The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church is meeting at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina from March 25 to March 30. The following is an account of the activities for Saturday, March 26.
The session was opened by Emcee of the Day Bishop Tom Shaw of Massachusetts.
Following Morning Prayer and Bible Study, the bishops surprised Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on her birthday with rousing singing.
The topics and focus for the day was Proclamation of the Gospel to/with Young Adults: How can we be church in the 21st Century. Presenters were Lisa Kimball of Virginia Theological Seminary, and the Rev. Arrington Chambliss and Jason Long from the Diocese of Massachusetts.
Lisa shared personal vignettes which illustrated work needed to be done with the Episcopal Church and young adults. Defining “young adults” is very complex and depends on context, but she focused on 19 -35 years old. She shared stats and facts about this age group.
Lisa presented discussion questions for the bishops: What are the challenges facing the young adults you know? What are their strengths? To what extent is the Church in your diocese reaching people like this? The bishops shared reactions and comments.
Lisa noted: there is a deep need in the church for faith formation in the home; “sadly” young adults are missing from our worship service; and those in 20s and 30s want to be in relation with the Episcopal Church.
Noon Eucharist was celebrated by Bishop Wendell Gibbs of Michigan. Preacher was the Rev. Stephanie Spellers of the Diocese of Massachusetts and one of the chaplains for HOB.
In the afternoon session, Jason spoke about the Episcopal Service Corps. He shared his story of being evangelized, which was a transformational experience that also transformed the worshiping community. In speaking about Episcopal Service Corps he identified programs that will exist in Massachusetts and 16 other dioceses by this fall.
Arrington spoke about evangelism, and believes that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion are poised to be the most transformative institutions in the 21st century. Arrington stated that evangelism is not a program, it’s a spiritual practice; it’s not institutional but individual; it doesn’t start with telling but starts with listening.
She led a meditation on remembering a time when someone took you and your gifts seriously.
Small group discussions allowed bishops to explore themes and needs, and to brainstorm on what might occur in the next year to partner with young adults in creating fresh expressions of Church.
The bishops concluded the session with Evening Prayer.
“How can we be church in the 21st Century?”
How about trying to be the church of the 1st century?
Caedmon’s comment is “spot on”. Youth today in T.E.C. hear the same Leftist political cant they are forced to endure in government schools, but not the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. So no wonder they are turned off by the Episcopal Church. [i] Link to another site deleted by elf.[/i]
[blockquote]Arrington spoke about evangelism, and believes that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion are poised to be the most transformative institutions in the 21st century. [/blockquote]
Most transformative? These people parody themselves!
I agree with #1 and 2. The 20 somethings I know are not looking for the same leftist political “crap” they get in the secular world. They are looking for something (actually someone- Jesus Christ) to transform them. They don’t want to join another political group. There is a deeper yearning there that many in TEC do not understand. Probably because so many in TEC leadership (now middle aged) joined because of the political slant of TEC not because of its spirituality.
So why is Bp. Tom Shaw the emcee for the day when he should be brought up on charges for violating both the canons of the Church and the rubrics of the Prayer Book for presiding at the “marriage” of two lesbians earlier this year. Instead of being censured, he’s being rewarded. Lord, have mercy.
Welcome to the new Episcopaganist Church (hat tip A.C.).
The “emcee” of the day, Bp. Shaw, is a curious choice to speak about Evangelism and church growth since he seems to be losing about 6% of his diocese every year. Also, I checked the prayer book and several other sources and can’t find the word “emcee” anywhere. Maybe this is a test run of the next prayer book? “Celebrant” will become “Emcee”, which in TEC seems to make perfect sense.
This ‘comedy of errors’ gets more farcical every time we hear any news coming from TEC, and the waste basket needs emptying every day.
Evangelism is about listening and not about telling. Where in the world did that idea come from? I guess it also does not matter whom you are hearing or what they are saying. Curiouser and curiouser.
[blockquote] Lisa noted: there is a deep need in the church for faith formation in the home; “sadly†young adults are missing from our worship service; and those in 20s and 30s want to be in relation with the Episcopal Church. [/blockquote]
Listening to someone state the problem does not amount to doing anything about the problem. TEC on its own figures admits that it is an aging, dying church, so the bishops already knew what Lisa had to say. The question is, can they do anything about it? Not if they insist on holding on to their foolish liberalism.
This sad process has been repeated for years now. Every once in a while another study is commissioned, each time showing that the problems in TEC are directly related to a leadership that wants to tear down the very edifice that draws people to this tradition. Then, a new round of “experts” tethered to the secular culture our leadership so loves is trotted out to advance more shallow theories leading (oddly enough) to continuing on the same self-destructive path of least resistance. The level of pain required for our “leadership” to learn is amazing. It seems to me that they are largely beyond education. This was the message of KJS’s election: “We are committed to this path regardless of its outcome.” Such is the fruit of ideology rather than the catholic faith, with its inherent capacity for self-critique and balance.