In an interview before the sermon, Curry underscored the point that we\u2019re all in this together.<\/p>\n
He said the church is emphasizing its commitment to its anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals to reflect the Christian ideal of helping people on society\u2019s margins.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s who Jesus is,\u201d\u009d he said.<\/p>\n
Curry downplayed his role as the first African-American to head an Episcopal diocese in the South, a position he attained in 2000.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the hurdles were overcome before I ever came along,\u201d\u009d he said.<\/p>\n
Curry was joined by Western Washington Bishop-Elect Greg Rickel and the Rev. Nedi Rivera, bishop suffragan for Western Washington and the first Hispanic bishop in the United States.<\/p>\n
Rivera, in fact, was ordained only two years after the first Episcopal woman was ordained to the priesthood in 1977. All three bishops emphasized that the church will continue to grow by becoming more inclusive.<\/p>\n
Rickel noted that the church is moving forward after a rift over approving the ordination of gays into the priesthood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d rather err on the side of love,\u201d\u009d Rickel said.<\/p>\n
Rivera said the church leaders want to nurture a yearning for shared spirituality and community, even in the \u201cnone zone\u201d\u009d of the Pacific Northwest. She noted that even though many area residents are not churchgoers \u00c2\u00ad\u201d\u201d denoted by checking \u201cnone\u201d\u009d on hospital sign-in forms \u201d\u201d polls show an overwhelming majority still consider themselves spiritual.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are learning that they can\u2019t just do spirituality by themselves,\u201d\u009d she said.<\/p>\n
Curry agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lord made us here together, and we\u2019re going to discover him together,\u201d\u009d he said.<\/p>\n