Bishop’s Charge - Synod of the Diocese of Saskatoon March 24, 2006
“FILL US WITH THE COURAGE AND LOVE OF JESUS”
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 1:3)
My brothers and sisters, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the 67th Synod of the Diocese of Saskatoon. I hope the next two days will bring us closer together as leaders of the Anglican Church in this part of the world. It is my prayer that we will share openly and with respect, and that we will leave here filled with the courage and love of Jesus to do great things in his name. “In the sixth month of Elizabeth‟s pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a girl promised in marriage to a man named Joseph.” The Angel Gabriel was busy making announcements, but it did not go as expected. What the angel intended as good news was not received as good news. There were some unexpected responses. When Gabriel told Zechariah that his wife Elisabeth would bear John the Baptist, Zechariah did not take the news gently. He argued with the angel “How can this be? I am an old man and my wife is old also.” For his impertinence, Zechariah‟s lips were zipped up leaving him mute until he heard his son‟s cry for the first time. Young Mary also challenged the Angel. “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?” The angel answered: “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God‟s power will rest upon you.” I understand the reaction. I have argued with God and I have argued with some human angels; perhaps I have challenged some heavenly angels. Only God knows. What we do know is that the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus were two very extraordinary events. They are what brings us here today. Naming of Canons The canons of our diocese give the bishop the right to name canons, but the canons do not say why the bishop should name canons or when it should happen. Some bishops honor senior parish priests with the title of canon, usually awarded for long and dedicated service to the diocese. Some dioceses have abandoned the practice because the naming of canons is difficult for bishops. Many fine priests work in support of their parishes and the diocese and deserve to be honored in this way. When the bishop names one priest a canon others may ask if their ministry goes unnoticed. Let me assure you that I value the ministry of all our clergy. I have decided that when I give the honor of canon to one of our clergy, I will take into account the context of the priest‟s ministry. None of us minister in isolation. Recognition 1
should also go to the parish. When I was in my final year as a theological student at the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad, I was a deacon. On alternate Sundays, I went to a Saskatoon church to administer the chalice. It was the 1960s and in those days, only the clergy could administer the elements of the sacrament. The music at this church was marvelous, the preaching was inspiring, and the church was full Sunday after Sunday. Over the years, this church came close to death more than once. One fire might have brought it to death‟s door, but fire struck a second time. Each time the church rose from the ashes and found new life. A few years ago the people realized that their congregation was aging, that a greater appeal to youth was needed, and that they were not really engaging with the local community, an area where many artists, musicians, university personnel and professionals live. Near the church is the area of the city where ideas are shared, where people perform art forms from the fringe, usually on the street. This church decided to be bold and to be filled with the courage and love of Jesus. The parish hall was transformed into a small theater with a full complement of lighting and sound systems. A creative musician was employed and the choir learned new music. A full time youth worker was employed and teenagers began coming to the church where they made new friends and learned the Christian faith in their own experience. You know that I am describing St. James Church, Saskatoon. Most of these creative developments emerged in the last 13 years under the energetic and committed leadership of the Rev. Michael Stonhouse. I wish to honor Michael and St. James Church now by inviting the Rector and the Lay Delegates from the parish to come forward so I may install Michael as a Canon of the Diocese. As I do so I pay tribute to St. James Church for its ministry. I present the Rev. Canon Sir Michael Stonhouse. The Synod Office thirty-five years ago, the Synod Office moved into what was intended as a temporary location in the basement of the Cathedral Hall. Last June, your Synod Office moved to a new location behind the Medical Arts Building just off Spadina Crescent, still close to the Cathedral. We have large windows, lots of light, a welcoming space, and accessibility for the disabled. Please come to visit us. We have a small library of books and videos you may borrow, and areas where people can visit or just relax. Last year Archdeacon Don Byrt, who had been Executive Archdeacon and Secretary Treasurer for five years, became Rector of St. Stephen‟s Church. Ms. Lorea Eufemia was promoted from Administrative Assistant to the position of Diocesan Secretary Treasurer and Office Manager. Ms. Jocelyn Peeling, a graduate in divinity from Trinity College, Toronto came to work with us as Assistant Treasurer and Office Assistant. These two women have worked very hard in recent months. We have made a major move. We came up from underground but we did not bring everything that had accumulated in the Synod Office over the years. The „cutting down‟ and „tidying up‟ has been a huge job carried out while learning new assignments and continuing to respond
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to diverse responsibilities and duties, and the many phone calls, e mails and correspondence which is our daily routine. It is not all business at the Synod Office. Jocelyn and Lorea regularly remind me that we need to stop and pray together, and we do that. Thank you, Lorea and Jocelyn, for what you do for all of us. Church Growth Last October our Primate, Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, invited a man named Keith McKerracher to speak to the House of Bishops. Keith is sort of a cross between a friendly uncle who gives you advice, and a prophet of old who says, „wake up people.‟ Keith brought some alarming statistics. We have lost many Anglicans from our membership rolls and if the trend continues “the last Anglican will leave the church in 2061". My friends, the courage and love of Jesus challenges us not to let this happen. When Jesus needed people to carry on the work of Kingdom building, he looked around to see who was there and invited them to be his friends and co-workers. We need to do the same. There are people in every community who look to the Anglican Church as their spiritual home but do not worship regularly or participate in any significant way. This is our first mission field. Each one of us can do something about declining membership. We can invite our friends and our neighbors, the people we meet in the corner store, at the curling rink or the seniors center to come to church with us. Many books have been written about church growth but one fact stands out above all others: 90% of the people who join a church do so because they have been personally invited. Someone, a person like you and me, an ordinary person who loves God, invited them to come to church. “Fill us with the courage and love of Jesus.” Strategic Planning Our Diocesan Council asked us to begin the process of strategic planning. The object is to set goals and make some long-range plans for our diocese. We will do some of that tonight, assisted by Suzanne Lawson who will help us with this process. Sooner or later in the process someone will ask, “What does the bishop think about this? What does the bishop want?” This is not a difficult question for me to answer. What I want for our diocese is to be strong and healthy with growing congregations. After two years as your Bishop, I am even more convinced we must be intentional and passionate about church growth and membership development. I extend a special welcome to the Rev. Canon Michael Patterson of the Diocese of Niagara who has come to speak to us about this subject. I know it is not always easy to speak to others about our faith and to invite them to come to church with us, but I also know that Jesus will fill us with the courage and love we need. Church Planning The Diocese of Saskatoon was established in 1974 although Anglican work in this area goes back earlier. The church grew because people had a vision of what the church could be. They worked to obtain it and donated to achieve it. The population of
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Saskatchewan has remained stable at less than one million people since the 1930s. What has changed is the move from the country to the city. This migration has increased in the last two decades, a fact we must come to grips with. While the population in rural areas remains constant or decreases, the population of Lloydminster and Saskatoon is increasing. We have challenges, but more important, we have opportunities. We have moved some church buildings and renovated many, but we have not created a new church for 50 years. Our last new parish was St. Timothy‟s Church, Saskatoon which began when the Rev. David Tatchell, a young graduate of Emmanuel College, gathered people in a building that is now the parish hall for St. Timothy‟s. A few weeks ago, I took a different route on my drive home. East of the Co-Op store at Kenderdine and Attridge, I noticed a new building sitting in a field. As I came closer, I could read the words „Liquor Store‟ on the building. I began to dream. Nearby are the new communities of Erindale, Arbor Creek, and Willow Grove. Some city planner has projected that people will build houses around that liquor store. Suppose we purchased St. Chad‟s Chapel, a magnificent building with greystone, inspiring stained glass windows and a copper roof (I have Principal Deller‟s permission to say this, but the deal is not final I assure you). I suggested a price of $ 1.00. We could load the chapel on a truck, move it along College Drive, and set it down a few blocks east of the liquor store. We would need to add meeting rooms and offices but we would have a new church to serve the growing areas in the south and east of Saskatoon. Other churches, Anglican, perhaps even Lutheran or Mennonite, could merge people, resources, even their identity, into the new church. It would cost money to acquire the land, move the building, and complete the project. It would be a huge project but it is the same kind of vision that created the churches we enjoy today. “Fill us with the courage and love of Jesus.” Walking Beside the First Peoples of our Land On a day when we remember how God chose Mary, a young peasant girl with no wealth and no position in society, to bear his Son, we should not forget the challenges facing the First Peoples of our land. A large and, for the most part, youthful aboriginal population is often forgotten, out of sight, out of mind on the west side of the City of Saskatoon. Many of the people have Anglican roots and family connections. Our missionaries were among the first non-Indians to show friendship to the aboriginal people. Some aboriginals are among us in our parish churches but many are drifting, struggling with the hardship of existing in a largely indifferent society. One of our priests, the Rev. Shawn Sanford Beck, is working with the people under the auspices of the Lutheran Synod. I have named a Diocesan Aboriginal Task Force that includes aboriginal and non-aboriginal members. Some of the members are present at the Synod. I invite you to work with them for renewal and new life. “Fill us with the courage and love of Jesus.”
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Links with Provincial, National, and International Anglican Bodies When I meet with other bishops in the councils of our church, it gives me special pride to be from Saskatoon. People look to our diocese as a place of moderation, a diocese not afraid to rise to challenges. They see Saskatoon as a place where there is theological reflection and a place where leaders are trained at the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad. When the debates in these councils become intense I am learning to say to myself: “The goal is to deepen communion, not break communion.” The Debate About Homosexuality and Unity in the Anglican Communion In recent years, we have experienced tensions and challenges in our Anglican Communion and some of it has been felt locally in our diocese. The issues around homosexuality and the inclusion of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters threaten to tear us apart. In the last two years, I have been moved by soft words and compassionate understanding. I have also heard one dimensional, shrill voices. In this debate, it helps to remember that we are talking about real people, the gay and lesbian people who sit in the pews beside us and kneel at the communion rail with us. We have the script and venue to talk with one another. Now we need the dialogue. The delegates we elect at this Synod to represent us at General Synod in Winnipeg next year will be thrust into the middle of a debate that has been going on in our church for more than 30 years. The question I ponder is: How can this diocese be part of the world wide discussion in the Anglican Communion in a reasonable, balanced and considerate way that honors the gifts of each of us? My prayer is that the current debate will not become a church dividing issue, and that we will rise to a new level of acceptance and tolerance. Let us maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Matrimonial Commission General Synod is the place where matters of doctrine and worship are debated and decided. The last two General Synods gave permission for dioceses to disband Diocesan Matrimonial Commission, a process by which clergy make recommendations to the Bishop regarding the remarriage of divorced persons whose former spouse is still living. The Synod also gave permission for the conduct of weddings outside of church buildings. I consulted with our clergy following the Synod and found a reluctance to immediately disband the Commission. We agreed to continue submitting applications and the Commission is still in place. Some dioceses no longer have a matrimonial commission. I would like this Synod to bring clarity. Do you wish to continue the procedure or leave the decision with the parish clergy? At the meeting with the clergy, we decided the clergy would consult with me when
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asked to conduct weddings outside of church buildings. I have responded to a number of requests by giving permission.
After the visit from the Angel Gabriel, Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. These two women have more in common than their pregnancies. Each is blacklisted by culture and society, one because of barrenness and the other because of illegitimacy. They bore children who overturned the world. Two extraordinary births and two extraordinary deaths. John the Baptist was executed by the whim of a dancing princess. Jesus was crucified as a blasphemer. Both of them challenged the orthodoxy of their day. They called people to a deeper and more radical way of life. My prayer is that during this Synod, and in our shared life in this diocese, we will reflect the courage and love show by these two women and their sons. As we join together around the Lord‟s Table and continue our Synod, let us recall Mary‟s Song of Praise after she had been told she would be the mother of Jesus. “May your souls magnify the Lord, and your spirits rejoice in God your Savior. For he has looked with favor on you, and all generations will call you blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for you, and holy is his name.” Amen.
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Response to the Bishop‟s Charge Please select a discussion leader for your table. In your table groups please discuss these questions. You will not have time to discuss them all, so you may wish to focus on two or three. You will have an opportunity for written feedback on the Synod Evaluation Sheet. A. Your General Reaction to the Bishop‟s Charge. What is missing? What do we do best as a Diocese? Are there areas where we could do better? Church Growth Name one or two ways you could help your parish church to grow C. Church Planning Do we need another parish church in Saskatoon? Could we amalgamate some parishes and serve the Anglican population better? D. Walking beside our Aboriginal Brothers and Sisters Are there more ways for us to walk alongside our First Nations brothers and sisters? E. Links with Provincial, National, and International Anglican Bodies Do you feel a part of a worldwide Communion? How could we strengthen relationships within our Communion? F. The Debate About Homosexuality Is it possible to respect the conscience of others in matters of honestly held difference? G. The Matrimonial Canon The Ecclesiastical Matrimonial Commission has existed since 1967. Should we continue to have a Commission in our Diocese?
B.
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