Due to time constraints at Convention, Bishop Scarfe summarized his remarks. Following is the full text of his address.
Bishop's Address, Diocesan Convention, 7 November 2008
The Right Reverend Alan Scarfe, Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
Over the past two weeks traveling through Swaziland, it has been custom to begin every address with the words "Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" to which the reply is "Amen."
It is a form of recognition that we come together not only because we share certain values or practices, or were signed on in our infancy to this Church or made such a choice later in life, but that we gather because Christ gathers us, and we acknowledge in one another first and foremost the very presence of Christ who promised that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst of us.
So let me greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I thank you for your prayers especially over this past week and next week for myself and my family in England.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, in one of his retreat addresses at Canterbury Cathedral during the Lambeth Conference, defined episcopacy as being best demonstrated when the bishop stands with the people gathered around the Eucharistic table with the prayers of his or her people around their shoulders. The bearing the prayers of God's people is an awesome task. Being born up by the prayers of God's people is possibly an even greater grace. This year we have all needed to hold one another up in prayer.
In a few minutes I will share this podium with two colleagues who have stepped forward along with many of you to be the feet of God's answer to prayer. We have all been affected by the flooding of this past summer. I was glad to be able to create a position of Flood Relief Coordinator before heading off to Lambeth, and I knew that Pat Genereux, fresh from retirement as rector at Christ Church, Burlington, would do a good job in establishing our response. We will hear from Pat shortly. Others, especially in the Northeast, have suffered not only floods but a devastating tornado, even while they were seeking to respond pastorally and civically to the I.C.E. immigration raid in Postville. Bishop Steve Ullestad of the Northeast Synod of the ELCA led our ecumenical response to that difficult event, and I have invited him also to share this address tonight.
Immigration is an issue for us in Iowa, and as people of faith entering into that phase of our strategic plan through Convention 2009 which we have called "The Next Generations of Faith," one of the groups of people with whom God calls us to share Christ's Good News are those who are most recently arriving to live and work among us. Sharing their lives opens us up to the pros and cons of our immigration issues.
I would at this point invite Bishop Ullestad to speak to us.
(Bishop Steven Ullestad addressed convention. To listen to Bishop Ullestad's address, click on the ► below--a high speed internet connection is required)
The ecumenical face of Iowa has always been well represented. This year however we lost a few outstanding colleagues to relocation or retirement. Bishop Phil Haugen of the Southeast Synod of the ELCA retired in June, and Bishop Gregory Palmer of the United Methodist Church of Iowa relocated to Springfield, Illinois to his new post. With a new bishop for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines in Richard Pates, and Bishop Michael Burke replacing Bishop Haugen, and Bishop Julius Trimble as the new Methodist Bishop, we have new relationships to build and new common ministry to engage in. In mentioning the UMC, a highlight of this year was the gathering of clergy from the UMC and The Episcopal Church to explore the possibilities of this time of interim Eucharistic sharing between our two churches. There could not have been a more appropriate celebration than that of Charles and Mary Pope who shared the Eucharist together, as Episcopal husband priest and Methodist wife pastor with the people of Grinnell. In their union they have been light years ahead of us in Christian fellowship!
Church and Government, Church and Farm conversations are a strong aspect of the ecumenical scene, and I am particularly pleased with the latter. At least every three or four months, church leaders meet with government representatives and leaders of the academic and agricultural communities to discuss our common concerns about the life we share as people in Iowa and on this fragile earth. The presence of Tim Fink of Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, who will address us briefly tomorrow, is a healthy indicator that we are including in the sense of our mission from God the awareness that stewardship of creation is a vital challenge. This not only concerns us and our situation, but was a clear imperative when some of us recently stood among people in Swaziland, who on receiving our gift of a water chlorinator said that it will be a wonderfully helpful gift, "once we have rain." I am always amazed how each trip to Swaziland gives rise to new ministry vision among those who take the trip. This year we have returned with twelve new initiatives to share with you as potential future mission endeavors. This may include making the way for individuals to spend longer periods in the country, as well as helping to provide for a coordinator position in the Swaziland Diocese to accommodate better the increasing ministries interested in assisting there.
How do we share the Gospel in a world that is so "hot, flat and crowded," to use Tom Friedman's new phrase? It is not always about staying home. When I presided over the Eucharist at the Arlington Place nursing home last Sunday, where the people of All Angels, Red Oak meet every first Sunday of the month, I experienced church moving out of its own space and bringing Christ's Eucharistic presence and living Word to where others were unable to come to them. The tremendous ongoing enthusiasm for ministry in Swaziland; the courageous efforts of those who rode in the Waters of Hope; the opening of a new congregation on the edge of the Dutch Reformed College campus in Orange City which was already overflowing by the time of my first visitation and is filled with students seeking Christ in a new way for this new century; the recognition that the flood relief work has spawned what Maureen Doherty in Waverly calls her new street congregation; a new diaconal candidate in Judith Crossett who spent part of her field education time in Boston working with street ministry; the excitement generated by Happening and New Beginnings among our youth and their willingness to include the likes of me on their Facebook pages; these are all indicators that we are asking that question, and coming up with good answers.
I continue with intention this coming year to invite many young people to share leadership in this Church, not necessarily as new ordinands but as fulfilling their baptized ministries. “A Dedicated Life” has been the theme for this past year. The idea was to prepare ourselves for the tasks ahead as we focus on the four areas of the strategic plan. Dedication to God and God's mission can be encouraged but ultimately it has to be inspired. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit, an action of releasing our own control of our lives and letting the Spirit take us deeper into the heart of God. For members of the recent Swaziland trip it might mean returning there for months at a time, or developing a medical team, or a seeking ways we can share own faith as evangelists with their help. For members of St Paul's Indian Mission it has always meant care for their neighbors in the weekly meal, and the constant placing of the needs of their broader community first. St Timothy’s, West Des Moines and people at Trinity Cathedral, Davenport have shared that vision and come alongside to companion ministry with the people of St Paul's this year. For the people of St John's, Keokuk it has meant crossing Diocesan lines and sharing ministry with the people of St Paul's, Warsaw in the Diocese of Quincy in a time when it is tempting to draw tighter boundaries. We need to be praying for our neighbors as they meet in council at the same time that we do, but with different decisions to make.
The reality is that we pursue this goal of a dedicated life in a specific context. Often it is as circumstances come at us that we note what we are made of, and how real is our faith under testing. The floods of 2008 have given rise to new heroes of faith, new actors of compassion and dedication. We received visits from an Iowan who had gone south after Katrina and had become an expert in post-disaster relief. Katie Mears returned this summer to help bring us focus and a simple direction in our own flood response. She kicked me out of my car in Cedar Rapids’ Czech area and said go introduce yourself to that woman over there mucking out her home, and ask if a group of Episcopalians would be helpful if we turned up to help this week! That was the simple lesson Katie had learned, and she sought to help us to avoid over-thinking our response. I thank all of you for your contributions and labors of love, especially in responding to the all work weekends, and I extend that thanks on your behalf to those who have sent their financial support to the Diocese or come and worked among us. We know that recovery will not be overnight, and so we are dedicated to a longer term ministry plan, expecting flood relief to be part of our ministry together for a few years. In fact, the agencies familiar with disaster relief indicate that we can expect it will take 36 months or more to restore family lives after such devastation. We are grateful to the support of the Episcopal Relief and Development for assisting us with establishing an administrative office, for emergency funds during those early days, and for ongoing support through channeling their network of donors to us. I am glad to recognize Abagail Nelson in our midst. I had previously invited Abagail to address Convention as one of those younger inspiring leaders dedicated to filling her baptismal ministry. Today she comes among us as Vice President of ERD, and as dedicated as ever, if not more. We are delighted to acknowledge you this evening.
It goes without saying that we are also dedicated to collect lessons learned and pull together a disaster relief plan for every level of our life together. It is appropriate that at this time I hand over to Pat Genereux to speak to us.
(Pat Genereux, Lisa Butler, Maureen Doherty, and Rusty addressed convention. To listen to Rusty's story, click on the ► below--a high speed internet connection is required)
Focusing on the theme of “A Dedicated Life” lends itself to the notion of individual piety. That is not the full intention. A major part of dedication is that which we can inspire each other to do together. I have been delighted to receive back into the Diocese Bishop Chris Epting and Deacon Susanne Watson Epting. Perhaps a couple of years ago it might have seemed intimidating to have my predecessor come back to live in Davenport but he always been kind enough to let me make my own mistakes, even if he saw them coming. By now of course, I only have my own decisions on which to stand and fall. Time has an awkward habit of ensuring that. In that regard we continue to refine the birthing process of our Ministry Development Teams. Each year I seem to say—by this time next year we will have such teams In place. I am grateful for the work of the coaches and the missioner, the willingness of the clergy in general, and the Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee in particular, to learn and offer support in a challenging way as the process continues. The eSeminary remains a good instrument for offering classes for ongoing learning over the wide area of the diocese. The Board has recently commissioned a study of how to provide a more in-house communication network that would bring the eSeminary into every congregation through alternative computer technology. Such technology could also double up in assisting us with having to hold fewer face-to-face council or committee meetings across the Diocese and thus help costs.
With the new regional chapter representatives at the Board level, we are seeing an increase in shared ministry in chapter areas. I still encourage this to expand. After this Convention and before the All Commissions Day in January, I am going to offload many of the ministry ideas that have gathered on the back table of my office awaiting an appropriate time for someone to take them on. It has always been my wish to develop the Commissions as instigators or developers of new ministry, and so I will be sending work your way in the coming weeks.
Ministry development has always been my way of operating with the staff. Diocesan staff are multi-taskers—part administrative, part conveners or liaisons and part specialists. Our focus in terms of specialization right now is communication, congregational development and theological and ministry development. I am delighted to welcome Margaret Weiner as a volunteer appointment secretary assisting Julianne during her time in surgery and recuperation. Also this year, chaplains for the retired clergy and spouses have been appointed, and I thank them for their work.
Diocesan Ministry however will always have its price. I am glad to see that a majority of the congregations are living into the new stewardship share formula. The limit of ten percent increase annually on those who have experienced growth is turning into having additional funds for local ministry, as our Cathedrals have experienced. The Stewardship Commission, chaired by Bill Pugliese, this year has been aggressive in promoting our commonality as congregations who make up one mission unit called the Diocese. There are still some who create their own formula. We don't have a feet-to-the fire mechanism in response to this, but prefer to encourage to share equally alike with the rest of us. A Task Force has been set up by the Board to look into how we can assist one another to act as one on this. It is sufficient to say that in this diocese everyone is seeking to do fine ministry for Jesus Christ. Overall congregations are healthy, which I mark by asking if Christ is preached and are disciples being made in His name. Are we praying for the increase of God's Mission and then lending ourselves to that end in proclaiming God's love in word and deed? I see small churches entering into building projects. I see no places where the weekly gatherings at the Eucharist are not accompanied by acts of generous service to the poor and needy in the respective community. I hear of wells being bought for people in the Sudan, children raising funds for children elsewhere to go to school. I see it in our plans to revive Cursillo, and in the strong responses to my offer to lay hands on you at reaffirmation of vows during visitations. We all know that we have an incredible treasure in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ in these earthen vessels that we call our bodies and our faith communities, and in these economically difficult times we struggle to find the balance between our need to embody the Gospel in communities and the real term costs of doing that.
One answer is to pursue the continuous living into our stewardship share as we currently have it. But I believe there is another opportunity which we need to address. It seems counter-intuitive to be considering a capital campaign for ministry at a time when all we can be certain of is that our economic challenges are still not clear, but I want to offer it to you. I want to propose that we deploy $300,000 over the next four years from our revolving fund to create the position of a Development Missioner whose job description would include guiding us towards capital funding, endowment development, assist with stewardship at the local level including assisting with congregational capital campaigns, and developing a ministry of money as a faith issue among us. I would expect the Board to assist me in this appointment, but we would want Convention’s approval to move forward.
Individualism cannot only affect a congregation's self image within a Diocese; it can also affect a Diocese and even a Province's self image within a world-wide Communion like the Anglican Communion. At Lambeth, the Archbishop of Canterbury sought to hold us together by concentrating on our spiritual foundations as people baptized in Christ first and foremost. He got us talking with each other. This process has continued as my Indaba group of four bishops continues to converse through e-mail, especially when we see strange things going on in our respective Provinces. Whatever decisions face us at General Convention 2009, we will have discussed them with our Communion neighbors much more fully than we did in 2003 or 2006. That mechanism is now in place. The establishment of a few dioceses now linked within the Communion but not connected to this Province of it also gives rise to new questions about Communion. I hope we will begin to address how our own sense of ministry and order might be expanded to be inclusive of this phenomenon, and that we “find a way to be generous in our disagreements with one another,” to use one of the Archbishop's sentiments. At the same time I am clear that we remain Diocese within a given Province by action of that Province's Convention. My acts of faith or conscience do not permit me to take my title with me if I need to move elsewhere. Others that join such a bishop do so under new circumstances—completely new wineskins if you like, for the perceived new wine. I still say that it is foolish to feel threatened or intimidated by the formation of new faith communities. It happens all the time. What we need to concentrate on is whether we are faithful to being communities among ourselves where the joy and power of the Lord is known and made known. If we cannot compete in those terms then our lukewarm character deserves the snuffing out of our candle.
I believe that God has wonderful things to do with The Episcopal Church, and Iowa is no exception. Hence I believe it is time for us to lift our heads and give thanks that God meets us here. We have a presence for engaging society with God's justice, peace and truth way beyond our physical size. And faithfulness will be honored by growth as well. Of that too I am sure. Look around and see what we celebrate this night and at this Convention. It is not about our good works, but about the abundant love of God among us that is bearing such fruit. Within five years I am convinced further that such fruit bearing will be generational, as we move our lives dedicated to God in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit into embracing the Next Generations of Faith.
Amen and God bless you all
