[Episopal Church Office of Public Affairs press release] Plans are well underway for the Episcopal Church’s General Convention in 2015, and the triennial event won’t be business as usual.

The 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church will be held June 25-July 3, 2015 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah (Diocese of Utah).

The Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, Executive Officer of the General Convention, explained, “General Convention 2015 will not be ‘business as usual’ for the General Convention of The Episcopal Church, and not just because the Church will be selecting a Presiding Bishop and considering what a ‘re-imagined’ Church might be. It will also be the gathering of a Church dedicated to continuing to reducing its carbon footprint, while using innovative software and technology to streamline its legislative work and improve on its efficiencies.”

Barlowe noted that Salt Lake City has long been known for its conservation efforts, in part because of its location but also as a result of recent development and growth.  As such, General Convention Manager Lori Ionnitiu plans to combine local efforts with continuing work towards the “greenest convention ever”.

“There are so many wonderful initiatives occurring in Salt Lake City,” Ionnitiu noted. “Last May, the Salt Palace Convention Center completed one of the largest rooftop solar installations in the country which offsets about 17% of the annual electrical needs. In addition to established plans at the Center for waste reduction, recycling and diversion, water quality and consumption, and air quality, Salt Lake County has a ‘One Million Tree Program’ in place to assist in offsetting the carbon footprint of travelers.”

A “Convention of Screens”

The Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements and the General Convention Office are focusing on efforts to make GC 2015 as paperless as possible, and to reduce reliance on paper copies and improve legislative efficiencies.

The Rev. David Michaud, Diocese of Easton and advisor in the revision of legislative software and systems, calls GC 2015 a “convention of screens”.  To that end, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and video monitors will be the primary media of legislative materials, and for the first time, there will be no large, dedicated print shop. This “convention of screens” will be made possible by a robust Wi-Fi system, which will be available for the first time on the floors of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops.

Preparing for GC 2015
Barlowe terms these efforts “the greening and screening” of General Convention, and says this “represents but two aspects of the adaptive changes that will make GC 2015 different from previous conventions.”

In the months leading up to GC 2015, communications, training and an Episcopal MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) are in the works to prepare the church for General Convention.

Deputies, bishops, volunteers, vendors, visitors, and all those planning to attend GC 2015 are encouraged to take their part in reducing the carbon footprint.  Ideas and suggestions will be part of the pre-convention information and education.

GC 2015 registration: Bishops and Deputies $495 per person. For more information, contact Ionnitiu at Lionnitiu@episcopalchurch.org, 212-716-6048

A series of updates posted on the diocesan website confirmed that the surgery went well, with no complications, and that Shaw moved out of the intensive care unit on May 18 and “was up and walking.”

Shaw offered gratitude “for the prayers for him, for his Society of St. John the Evangelist community and for the diocese, and asks for continued prayers.”

The Rev. Canon Mally Lloyd, canon to the ordinary, wrote that more will be known “in a week or so” as to whether any further treatment is necessary.

“Bishop Tom and all of us feel the unexpectedness of this, but please know that he has confidence in his doctors and was well prepared for the surgery,” wrote Lloyd, who spent time with the bishop pre-surgery at the hospital and said he “was in good spirits, was engaged with the ongoing matters of diocesan life and, as always, his faith and confidence were contagious.”

In January Shaw, 67, called for the election of a bishop coadjutor in April 2014 to succeed him when he retires. The diocese anticipates ordaining and consecrating the coadjutor in the fall of 2014 and Shaw said he would spend time working with the new bishop before he retires. That date had not been determined at the time of the announcement. Shaw is in his 19^th year as bishop.

Randy Alexander comes to Immanuel from Christ Church in Pelham, NY, an historic church in Westchester County on the Long Island Sound, where he has served as Rector since 2000.  In 2012, he was one of six candidates for Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Virginia.

Previously, Randy served as Priest Associate at Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, London, England; as Assistant Rector at St. Paul’s Church, Baltimore, MD; and as Curate at St. John’s Church in Larchmont, NY. Randy is a graduate of the University of Virginia and General Theological Seminary in New York City.

He is married to the Rev. Patricia Phaneuf Alexander, a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, who serves as Upper and Middle School Chaplain at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, MD. The Alexanders have three young sons: William, Peter and Andrew.

“Immanuel Church on the Hill is a vibrant worship community known locally for the colorful bounty of pumpkins that fills our churchyard the month of October in support of our outreach goals in both Northern Virginia and abroad,” says Senior Warden Constance Kurz. “We celebrate excellence in preaching, worship and music, as well as an abiding love of learning and discussion for all ages, stemming from our deep roots at the seminary. Randy’s considerable gifts as a priest and his broad experience will serve us well as we look forward to ‘heading up the hill’ in 2015 to our second worship space, the new Immanuel Chapel rising on the seminary grounds.”

The Vestry and members of Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill hope the extended Alexandria community will join them in welcoming Randy and his family.  Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill is an Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia, affiliated with Virginia Theological Seminary, and its Zabriskie Chapel is located at 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA.

The conference, centering on the theme Flourish in Faith, is designed to offer congregational and diocesan stewardship teams the theological, scriptural and practical aspects of stewardship information and annual giving.

Keynote presenters include J. Clif Christopher, well-known author of Not Your Parents Offering Plate and Rich Church Poor Church, and Bishop Bruce Caldwell, retired bishop of the Diocese of Wyoming. In addition, sixteen workshops will be offered on topics that range from capital campaign readiness to stewardship in Latino congregations.

This year, the opening worship, three plenary addresses and four workshops will be broadcast to the wider church through a webcast registration fee. “We envision people gathering in parish halls and parishioner’s homes to explore, engage and enrich their own stewardship journey and the stewardship practices of their congregations—from Portland, Oregon to Portland Maine and everywhere in between,” explained the Rev. Laurel Johnston, Executive Director of TENS. Johnston, past member of the TENS Board of Directors since 2009, has been named Executive Director for TENS. Previously, Johnston served as the Program Officer for Stewardship for The Episcopal Church.

Under a grant program approved by General Convention 2012 in the churchwide budget and designed to strengthen partnerships with ministry organizations, The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) awarded TENS a grant sufficient to hire Johnston for a period of three years.  DFMS will also provide additional partnership support through human resources, information technology, and collaborative initiatives.

“Laurel brings extensive experience in fundraising as well as well-developed theology of money and stewardship,” commented JR Lander, President of the TENS Board of Directors.  “She will invest considerable time in cultivating resources both in terms of monetary gifts and in kind support from long time partners such as the Episcopal Church Foundation.”

Conference and registration is available here.

For more information contact Johnston, ljohnston@tens.org.

The enthronement of Bishop of Mpwapwa Jacob Erasto Chimeledya was described by one church worker as “like a dream” because of the number of dignitaries in attendance. These included the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and his wife Caroline.

Other notable guests at the service included the primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Most Rev. Eliud Wabukala, and representatives from other Anglican provinces, including Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. As Dodoma is the country’s political capital, the service was also attended by many government leaders including the president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete.

Chimeledya did not pass the opportunity to speak to the country’s political leaders. He urged the government to take action against those guilty of “hate speech,” especially the traditional media and those who publish comments online. With particular reference to the relationship between Muslims and Christians he asked Tanzanians not simply to tolerate one another, but respect each other. “We only tolerate an enemy, not our fellow citizens,” he said.

The archbishop also announced a plan by the Anglican Church of Tanzania to begin a new micro-finance bank that will support small business enterprises in the country, and he appealed to the government to support the church in its efforts to address people’s needs. During the service, Kikwete did commit his support to the church’s many programs throughout its dioceses.

This cooperation between church and state was welcomed by Bishop John Lupaa of the Diocese of the Rift Valley, as was Welby’s presence in Tanzania — his first official Anglican Communion engagement as archbishop of Canterbury.

“It’s a great honor to have the archbishop of Canterbury visit Tanzania,” said Lupaa. “His visit will definitely raise the profile of the Church in Africa as a whole.”

While there was only room for about 400 people in the cathedral, other guests were able to watch the two-hour service on screens under tents outside. Thousands looked on as Welby was made a senior elder in the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Central Tanganyika, and they listened as he spoke about the risk of fear, especially to church leaders. He stressed that while fear is a part of life, it can be overcome through the Holy Spirit.

Other Anglican groups present at the enthronement included Tanzania’s Mothers’ Union. Members, along with their new President Mwezwa Chimeledya, met with Caroline Welby during her visit to Dodoma to discuss their work.

Church Mission Society (CMS) is an Anglican agency with significant historical links to the new primate’s diocese. Mpwapwa is a place where much of the planning and execution of missionary work to the rest of Tanzania took place in the early years of the church there.

Speaking to ACNS, the Rev. Dennis Tongoi, executive director of CMS-Africa, congratulated Chimeledya and wished him all the best in his new role. He also acknowledged CMS’ emphasis on leadership development and investment as a way of growing the church in Africa.

“Finally our investment is bearing fruit. Africa now has a contingent of well-equipped leaders ready to support the growth of the church,” Tongoi said. “The new archbishop needs to shepherd the flock. Africa is a youthful continent therefore investment in [Tanzanian] youths should also be his top priority.”

La iglesia episcopal de The Falls planea reunirse en su histórico edificio el 15 de mayo para instalar un nuevo rector y rendirle tributo a sus miembros y ministros del pasado, el presente y el futuro. Foto de la iglesia episcopal de The Falls.

[Episcopal News Service] Cuando los miembros de la iglesia episcopal de The Falls [The Falls Church Episcopal] instalen nuevamente su nuevo rector y celebren juntos su nuevo ministerio el 15 de mayo, habrá pasado más de un año desde que regresaron por primera vez a su histórico edificio, nueve meses desde que su rector se les unió y cinco días antes de lo que habían esperado que sería la última fecha en la disputa de casi siete años por la propiedad de la parroquia.

“Será una noche en la que daremos gracias por el pasado y expresaremos nuestro entusiasmo por el presente y el futuro y por las grandes cosas que Dios está haciendo aquí”, dijo el Rdo. John Ohmer, rector de la iglesia de The Falls, en una entrevista.

Shannon Johnston, obispo de la Diócesis de Virginia, quien presidirá el oficio, dijo a Episcopal News Service que la celebración y la renovación de los ministerios “tiene un tremendo significado” para la congregación.

“Luego de regresar a su hogar parroquial hace un año, los miembros y el liderazgo de esta congregación han invertido una enorme cantidad de energía en su misión y ministerio como congregación. En este servicio, nos reuniremos para celebrar esa renovación y el compromiso con un futuro muy prometedor”, dijo él. “Que podamos hacerlo en este histórico escenario, hogar de tantas generaciones de episcopales, es lo más adecuado”.

El Rdo. John Ohmer —que aparece aquí con suministros destinados a un ministerio para personas sin hogar— dice que se sintió llamado a unirse a la congregación porque “[ésta] tenía una visión convincente de lo que la Iglesia Episcopal podría volver a hacer en la iglesia de The Falls”. Foto de la iglesia episcopal de The Falls.

La iglesia episcopal de The Falls ha estado proyectándose hacia el futuro desde que los miembros de esta histórica parroquia suburbana de Washington, D.C. decidieran por abrumadora mayoría, en diciembre de 2006, abandonar la Diócesis de Virginia y la Iglesia Episcopal en medio de una disputa teológica. Los que decidieron irse de hecho se quedaron en la propiedad de la iglesia de The Falls y rehusaron devolverla a la diócesis.

Sólo 27 de cerca de 2.800 miembros siguieron vinculados a la Iglesia Episcopal después de la votación. Este grupo comenzó a reunirse en la sala de una casa y eligió una junta parroquial. Peter Lee, a la sazón el obispo de Virginia, le asignó un clérigo al grupo y poco después la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Falls Church[*] que se levanta en la acera de enfrente de la iglesia episcopal, les ofreció un espacio para adorar en el ático de su salón. El grupo no tardó en desbordar ese ático y tuvo que mudarse dos veces a espacios más amplios dentro de la iglesia presbiteriana.

“Los presbiterianos estaban absolutamente asombrados”, dijo Matt Rhodes, uno de los feligreses. “Todavía seguimos participando del mismo ministerio compartido que ellos llevan a cabo con los desamparados”.

La asistencia dominical aumentó rápidamente hasta alcanzar un promedio de entre 80 y 100, y desde el comienzo, dice Ohmer, los episcopales “tuvieron realmente una visión convincente de lo que la Iglesia Episcopal podría llegar a ser de nuevo en Falls Church”.

Añadió que él dudaba que cualquiera de ellos hubiera esperado pasar cerca de siete años en una disputa legal por la propiedad de la iglesia, que finalmente se ventiló en el Tribunal Supremo del Estado [de Virginia]. La iglesia de The Falls fue una de las 11 congregaciones de la diócesis en que una mayoría de los miembros votó a favor de desafiliarse de la diócesis y de la Iglesia Episcopal. En el curso de los años, todas las iglesias, con excepción de la Iglesia Anglicana de The Falls, arreglaron sus conflictos de propiedad con la diócesis y con la Iglesia luego de veredictos judiciales a favor de estas entidades [la diócesis y la Iglesia Episcopal].

Luego de que un juez del circuito judicial del Condado de Fairfax le ordenara a la Iglesia Anglicana de The Falls en marzo de 2012 que devolviera la propiedad parroquial a la diócesis, los anglicanos sólo convinieron en dejar que los episcopales regresaran al edificio parroquial para celebrar la Pascua (el 8 de abril de 2012).

Sin embargo, la congregación anglicana poco después apeló al Tribunal Supremo del Estado y en el ínterin le pidió al Tribunal de Circuito que impidiera el regreso de los episcopales hasta que el tribunal supremo se pronunciara. El Tribunal de Circuito rehusó esta petición y los episcopales de la iglesia de The Falls regresaron a su propiedad el 15 de mayo de 2012.

El 18 de abril de este año, el Tribunal Supremo de Virginia ratificó el veredicto del tribunal de circuito de devolver la propiedad de la iglesia de The Falls a los episcopales.

El Rdo. John Yates, rector de la Iglesia Anglicana de The Falls, le dijo a su congregación el 28 de abril que el veredicto del Tribunal Supremo constituía “un apabullante rechazo de nuestros argumentos” y “reduce drásticamente nuestras opciones legales”.

“A menos que podamos percibir que existen medios ulteriores de apelación que tengan buen juicio, podemos decir que resulta claro que no regresaremos a nuestra antigua propiedad” ni recuperaremos algo de los fondos que son parte de la disputa, escribió él.

Y en su mensaje semanal correspondiente a la semana del 19 de mayo, que se puede consultar en la página web de la congregación anglicana desde el 15 de mayo, Yates dice: “Hemos recibido ulterior confirmación de que no es probable que los tribunales revoquen su dictamen del año pasado”. Él explicó por qué los líderes de la congregación “están dispuestos a perder nuestra propiedad y avanzar hacia un futuro incierto y difuso”.

No obstante, La Iglesia Anglicana de The Falls tiene hasta el 20 de mayo para solicitar del Tribunal Supremo [del Estado de Virginia] una nueva vista sobre su veredicto, y una carta de los dos guardianes y de la junta parroquial de la congregación, fechada el 10 de mayo, indica que la iglesia le pedirá al tribunal que reconsidere su dictamen. Los abogados de la congregación anglicana le dijeron a la junta parroquial que el Tribunal Supremo basó su decisión “en un argumento que, en siete años de procedimientos judiciales, nunca había sido presentado por la otra parte” y que ellos no habían sido capaces de abordar, según dice la carta. Por consiguiente, la junta parroquial anunció que “presentará una breve petición al tribunal [para una nueva vista] dentro de unos días” mientras sigue en su búsqueda de un hogar permanente.

“Era nuestra esperanza, desde luego, que ellos hubieran decidido que era hora de cerrar este largo capítulo legal y que concentraran todas sus finanzas y energías, y que nos permitieran a nosotros concentrar todas nuestras energías, en nuestros [respectivos] ministerios”, dijo Ohmer a ENS.

Ohmer agregó que una de sus frustraciones es ver como el largo proceso legal “ha convencido falsamente” a algunas personas de que los anglicanos y los episcopales se proponen mantenerse en guardia unos contra otros”, cuando de hecho lo que deberíamos todos es aglutinar nuestras energías para combatir el enemigo común que ambos compartimos: el del feroz consumismo de nuestra cultura y un sentimiento generalizado de desorientación, desesperanza, soledad y falta de propósito”.

“Esos son algunos de los enemigos comunes que ambas ‘partes’ tenemos”, afirmó, “para los cuales el Evangelio es una alternativa, y yo anhelo que llegue el día en que ellos y nosotros podamos concentrar el 100 por ciento de nuestras energías y recursos en nuestros ministerios, que son después de todo los mismos”.

Ohmer contó que el pasó 13 años como rector de la iglesia episcopal de Santiago Apóstol [St. James Episcopal Church] en Leesburg, Virginia, descartando cualquier oferta parroquial que le saliera al encuentro, hasta que vio la de la iglesia episcopal de The Falls.

“Había algo [atractivo] en este amable, laborioso y paciente grupo de personas”, subrayó él. “Es una historia convincente de personas que realmente creen en sí mismas como una comunidad de fe que es leal a la Iglesia Episcopal, leal al Evangelio y que quiere ser buenas nuevas para la comunidad. Han atravesado por una época realmente difícil, exiliados de su propiedad durante seis, casi siete años”.

Rhodes y su familia son del mismo parecer. Cuando el Rdo. Michael Pipkin, que era el sacerdote encargado de la congregación poco después de la separación, necesitó una cirugía de espalda, un sacerdote de la parroquia de Rhodes, la iglesia de Cristo [Christ Church] en Alexandria, estuvo entre los clérigos que lo suplieron. Rhodes, que vive a un par de kilómetros de la iglesia de The Falls, dijo que su familia decidió asistir un domingo de 2008 para que el sacerdote viera algunos rostros que le resultaran familiares en la congregación.

“Nunca nos fuimos” apuntó él.

“Hay muchísimo entusiasmo, muchísima energía y muchísimo crecimiento” que según Rhodes depende de estar de regreso a la propiedad de Falls Church, y la sensación de mirar hacia fuera desde la iglesia y hacia el futuro que Ohmer aportó a la parroquia.

La congregación está considerando la mejor manera de constituirse en buenas nuevas para la comunidad de Falls Church que Ohmer describe, tanto a través de ministerios de acción social como del ministerio para los desamparados [en asociación] con los presbiterianos y a través de una mayor utilización de los edificios de la iglesia. La iglesia abrió sus puertas en apoyo a distintos grupos, a una clase de inglés como segundo idioma y a agrupaciones cívicas que buscan un espacio parea reunirse o para celebrar un banquete.

En un caso en particular, una congregación predominantemente afroamericana, que necesitaba un lugar para celebrar su primer aniversario, se puso en contacto con la iglesia episcopal de The Falls y terminó teniendo la celebración en su santuario. Ohmer dijo que, en lo que planificaban esta actividad, se enteraron de que la pastora principal de la congregación no tenía oficina y estaba dirigiendo la iglesia desde su auto y desde un café Starbucks de la localidad. Ella ahora alquila un espacio en la iglesia episcopal de The Falls por un mínimo costo, explicó él.

Ohmer agregó que ellos están demostrando que el lema “La Iglesia Episcopal te da la bienvenida” es “verdad en lo que respecta a la comunidad de la fe y es verdad en lo que respecta a los edificios y terrenos”.

“Tenemos el objetivo de que la comunidad en su sentido más amplio use un gran porcentaje de la propiedad durante un gran porcentaje del tiempo”.

El crecimiento de feligreses —entre 180 y 220 personas que ahora asisten como promedio los domingos— ha incluido a ex miembros que “se fueron cuando vieron lo que estaba ocurriendo respecto a la división”, así como personas que nunca han formado parte de la iglesia de The Falls, personas nuevas en la zona y otros episcopales “que vinieron a ver de qué íbamos”,  explicó Rhodes. La escuela dominical y la agrupación de jóvenes están creciendo en la medida en que se agregan familias jóvenes, añadió.

El 15 de mayo, la parroquia le dará oficialmente la bienvenida al último grupo de nuevos visitantes, a quienes Ohmer definió como “un signo externo y visible muy pujante de la energía y vida nuevas que están teniendo lugar aquí”.

Y, mientras la iglesia episcopal de The Falls ha estado creciendo y mirando hacia el exterior, y enfrentándose con los dilatados problemas legales, la parroquia ha tenido que lidiar con las secuelas de la división en otro nivel más personal. Las familias se dividieron y aún siguen divididas por las decisiones del año 2006, dijo Ohmer. En algunos casos un cónyuge podía asistir a la congregación anglicana de Falls Church mientras el otro adoraba en la episcopal.

Cuando surgen problemas de atención pastoral en esas familias, precisa Ohmer, “ese tipo de diferencias simplemente desaparece. Cuando se trata de cuidado pastoral, nos ocupamos de las familias de unos y otros”.

– La Rda. Mary Frances Schjonberg es redactora y reportera de Episcopal News Service. Traducción de Vicente Echerri.

Thirty-nine diplomas were awarded to graduates including twenty Master of Divinity students from thirteen dioceses across the country; eight Master of Arts in Counseling students; five Master of Arts in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care; one Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation; and three Master of Arts in Religion students.

Honorary degrees were presented to Dr. Brené Brown, research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work; Mrs. Barbara Payne, co-chair of the seminary’s Campaign for Leadership; and the Rt. Rev. Claude E. Payne, seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Texas and co-chair of the seminary’s campaign.

Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest (LSPS) presented two graduates of the certificate program of theological education for emerging ministries. LSPS has shared the Austin campus with Seminary of the Southwest for nearly 40 years.

Douglas Travis, dean and president of the seminary preached at Evensong on Monday, May 13, at 6:00 p.m. in Christ Chapel on the seminary campus. In March, Dean Travis announced his retirement to be effective May 31. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, academic dean and professor of New Testament, has been elected dean and president effective June 1, 2013. Leadership transition announcement.

Seminary of the Southwest alumni serve in all 50 states, 23 countries and six continents around the globe. Southwest has 124 students enrolled in its degrees. The seminary’s mission is to form men and women for the service of Christ in lay or ordained ministry within the church and the larger society.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

I met a remarkable woman in Atlanta this week.  We were gathered at an ecumenical conference on peace-making on the Korean peninsula, where a state of war continues, because a final peace agreement has never been signed.  As we stood around before the day’s events began, I asked where she was from and she began to tell me her story.  She is married to a Methodist pastor in California, and she told me of a dream she had in the middle of the night several years ago.  She said God told her to go to North Korea.  She shared this with her husband, who told her she couldn’t.  He said it wasn’t legal for her to travel there with a green card – which I don’t believe is accurate.  God didn’t let go of her, however, and she kept sharing her dream with others.  She did eventually join a tour group from Los Angeles that took her to Pyongyang.  She visited with other Christians, heard their stories, and came home and began to urge her friends to do what they could to help make peace in Korea.  She went a second time not too long ago, and this time her husband helped raise the money to send her.  She told me that peace means crying together.  When we do that, there is hope for something better.

This woman has experienced Pentecost.  The tongue of fire lit on her in the middle of the night, and she heard the same thing people of faith have been hearing for more than 2000 years – “God is doing a new thing, and you are going to be part of it.”  She is one of those Joel was talking about, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and see visions and dream dreams.”  The prophet was talking about the dream and vision we have shared for thousands of years, of a world where people can sit down to a feast together because there is no more poverty, injustice, or war:  “you set a table before me, in the presence of my enemies… my cup is running over.”[1]

Everywhere I turn lately, I see the spirit descending on people and filling them with a fiery passion for that great dream.  The people who came here more than 400 years ago shared something of that dream of a life where they could live in greater freedom – it was far from a perfect vision, but it had something to do with their reason for immigrating to these shores.  The wars that destroyed this church building more than once were fought over differing understandings of that dream.  Both were about a search for justice – the Revolution sought to escape foreign domination, and the Civil War sought freedom for all human beings.  We’re still struggling over the same issues, and at various times we find ourselves on all sides of those struggles.  We’re not healed yet, though we do have a bold and blazing hope that God will work something new in us and around us, something that looks more like that great and ancient dream of peace.

We all have a part in this dream – the fiery tongue lights on all of us – and the only real question is whether we’ll breathe it in and let God fan it into a greater flame.  The same fire comes to Korean housewives and to English archbishops, it comes to members of Congress and to farmers.

I’ve just finished reading a biography of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.[2]  He spent part of his life working in the oil industry in Nigeria, and he’s let that flame blaze up into a passionate pursuit of peace in the form of reconciliation.  He’s been part of negotiations in war zones, church fights, and the House of Lords.  He’s not afraid, he’s willing to be bold, and he continues to hold up that great dream.  Your own bishop shares that kind of passion – and his friendship with Tory Baucum of Truro Church is an example.

A group of Christian leaders from across the entire spectrum gathered this past week in Washington, DC, to talk about how to model and encourage greater civility in public discourse.[3]  Several members of the House of Representatives joined us for a portion of the meeting, and spoke about their personal commitment to working across the aisle with members of the other party.  They pray together, meet and eat together, and come to know one another as human beings, and not simply holders of partisan positions.  Finding the humanity in an opponent is an essential part of God’s dream.

Discovering that slaves are fully human and equally made in the image of God is part of that dream as well – and there is need for the difficult work you and your ancestors in this community have done to continue expanding to include those who labor in garment factories in Bangladesh and those who are trafficked in to service Super Bowl attendees.

The children we will baptize this morning will grow and learn about God’s great dream through you and other people around them.  It’s easy to see the image of God in innocent children.  We can cultivate the ability to see the image of God in people who disagree with us, or who act disagreeably.  The fire of the Spirit is God’s gift to help that kind of growth and awareness.  That fire grows in face to face encounter, particularly when there’s something good to eat and drink.  That kind of encounter can help us all learn another language, when we see how the spirit is enfleshed in a person of another culture.  These children will challenge their parents and us with the cultures they adopt and help to shape as they grow.  They will like music that others hate.  They will do things their elders find baffling or ridiculous.  But at their best they will give evidence of the fiery spirit that lights on them this day.

Our task is to learn to hear God’s dream in all the other languages of the earth, beginning right here – to hear it, and as the old prayer puts it, to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest that dream, making it our own.[4]

How will you live that great dream today or this week?  The passion for change that burns within you is the clue about where and how to start.  Last night Julie shared her vision for a library in this community and the struggles she and her partners have endured.  My new Korean friend quite literally had a dream that will not let her go.  These children will discover their dreams as they grow, but the seeds are already being planted.  We’re going to pray in a few minutes that God give them curiosity and discerning hearts, courage and perseverance, so that they may live in joy and awe at what God has made and is still creating.[5]  That is the spirit of Pentecost.

This congregation itself seems to be living the dream in a way that draws people together across significant social boundaries – from nearby and far away, from different economic and social locations, into a microcosm of reconciliation.  My challenge to you is to let that passion loose, and set the world around you on fire with the same kind of godly dream.  Let the microcosm become part of the macrocosm.  The dream here has something to do with the cycle of death and resurrection in this congregation, as you have listened to the spirit speaking in new times and challenges.  Let the fire descend, listen up, and let go – let go of pre-conceptions, boundaries, and barriers to make that dream a reality.  And take these three little ones with you!

[Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan]

Hougland, rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury, North Carolina, was elected on the 8th ballot out of a field of four candidates. To be elected, a candidate must have received a majority of the votes in both the lay order and the clergy order. On the 8th ballot, he received 87 of 139 votes cast in the lay order (71 required) and 34 of 65 votes cast in the clergy order (34 required).

Under the canons (III.11.4) of the Episcopal Church, the election of a bishop requires the consent from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of the Episcopal Church. Assuming that consent is received, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will ordain Hougland as bishop on Sept. 28 at the Van Noord Arena on the campus of Calvin College, Grand Rapids.

The election, which was held at Grace Church, Grand Rapids, followed a year-long search process in which three candidates were selected by the diocesan search committee; a fourth was nominated through a petition process. Prior to the election, the four candidates spent the first weekend in May traversing the diocese, meeting the people, and answering questions in a series of three “walkabouts.”

The other three candidates for bishop were:

• The Rev. Jennifer Adams, rector, Grace Episcopal Church, Holland, Michigan;
• The Rev. Canon Angela Shepherd, canon for mission, Diocese of Maryland; and
• The Rev. Canon William Spaid, canon to the ordinary, Diocese of Western Michigan.

Hougland has been rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church since 2005. Originally from Kentucky, he also served as canon evangelist at Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington, Kentucky, and prior to ordination worked for Lexmark International, also in Lexington.  He chaired the missionary resources support team for the Diocese of North Carolina (2008-2012), and was a clergy mentor for postulants to Holy Orders for the diocese. He is married to Dana Lynne Hougland, an educator and autism specialist. They have two daughters.

Hougland will succeed the Rt. Rev. Robert Gepert, who is retiring after serving as bishop of Western Michigan for 12 years. Gepert and his wife, Anne Labat-Gepert, will be moving to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in September to be closer to their grandchildren. He hopes to do some writing, and she plans on doing a lot of quilting and volunteer work at their new church home in Lancaster.

The Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan covers the western half of the lower peninsula of Michigan and includes 10,153 members worshiping in 61 faith communities.