Jefferts Schori reflects on Church's mission, House of Bishops meeting [Corrected]

From EpiscopalLife Online:

Opening with an overview of the mission-driven September 20-25 House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori set the tone October 16 for her second webcast held at the studio facilities of Trinity Church, Wall Street, in New York City.

"We met intentionally in New Orleans, as an act of solidarity with the people of Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf coast, so that we might represent the prayers and concern of the whole church, and offer a small contribution to the rebuilding effort," Jefferts Schori said in her opening remarks of the one-hour webcast, anchored by the Rev. Jan Nunley, executive editor of Episcopal Life Media. . .

As Chris Johnson BabyBlue said, how would the HOB meet unintentionally in New Orleans, just show up by happenstance?

. . . She described the first part of the meeting as "an opportunity for the bishops to hear from our Anglican Communion visitors, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, and to share our own joys and concerns with them."

"We heard some challenging words about different contexts around the Communion, and shared our own. We discovered, as we did in our labors in New Orleans and Mississippi, the reality and depth of our interconnectedness," she explained. "When one part of the body suffers, all suffer. When one part rejoices, the spirits of all are lifted."

Once again, we hear the buzz words - challenging, contexts, interconnectedness.

She said the statement that was produced in the latter part of the meeting represented "a remarkable consensus among the bishops."

"The truly surprising aspect of this statement was its almost complete unanimity," she said. "With the exception of a small number who did not stay for the rest of the meeting following the Archbishop's departure, the overwhelming majority of bishops engaged in the work of developing the statement with profound respect for one another. While there are parts of the statement that challenge each of us, we were able to stand together in offering it to the wider church."

I don't know if that's completely accurate, based on comments from other bishops, but I'll give it to her, since other bishops did not speak up.

According to Jefferts Schori, the statement "both affirms the church's commitment to the full dignity of gay and lesbian persons and cautions us to wait before their full sacramental inclusion."

In other words, resistance is futile - just give us enough time and we shall own it all.

She concluded her opening remarks by quoting one of her predecessors, Edmond L. Browning, "who was fond of saying 'in this church there will be no outcasts.'"

"I concur, and I challenge each one of us to consider who it is we would most like to be rid of," she said. "That person, my friends, is the image of Christ in our midst. There will be no outcasts in this church, whether because of sexual orientation or theological perspective. God has given us to each other, to love and to learn from each other. May God bless each and every part of this body.". . .

No outcasts because of theological perspective??? Just think about that for a moment - we can invite the Druids back in (but somehow the openness to theological perspective does not flow to those orthodox believers - huummm. . .)

Questions from the live studio audience, and those calling and emailing ranged from how Jefferts Schori was handling her first year as Presiding Bishop to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and climate change. . .

Another caller asked what is the Episcopal Church going to do to lift up and support the institution of marriage. Jefferts Schori said there was both a "theological and pastoral" answer.

"In terms of theological discussion, we have not had a discussion as a church or certainly as a Communion on the theology of marriage for a very long time," she said. "The Prayer Book that we use now in this church acknowledges that companionship and assistance to the other partner in growing up into the full stature of Christ is really the aim of marriage, not reproduction. That’s a significant change in the history of the church."

She cited programs such as Marriage Encounters, in the church, as offering support.

Well, at least she articulated the problem. But I have to admit, I would never go to an ECUSA Marriage Encounter - how could one listen to anything ECUSA has to say on that with a straight face?

A question via email asked whether membership was increasing in the Church. The Presiding Bishop acknowledged an increase from the immigrant, Asian, and gay and lesbian population. . .

Numbers and stats, please. (I didn't think so.)

. . . "This time we are in a less tense place than we were at the end of February and the questions were much broader," said Jefferts Schori. "People weren't so focused on the presenting issue."

Easy for her to say - I definitely am not "in a less tense place," especially since we lost Bishop Steenson.

Read it all (especially the comments quoted from seminarians in the audience - I'm sorry, but it's just sad that there seems to be so little logic, much less theology).