Reflections on San Joaquin

I recently read a letter from my former bishop, the Rt. Rev. Ed Little, reflecting on the actions (including the deposition of two bishops) taken at the most recent House of Bishop's meeting. His full letter can be found here. The section that struck me:

...As many of you know, I served in the Diocese of San Joaquin for fourteen years before coming to Northern Indiana. Thus Bishop Schofield – and many of the leaders of the diocese – have been part of my life for a long time. Bishop Cox, too, is revered and respected, with an important place in the church’s recovery of the ministry of healing. Both bishops acted in accordance with their consciences. Yet I believe that their actions are disordered, theologically and canonically. Nothing good ever comes from schism. When Christians separate from one another, the gospel is hampered and our ability to offer Jesus to a needy world severely compromised. In the days leading up to the vote on the two bishops, I found myself torn between conflicting responsibilities: to the unity and canonical integrity of the church on the one hand, and to honoring conscience in the midst of conflict on the other...

...In the end, I voted No on the resolutions to depose Bishops Schofield and Cox, one of a very small number of bishops to do so. (Since the resolutions passed on voice votes, there’s no specific count.) During the debate over the resolution to depose Bishop Schofield, I spoke to the House and said something like this: that Bishop Schofield is guilty as charged, and his actions have unleashed chaos upon his diocese and on the church. And yet, I said, I would vote against the resolution to depose him. Why? Because a deposition is the canonical equivalent of the “death penalty”; it effectively closes the door to the possibility of future reconciliation. And so, I said, it would be better to find a way of accomplishing the same end (removing Bishop Schofield from his position as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin) without the negative overtones of a deposition. A cord gently cut can be more easily re-tied. If we allow our friends to depart peacefully, we are more likely in God’s time to welcome them home.

Anyone that has known me for any length of time, knows how very highly I think of +Ed Little. He was my ordaining bishop; and for the many years that made up my process toward ordination his strong faith and pastoral heart nurtured the faithful articulation of my own call in some deep and profound ways. He has offered both prayerful challenge and encouragement when I needed them, and I am grateful to call him both mentor and friend.

Likewise, I believe as he does in reconciliation as primary to our life as Christian disciples. In my daughter's vernacular, Jesus was "all about" reconciliation, among people as well as between God and humanity. That was what he taught, how he lived, and why he died and rose again. If we are to be faithful, this is the example we must follow.

And this is why, with all due respect, I must (with reluctance and a certain trepidation) disagree with +Ed's decision here, especially in regard to Bp. Schofield. While I am not so intimately acquainted as he is with the particulars in San Joaquin, I do currently serve in a diocese whose former bishop also carved an incredible trail of damage and dissension in his wake before he was removed. My parishes (and occasionally my colleagues) have more than once exhibited behavior eerily similar to that of domestic abuse survivors. If these good folks thought there was any chance that CI Jones could resume episcopal ministry, I can only imagine the reaction that would be born of their history of hurt, anger, and fear-- like ripping scabs off wounds that have only begun to heal.

It seems to me that the actions of Bp. Schofield have "unleashed chaos upon his diocese and on the church" for so long-- and have been so hurtful, and so divisive-- that his removal should have happened long before this. We in Montana have been years recovering, and will be many years more-- and the damage done in SJ goes even deeper. I believe this deposition* will ultimately provide the greatest opportunity for healing and reconciliation in the long run.

Sometimes "loving your neighbor" means caring enough to refuse to allow the cycle of violence to continue.

*********

*FWIW, I have little patience with the suggestion that the vote was not valid. So far as I can see, it was the same method as was used in the recent past (2004), which results no one questioned. Yes, the wording of the canons needs to be cleaned up; but if the specified quorum is present, then the work of the HoB may be conducted, be it consent to the election of bishops or the removal thereof.

Rev Gal Friday Five: Million Dollar Edition

Singing Owl asks, "What are five things you would want to do with a million dollar deposit in your bank account?"

You mean, after checking with the bank to see if someone didn't make a mistake? After all, I never responded to that nice email from Nigeria...

• 1. A tithe to my churches-- which would not only provide a desperately needed cushion, but might even allow for a stipendiary assistant, at least half-time. (four churches is too many for one priest to do more than a minimally adequate job; and my assistant, though wonderful, is limited in his availability because of the need to maintain his day job. More clerical leadership would be a real godsend!)
  

• 2. Pay off the seminary debt. Student loans, car loan... we've made inroads the last few years, but still have a ways to go.

• 3. Augment the kids' college funds, and our long term savings. The first child is currently in college, and has maybe three years to go, while the second one is only a few years away from starting-- and payments to these got short shrift the years I was in school.

And now that I've been prudent... the remaining would go toward:

• 4. Travel-- I'd love to See The World, one piece at a time. Hike around the British Isles... retrace Paul's journeys... wear a sari in India , or shop for sapphires in Sri Lanka. I don't know where I'd start, but I'd be breaking in a passport, big time.

• 5. Toys! Fabric and yarn, of course; and a new, kick@$ computer. Mine is definitely on its last legs; and while a new one is going to be here soon (part of a national church grant for connecting the churches in our far-flung diocese), it was a necessary compromise in stretching dollars, of course. Besides, it will not really be mine.

Easter Day

Holy Saturday

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

Good Friday

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man!’ When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’


Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.’ Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

Maundy Thursday

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end...


"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Protecting us from ourselves?

After the normal voicemail dance, pressing buttons and waiting for a Live Person... Good morning, Patient Insurance & Accounts.

Me: Good morning. I am calling to ask about a check I wrote to cover our insurance co-pay, for a medical appointment for our daughter, back in January. It has not cleared yet.

PIA: Okay... (pause for keyboard clicking) Oh, wait. Your daughter is over 18. I'm sorry, I'll need to talk to her about this.

Me: I understand about HIPAA regulations, but I do not need any medical information. This is about a check I wrote, and I simply want to find out why it has not cleared.

PIA: We cannot discuss patient accounts with anyone but the patient or her authorized party.

Me: If you check the record, you'll see that I am already listed as the responsible party on her account. I can give you any pertinent identification information you require.

PIA: I am sorry, but I need to talk to her directly.

Me: But her consent is part of the record.

PIA: I cannot check the record without her consent.

*pause for grinding teeth, banging head on wall.*

Later, daughter called back, and the PIA happily gave her the information we needed-- without at any time verifying her identity. Never asked her birthdate, no social security number, nothing.

I so should have lied.

Rev Gal Friday Five: Time and transitions

A side trip, as we move this week from triumph to Calvary....

1. If you could travel to any historical time period, which would it be, and why?
Oh, golly that's hard. On one hand, I've thought it would be fun to visit several times and places: the middle east, during the time of Christ; medieval England and Scotland; the colonial period of this country; or here in our part of the world a century or so ago, when we were still a territory. Witnessing significant moments would be wonderful, but I'd also just like to get a sense of the day-to-day culture of the time and place.

On the other hand, most of history has not been kind to women (unless one was wealthy, or protected by a sympathetic man); so I think visit is the operative word.

2. What futuristic/science fiction development would you most like to see?
Beam me up, Scotty! I've wished for a transporter throughout seminary, when I was driving 50 miles each way. And now that I'm putting 400-500 miles a week on my car, that wish has only become stronger.

3. Which do you enjoy more: remembering the past, or dreaming for the future?
I like to do both; but if I had to choose, I suppose I'm more of a dreamer than a rememberer.

4. What do you find most memorable about this year's Lent?
This has been the least frenetic Lent for me in many years. One of my disciplines has been a concerted effort to be more mindful of the allocation of my time- especially as it comes to prayer and play. Though I certainly know better, when life gets hectic I am often guilty of giving both short shrift-- being perfunctory in my daily prayers, and shorting relaxation and family time to "get one more thing done." Not good for me, my family, or my parishes. So I have been consciously trying to allocate... and it has made a real difference.

5. How will you spend your time during this upcoming Holy Week? What part do you look forward to most?
Liturgy, liturgy, liturgy! With four churches, there's not much else going on. My favorite part? The Vigil. Lighting the fire, and singing the Exsultet... the drama that expresses the impact and significance of the events we remember and celebrate.

Name Game

banana fanna fo fellen...

Here are the rules:
1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name).
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

1. Done. See above.

2. Yes, my middle name really is Ellen. This is not a news flash.

E - Eldest. I have one sister and one brother, both younger than I am.
L - Left-Handed. This has made teaching me to knit a real challenge.
L - Liturgical Geek. This has been true since I was a child, helping my grandmother in the sacristy. I loved knowing the names of things, why they were important, and how to use them. I became an acolyte when my parish priest found me wistfully hiding among the cassocks in the robing room at church (I was 10).
E - Engineering. More specifically, Metallurgical Engineering. That was my undergraduate degree, from Purdue, many moons ago. I worked as a steelmaker for a few years.
N - Nearsighted in both eyes, and astigmatic in the left to boot. I've worn glasses since I was 9 years old.

3. Who do I tag? Lots of you have already done this, and more than a few of you I'd think to tag do not use "real" names on your blog. If you have not and are so inclined, feel free (times five!).

RevGal Friday Five: Signs of Hope!

I believe that if we look carefully we can see signs of hope all around us.... as for signs of spring... well, you tell me....

What have you seen/ heard this week that was a :

1. Sign of hope? A pleasant, clear conversation with one of my parish leaders that was... well, not exactly difficult, but not easy, either. Needed to happen, and it went well.

2. An unexpected word of light in a dark place? Another parishioner, who has been suffering some dramatic challenges in her life recently, was able to find her way to our healing service... and afterward, to talk about some of what has kept her silent and away. Nothing more holy than a moment like that.

3. A sign of spring? Baby livestock! Calving has started, and tiny cows are beginning to dot the landscape, shadowing their mothers like awkward little miniatures. Adorable!

And-- garden catalogs-- the first ones arrived this week, giving me glorious visions of what our yard might look like, someday...

4. Challenging/surprising? The unpredictability of the weather here. Oh, back in Indiana we had the "wait 5 minutes and it will change" routine; but the shifts in elevation add a dramatic twist to that truism. When I drove home the other day, I left a foot of snow in Red Lodge, found it sunny and clear in Roberts, blowing snow like a blizzard in Joliet that was gone by Silesia, and calm and grey in Laurel. Amazing.

5. Share a hope for the coming week/month/year....
This Week: To finish the Holy Week prep - bulletins, inserts, all the details. Beyond that: I've hung on to a Lenten discipline of being more intentional about my time-- actually taking my sabbath, for example. It's been good for me, and for all of us here. I purely want to continue that habit.

Bonus play... a piece of music/poem guaranteed to cheer you? Oh, the list of music would be long. Most anything I can sing to-- and by that I mean, "belt out with abandon."-- qualifies here.

But there's also this, posted on the bulletin board in my office:

"You can live with dread of the future and its uncertainties. Or, you can hope and trust and live in faith that if you find yourself at the edge of a cliff, with no where to turn...that God will teach you to fly. "

Never a dull moment

So, you think that ministry is an adventure in Montana? Well, now and again, yes, it can be. But my husband reports that life in the technology lane is even wilder-- at least it was yesterday.

Something in common

Anyone who's stopped by here, however briefly, knows that I am a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus as God and Savior, an ongoing discipleship that is also the focus of my life's work.

That does not mean, I hope, that I cannot hear wisdom and truth when I see it in other venues. Like this post, from a practitioner of Wicca, about her experience with the online version of her community, especially longtime followers...

...who use the anonymity of the internet forum to spew their spite and superiority all over seekers and anyone unfortunate enough to ask a dumb question. There is far too much posturing and bickering in the Community and not nearly enough actual religion.

My conclusion: there is nothing spiritual about an asshole. The vocabulary words and trappings make no difference. If your faith has not helped you become a better person and helped you live a more joyful life, you're doing it wrong.

Those who have ears to hear, let us hear.