public Policy Network provides all of us with opportunities to advocate for peace, justice and the dignity of every human being. You can join the network online.
Most of all, in the coming days, we ask you to pray. This collect from the Book of Common Prayer holds particular meaning as we seek to face the days ahead with courage, wisdom, and grace:
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas E. Sparks
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana
The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
The Rt. Rev. Matt Gunter
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac
The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
The Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
The Rt. Rev. Shannon MacVean-Brown
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Vermont
The Rt. Rev. Kevin D. Nichols
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Bonnie Perry Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
The Rt. Rev. William D. Persell
Assisting Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
The Rt. Rev. Ken Price
Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio
The Rt. Rev. Rayford Ray
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan
The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe
Bishop, Episcopal Dioceses of Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania
The Rt. Rev. Arthur B. Williams, Jr.
Assisting Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
Presiding Bishop Curry’s Word to the Church: Who shall we be?
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has issued the following Word to the Church.
A transcript of the statement follows:
And now in the name of our loving, liberating, and life-giving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
In another time of national crisis, another time of danger for our nation, in 1865 on March the fourth, Abraham Lincoln concluded his second inaugural address with these words:
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.
Lincoln knew in that moment, in the moment of a national crisis, a moment of great danger, that such a moment was a moment of decision, when a nation, when a people must decide who shall we be? What kind of nation, what kind of people shall we be? A hundred years later, Martin Luther King faced the same reality. Who shall we be? The civil rights movement was waning. The great victories that had been won had been won. And yet now questions of poverty and economic despair and disparities raised an awesome specter on the nation. We were at war.
We were at war in another country, but there was war on our streets. The nation was deeply divided. Cities burned. There were riots. Riots at national conventions of political parties. The future of the nation was in question, and it was at that time that Dr. King realized that in moments of danger, a decision must be made. And he titled his last book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community. I believe as he believed, as Abraham Lincoln believed, as I believe you believe, that we must choose community. Chaos is not an option. Community is our only hope.
The truth is Dr. King spoke often of all that he did and labored for was for the purpose of realizing as much of the Beloved Community of God as it is possible on this earth. He spoke of Beloved Community, the Bible, the New Testament, Jesus spoke of the kingdom or the reign of God. Jesus taught us to pray, and to work, and to labor for that Beloved Community, that reign of God's love in our time and in our world, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth just as it is in heaven. Those are our marching orders from Jesus himself.
I am a follower of Jesus of Nazareth because I believe that his way of love and his way of life is the way of life for us all. I believe that unselfish, sacrificial love, love that seeks the good and the welfare and the well-being of others, as well as the self, that this is the way that can lead us and guide us to do what is just, to do what is right, to do what is merciful. It is the way that can lead us beyond the chaos to community.
Now, I know full well that this may to some sound naive, to others, idealistic, and I understand that. And yet, I want to submit that the way of love that leads to beloved community is the only way of hope for humanity. Consider the alternative. The alternative is chaos, not community. The alternative is the abyss of anarchy, of chaos, of hatred, of bigotry, of violence, and that alternative is unthinkable. We have seen nightmarish visions of that alternative. We saw it in Charlottesville just a few years ago when neo-Nazis marched through the streets of an American city, chanting, "Jews will not replace us." That alternative is unthinkable. We saw it in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where a public safety officer knelt with his knee on the neck of another human being. A child of God, just like he was, and snuffed out the breath of life that God gave him. The alternative is unthinkable.
And we have seen it this past Wednesday, when a monument to democracy, the Capitol of the United States of America was desecrated and violated with violence by vandals. Lives were lost. A nation was wounded. Democracy itself was threatened. My brothers and sisters, this way of love that Jesus taught us when he said, "Love the Lord your God, and your neighbor as yourself." This way of love that Moses taught even before Jesus. This way of unselfish, sacrificial love, it is the way to redeem a nation, to save a world. It is the way of hope for us all. But do not make the mistake of thinking that I speak of a sentimental and emotional love.
Jesus spoke of love most consistently the closer he got to the cross. This way of love is the way of sacrifice, the way of unselfishness, the way of selflessness, that seeks the good of the other as well as the self. And that is the way of the cross, which is the way of life. And if you don't believe me, ask another apostle of love. Not Dr. King, not Abraham Lincoln, ask Archbishop Tutu. Ask one who has given his life for the cause of God's love in the way of Jesus. Ask him; ask Nelson Mandela in your mind. Ask them what love looks like. They knew that the way of love was the only way that could guide South Africa from what could have become a bloody nightmare and civil war to the way that could build a nation.
And it was not sentimental. Remember truth and reconciliation. They had to face painful truths. They had to do what was just and what was merciful. They had to do what the prophet Micah said, that the motivation and the guide was love. Archbishop Tutu said this:
Love, forgiving, and being reconciled to our enemies or our loved ones is not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about patting one another on the back or turning a blind eye to the wrong. True reconciliation exposes the awfulness of the abuse, the hurt, the truth. It could even sometimes make things worse for a while. It is a risky undertaking but in the end it is worthwhile, because in the end only an honest confrontation with reality can bring forth real healing. Superficial reconciliation only brings superficial healing.
This is the way of love that can heal our hurts, that can heal our land, that can help us to become one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. So, I would ask you to do two things. I'm asking you to make a commitment, a renewed commitment, to live the way of love as Jesus has taught us and to do it by making a commitment to go out and bless somebody. Bless somebody you disagree with. Bless somebody you agree with. But to go out and bless somebody by helping somebody along the way. Go out and bless somebody by listening to their story and their life. To go out and be an instrument of God's peace, an agent of God's love.
And then I would ask you to pray. Pray for this nation but pray with some specificity. Pray that we may have the wisdom and the courage to love.
God of grace and God of glory,
on thy people pour thy pow’r.
Crown thine ancient church’s story,
bring her bud to glorious flow’r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour
- Harry Emerson Fosdick, God of Grace and God of Glory
With malice toward none, with charity toward all. With firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right. Let us strive to finish the work, the work that we are in. To bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan. To do all which may achieve and cherish, a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
God love you. God bless you. And may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.