July 30, 2003
by Matthew Davies

The 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, USA, began today with the Presiding Bishop, Frank T. Griswold, delivering his opening address to an assembly of nearly 1,000 bishops, clergy and laity at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minnesota.

"We come from various dioceses, and congregations within those dioceses - each with their own particular culture and point of view," said Bishop Griswold. "And we need one another.... What a solemn and hopeful moment this is: full of possibility."

The General Convention is meeting from 30 July - 8 August and the focus for the 10-day gathering is Engaging God's Mission. Bishop Griswold explained how the Prayer Book makes it quite clear that the mission of the church is "to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ."

"This work of reconciliation embraces all things and involves us personally, as congregations, dioceses, a national church and a worldwide Communion, and also focuses us on the world," he said. "The Son of God came among us not to save the church but the world."

Bishop Griswold expressed his confidence in the church's people being focused on mission. He made particular reference to the 20/20 movement, which works towards embracing fully the stated mission of the church and is a goal that General Convention adopted in July 2000 to restore and disciple twice as many people in the Episcopal Church by 2020. "The 20/20 movement serves us well in naming the mission energies all around the church," he said. "And in so doing I believe greater energies are being released and we are further empowered to reach out to a world crying out for repair." Other areas of significance that the Presiding Bishop outlined as being at the forefront of the Episcopal Church's commitment are: matters of public policy and social justice; overcoming the sin of racism; debt relief; HIV/AIDS; environmental stewardship; ethical decision making around matters of life and death; and peace making in many of the troubled places around the world.

Although he said that he is "gratified and inspired" by the stewardship of dioceses and congregations in support of the mission opportunities that surround them, Bishop Griswold noted his concern that there is no national effort at fundraising in order to enhance the work of dioceses and congregations. "It is my sense that a national church has a particular responsibility for this kind of endeavour," he said.

A clear emphasis was placed on the Episcopal Church's identity as being members of the worldwide Anglican Communion. "I have travelled to other parts of the Communion and have come to know our Anglican partners in their own contexts with all the overwhelming issues of life and death with which they live day by day," he said. "This has made me value evermore the fact that we are not a church unto ourselves but part of a worldwide fellowship....

"I see more and more that communion is not a human construction but a gift from God which involves not only our relationships to one another on earth, but our being drawn by the Holy Spirit into the eternal life of communion which belongs to the Holy Trinity.

"So, this is some of my sense of who we are and who we are called to be as we engage God's mission and open ourselves to further ways of articulating the good news of God in Christ."

Speaking of issues in human sexuality as having received the most media attention prior to the Convention, Bishop Griswold said, "I am very aware that there is a great deal of energy on the part of those with various views of the question. Some perceive this as an absolutely decisive moment.... Here I think it is important that we remind ourselves that the church is always, in some sense, becoming the church, and is continuing to grow toward maturity in Christ. ...My prayer is that this Convention will be part of a continuing process of discovery and growth."

The Presiding Bishop expressed his own conviction "that different points of view can be held in tension within the church without issues of sexuality becoming church dividing" and spoke of how this view is also held by the House of Bishops Theology Committee and of the International Anglican Conversations on Human Sexuality. Furthermore, he stated that "there is no such thing as a neutral reading of Scripture" and that different people interpret various passages in different ways.

Referring back to the theme of the Convention, Bishop Griswold said how important it is that the perspective is kept focused on God's mission for the whole church, and how easy it is for one or two issues to dominate the horizon. "It is up to us all to make sure that this does not happen," he said. "Be aware: we have that choice. We have that freedom. And I believe we have that responsibility."

Towards the end of his address, Bishop Griswold described how he saw his ministry as exercising "encouragement, connection and communion."

"I believe we are called to bring all voices together in one conversation, acknowledging the fact that truth is discovered in communion, in community, and none of us possesses the fullness of Christ's truth," he said. "We need one another to enlarge and, in some instances, challenge one another's more limited and often self-serving notions of the truth."

Finally, the Presiding Bishop offered the prayer of Philaret, a Russian bishop of Moscow in the 19th Century, which has become quite personal to him during the past three months:

Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely on your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal your will to me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul,

and with firm conviction that your will governs everything. In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.

Give me the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.

Direct my will. Teach me to pray. Pray yourself in me.

The Revd George L. Werner, president of the House of Deputies which is comprised of laity and clergy from around the church, spoke about his three years of engagement with congregations, dioceses and people around the church.

"It's been a rare privilege to visit churches with creative, dynamic spirit-filled ministries.both places with great resources and those with a lot less," he said. "I find the church a place of visible and growing dedication to prayer and Scripture."

During an afternoon press briefing the Presiding Bishop stressed the importance of prayer. "Throughout this General Convention we need to hold our differences together in the context of common prayer," he said.

At a meeting with briefing officers who are assisting the media throughout the Convention, the Bishop of Rhode Island, the Rt Revd Geralyn Wolf, spoke of the theological ancient ties that hold us together. "This is reflective of what life is all about," she said. "We are trying to live a dynamic life rather than the static life that so many people are so comfortable with."

The Revd Kendall Harmon of South Carolina, spoke about the challenge of knowing that God is a global God and recognising the gifts that He can give to the whole world. "There is an excitement and energy in the Episcopal Church about evangelism and church growth," he said.

Bishop Mark Sisk of New York said, "We need each other. We depend on the deep and passionate conversations that we engage in...and the different perspectives that shape what we do here and around the world."

The Revd Ian T Douglas, Professor of Mission and World Christianity and Director of Anglican, Global and Ecumenical Studies at the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, spoke of what the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion can do for our unity through God's mission of love and passion. "I believe our Communion has a gift," he said. "And I hope that the Episcopal Church, as a sister Church of the Anglican Communion, sees what God is doing for reconciliation in the wider world." He added, "There is much more to this General Convention than just legislation. Prayer, worship and Bible Study ground everything we do in legislative life and this needs to be underscored. The reason why this is so important is that we are hearing from people around the world and how they are engaging in God's mission around the world."

Anglican Communion News Service