July 14, 2008

Well, I have been away almost a week! Sometimes it seems a long time, but every minute of the day is full with new opportunities to experience God's amazing grace!

Today, after morning prayers, a walk and breakfast, I met with a group of lay and clergy, men and women, in the Bishop's Palace, to talk about discernment of gifts for ordination. I had opportunity to hear their concerns about the potential for women in leadership roles in the church and their excitement about the General Synod of the Church of England vote to allow women to be bishops. Their system and process has been very different from ours. In our church, the basic question was, "Can women be ordained?" The Yes answer meant ordained to any order. In England, the first vote was "Can women be ordained priests?" So they have just had the obvious second question, "Can women become bishops?" For some reason, some folks think they should have financial compensation if they choose to leave the church because a woman may become a bishop! I wonder if women who leave the church because women do not become bishops will be entitled to a similar compensation?!

After the discussion, I went to lunch with a clergy couple from the northern part of the Hereford diocese at a cafe in a church. It is an ingenious design. The nave has been redesigned to keep the front half of a large church as worship space. The rear half has been reshaped into a ground level cafe (with excellent food) and an upper story for the cafe that is suspended from the roof! It was full of people - some praying - some eating lunch. This has been a creative solution to under utilized space and a lack of funds to operate the church.

From the cafe I went to an interview with BBC Wales that was the lunch hour phone show. The folks who called in asked about Canada, were happy some bishops who are women had come to visit, and were keen for the Lambeth Conference to move the church on to building the Kingdom of God!

I had the opportunity to visit the Mappa Mundi exibit in one of the wings of the Cathedral. They have a web site where you can learn more about this interesting theological staement about the geography of the world as they knew it to the Reign of Christ. There is an intriguing thing called the Chained Library - every book has a chain which secures the book but allows it to be opened on the desk in front of the shelf for study. If you Google Mappa Mundi you will find more about it.

In the afternoon, I went to the home of one of the women who has been working toward the full inclusion of women in all levels of the church for more than 30 years. There I met more clergy and lay people and one determined 10 year old girl who announced quite clearly that women ought to be bishops so she could be one someday! At the end of the time, there was an agreement that many other parts of the Communion need to keep the Church of England in prayer as they move through the years ahead. One of the organizers of the afternoon was unable to attend due to treatment for cancer. I was able to meet with her in the evening. She is a priest and her name is Barbara and I ask your preayers for her. I invited her to come to Nova Scotia and her reply was that she would not be making another trip to North America.

I had a lovely dinner with my hosts, Sue and Roger, and now I off to repack the suitcase again for the move to Kent University tomorrow and the beginning of the Lambeth Conference.

Many Blessings.
+Sue

July 13, 2008

It has been a busy 2 days! Saturday morning I printed my sermon so it would be ready for this morning. Then my hostess, Sue, took me off to the International Gathering at the Priory of St. Peter and St. Paul in Leominster. The other bishops in the group here are John from New Zealand, Simon from Tanzania, Martin from Burundi, Patrick from Tanzania, Ken from Ohio and Rayford from Texas. We were welcomed to the historic building that was founded by St. David in the 6th sentury. A Saxon religious communitywas followed by an abbey of Benedictine nuns and then a Benedictine abbey of monks in Normand times. Of course the whole thing was dissolved by Henry VIII, but it has gradually been rebuilt over the centuries to be now a very active city congregation. We were treated to a Ploughman's lunch as part of their regular Saturday offering to the people in the town. We saw and particpated with a group of Morris Dancers, had the opportunity to be in the percussion section with the town brass band, and heard a wonderful handbell choir! Then it was an hour of "Any Questions for the Bishops?" It was a great opportunity to hear about the other dioceses, their challenges and exciting projects. After Tea, we had a lovely short service of prayers and songs. We had each been asked to send a copy of a song. The band and the organist had learned the tunes so we could all sing along. I chose "Here in this place new light is shining" from Common Praise. It was a new hymn for most of them and well received. At the end of the service, all the Bishops were called to the front and then surrounded by the people who prayed for us and for the Lambeth Conference. It was a powerful experience.

We had a break for an hour, so I went for a walk to see the town. There are beautiful gardens, both manicured ones and wildflower gardens. Apparently Leominster won the Towns in Bloom contest in their part of England!

SUpper was served in the Bishop's Palace! It really is a palace with a high stone wall, a gate, gorgeous gardens, an indorr chapel and an outdoor chapel (with modern icons by the bishop's wife, artist, Kathy Priddis). Dinner was another opportunity to get to know more about each other and to share hopes and challenges. The Diocese of Hereford has a number of Team Ministries for groups of congregations, so I has a good conversation with Bishop Anthony. Here, what we call NSOM clergy are called SSM - Self Supporting Ministers.

This morning we were up and on the road for an 8:20am radio interview in Hereford. The interviewer was very polite but didn't really seem to know much about the Church fo England or the Communion as he referred to me as the head of the Lambeth Conference! The next inteview at 8:40am was much better. Hereford Diocese has a fulltime Communications Officer who had arranged for several interviews. Next I was on to the Cathedral for the 10am service. Parts of the Cathedral date from the 600's. It was quite a feeling to preach from a pulpit that has been in use for 1,000 years! The liturgy was very similar to our BAS Eucharist. At the end the 14 children of their Sunday School sang "You shall go out with joy" accompanied by one of the clergy at the piano and several bells and tambourines. After the service we had tea in the Cathedral gardens in the Close (where church volunteers operate a cafe for the public daily).

Then my hostess Sue took me off to a wonderful dinner in a pub on the English side of the Welsh border. I finally got to meet her husband Roger, who has been away on Retreat in a hermitage in Wales. On a drive through the Black Mountains, we stopped at St. David's Church, Llanthony, where a Baptism was just about to take place. We visited the ruins of the Abbey at the same location where enterprising folks have turned part of the ruin into a small hotel! We continued through the mountains to the top of Gospel Pass! Then we started the descent which had several parts like the Cabot Trail but with no guard rails! The views are spectacular - amazingly green fields dotted by hundreds of sheep, small villages of stone and brick houses, and always a grey stone Church of England.

I ended the day with Evening Prayer in the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Moccas. The records show that an abbey on this location was destoyed by the Saxons and the plague in 600CE. It is not clear how long it had already been there. It has been repaired and rebuilt many times over the years - a testament to the determined faith of the people of the community. There is an Effigy in the centre of the Chancel thought to be Richard de Fresne (of one of the local families) who died in 1375 CE. The plaque says, "His crossed legs show that he had been on a crusade, and the dog at his feet that he died at home." (That's your trivia for the day!) Following the service (which was almost word for word the same as our BCP Evening Prayer), I had time to talk with the people about our Diocese and to hear about their concerns. It has been a full and happy day!

July 11, 2008

The day began with monring prayer in the Cuddesdon village church. After breakfast we again studied 2 Corinthians. This time 2 Cor. 5:14b to 21. Dr. Gooder's approach to Paul is certainly engaging! What if Paul's new creation is a world reconciled? A good thought heading into Lambeth.

Below is Dr. Gooder's poem for the mediatation.

Behold new creation
God begins againthe patient task of shaping things into life

Behold new creation
The new creation springs forth, governed,
not by barriers but by freedom,
not by separation but by unity,
not in alienation but in realtionship.

Behold new creation
And we are called to be co creators,
Carefully crafting
Faithfully proclaiming
Joyfully encouraging
all people into realtionship with each other and with God

Behold, new creation
On behalf of Christ we beg you - be reconciled

The closing reflection tied up the pieces of the conference using the image of the veil - the veil over Moses' face, the veil in 2 Cor., the veils that people use to hide themselves, the veils that have to be removed when speaking face to face.

The conference ended with the Eucharist: presider and preacher, The Most Rev'd Katherine Jefferts Schori. I hope that her semon is posted on the Episcopal Church web site.

So now I am in Hereford Diocese staying with one of the clergy and his wife, Sue! You can learn more about Hereford Cathedral where I will be preaching on Sunday at http://www.herefordcathedral.org . The study in which I am working looks out at the Black Mountains which form the border between Wales and England. It is truly lovely seeing those mountains through a window framed in gorgeous roses!

Trivia: Did you know that on a British computer the @ and the # are located in a different place?

July 11, 2008

The rest of the meditation.

Behold new creation

July 10, 2008

The day began again at 7:30am. No brollies or mack’s today! (That is no umbrellas or raincoats in Canadian!) Morning Prayer was followed by the Eucharist and then breakfast. The Bible Study this morning focused on 2 Cor.4:1-12. The following prayer for the meditation was from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“God of the day and of the night,

in me there is darkness, but with you there is light.

I am alone, but you will not leave me.

I am weak, but you come to my help.

I am restless, but you are my peace.

I am in haste, but you are the God of infinite patience.

I am confused and lost, but you are eternal wisdom and you direct my path;

now and for ever.

Amen.”

The second morning session was called “News Sharing”. The vote to allow women bishops in the Church of England is so recent that folks are still trying to figure out how to respond to it. Unlike the Canadian Church, where we said that if women could be ordained at all, they could be ordained bishops, the first C of E initial vote was only for deacons and priests. So the various media have been around the conference asking about what it has been like in other parts of the world having bishops who are women.

The official group photo was taken today. One of the folks is going to email me a copy so I can post it when it arrives. My camera has died!

After lunch we went off on various tours. The coach arrived for us. (That’s a bus in Canadian!) I went to Dorchester-on-Thames to visit the current church and its historic abbey. In 635 CE, the missionary Bishop Birinus, was sent from Rome by Pope Honorius I to begin work to Christianize the local people. (You can learn more about it at www.dorchester-abbey.org.uk . The other options included a music workshop with the musician in residence, or a book launch and book sale.

We returned in time for afternoon Tea!

The late afternoon panel was entitled “Power/Authority”. Bishop Catherine Roskam of New York and the Dean of Salisbury Cathedral, The Very Rev’d June Osborne, presented very different pictures of authority, raised questions about titles and how they convey power (or not), and closed with three questions:

1. How does our vocation flourish?
2. How do we encourage health/wholeness in ministry at all church levels?
3. Who sets the agenda in the church at the various levels?

In the question period that followed, the question of the accountability of priests and bishops in relation to the power/authority that they exercise, initiated a lively discussion!

Dinner is late by my standards, 8:00pm and tonight the after dinner speaker was the Most Rev’d Katherine Jefferts Schori. She identified such characteristics of leaders as courage and willingness to risk, creativity and playfulness, curiosity and hope, compassion and interconnectedness, being willing to dream and to see the big picture. When asked what was the hardest thing she had to do, she replied, “To remember that I am God’s beloved!”

July 9, 2008

July 9, 2008

The Archdeacon of Canterbury began the day with the Introduction “Was Eve framed?” She set her remarks in the context of her 30 years in ministry in the Church of England first as a Deaconess, then deacon and now priest and archdeacon. Those from countries other than England were transported back 30 years to their own past experiences by the stories of the C of E women!

Dr. Paula Gooder, a New Testament scholar, engaged us in a Bible Study on 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 called “Transfiguring Glory”. It was a different look at what Paul might have been saying about his authority as an apostle of Christ.

After lunch, a panel of Bishop Victoria Matthews, the Rev’d Dr. Katherine Grieb and the Rev’d Mother Anita Cook from the Sisters of the Church, spoke on the topic of vocation/ambition. +Victoria offered the images of pregnant woman or midwife for leadership in the church. Dr. Grieb offered the George Herbert poem, “Aaron” as a model. Sister Anita reminded the listeners of the history of Abbess’s in leadership in the church.

The afternoon ended with the Eucharist in the village church celebrated by the Archdeacon of Oxford. After a wonderful dinner, it was hard to go back to work, but we did to hear a panel on Formation and Theological Education. Dr. Jenny Plane Te Pas from Aetearoa, New Zealand, the Principal of St. John’s College, attributed some of the difficulties in the Communion at the present time to poor theological education. She suggested that we need to get beyond identity politics and tribalism to contribute to the Reign of Christ and justice for God’s world. Clare Amos of the Anglican Communion Office pointed out that both the Anglican Theological Review and the Journal of Anglican Studies most recent issues have focused on Theological Education in preparation for the Lambeth Conference. She announced a Conference for 2009 for women seeking advanced degrees in order to teach at Theological Schools. (Anyone interested?) Dr. Esther Mombo from St. Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya, spoke about how they are making theological education accessible to all people, not linking it only to ordination. There was much in what was said in this session that relates to our focus area on Anglican Christian Formation.

The evening ended with the Bach Cello Suite played by one of the participants in the college chapel.

On the way

July 7, 2008

I am spending the day trying to wind up business in the office and not leave too many loose ends! Appointments to parishes are happening and will continue to happen by way of email technology.

Even at this point in time, material is still arriving for the Lambeth Conference, including books of 200 pages! I spent part of last evening putting all the papers in order for the three events - Women in Leadership Conference at Ripon College, Cuddesdon; Hereford Diocesan visit and preaching at their Cathedral July 13; the many Lambeth Conference documents. My day book seems to be getting just as full as regular days in the office.

More after I arrive in England.