September 27, 2007
The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops sent the
following message to the church describing the context of its
September 20-25 meeting in New Orleans. The House of Bishops
response 'to questions and concerns raised by our Anglican Communion
partners' is available here.
House of Bishops
Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana
September 25, 2007
"Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men
and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with
staff in hand ... And the streets of the city shall be full of boys
and girls playing in its streets." Zechariah 8:4-5
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in
whose Name we serve and in whose Cross we glory.
We gathered this week in New Orleans in solidarity with the
people of the Gulf Coast region as they continue the challenging
work of rebuilding lives and communities devastated by Hurricane
Katrina. We also gathered with the deep desire to rebuild trust and
confidence with our partners in the Anglican Communion. Rebuilding
is difficult work, but God invites us through our baptism to the
challenging work of reconciliation, in communities and
relationships. We have witnessed the remarkable continuing miracle
of renewal in the myriad efforts of people from all over the world
who are participating in the rebuilding of New Orleans and other
communities along the Gulf Coast. We give thanks to God for their
witness and pray that the ongoing work of reconciliation within the
Anglican Communion can also bear as forceful a witness to the glory
and grace of God.
We express our sincere and heartfelt thanks to our guests, the
Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee
of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates. In accepting
our invitation to join our meeting, they have both honored us and
assisted us in our discernment. Their presence is a living reminder
of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power of the Holy
Spirit. We also thank The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
for her thoughtful and strong leadership as she approaches the first
anniversary of her ministry as our Presiding Bishop.
Our shared experience of study, dialogue, worship and prayer
strengthens our passionate commitment to maintain full participation
in the councils of the Anglican Communion. More than one hundred
fifty bishops and their spouses attended this meeting. The spirit of
our meeting was enriched as we brought a remarkable diversity of
perspective and experience to our common work.
We are grateful for the warm and generous hospitality shown us by
our brothers and sisters of the dioceses of Louisiana and
Mississippi. We are deeply moved and inspired by their faith and
courage in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The scope of the
destruction was beyond comprehension. Even after two years the needs
are very great. Many of the bishops, spouses and our Anglican guests
were privileged to join in the ongoing ministry of rebuilding in
both dioceses during our meeting. Through our work and conversation
we and our guests were able to experience conditions first hand and
to observe how both dioceses are addressing issues of education,
racism, poverty, peace and ecological justice. These challenges are
common to us all.
One of the highlights of our week in New Orleans was the
ecumenical service held in the Ernest Morial Convention Center. The
Archbishop of Canterbury preached, an ecumenical and multi-racial
contemporary choir sang, and ecumenical leaders participated. Irvin
Mayfield, Jr., renowned New Orleans trumpeter and artist in
residence at Christ Church Cathedral, delighted us with traditional
New Orleans jazz. The bishops presented a total offering of almost
one million dollars gathered from all the dioceses of the Episcopal
Church for continuing reconstruction in Louisiana and Mississippi.
In a resolution adopted by the House we commended United States
Senator Mary Landrieu for submitting to Congress the "Gulf Coast
Re-building" Act. We also called our Church to a "unanimous
commitment to healing the radical affront to God that racism
constitutes."
In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury quoted from prophet
Zechariah. Zechariah paints a poetic picture of a renewed city in
which all people live in blessing and peace. There is a great
distance between the inspired vision of Zechariah and the reality of
our own lives. The Archbishop challenged us to work and pray for
justice and peace on earth.
We affirm the ongoing commitment of The Episcopal Church to the
Millennium Development Goals as a framework for our engagement in
mission work around the world. A presentation by Dr. Paul Farmer,
whose groundbreaking medical work in Haiti and elsewhere is well
known, deepened our appreciation for the spiritual and practical
opportunities which these goals offer us. Dr. Gus Newport guided in
reflections on our experiences and asked us as moral teachers to
take our reflections home. National Episcopal Health Ministries
provided prayer shawls for all the bishops, spouses, and guests.
They are a sign to us of God's enfolding love and the prayers that
surround us.
In March 2007, we affirmed the "deep longing of our hearts that
The Episcopal Church continue as a part of the Anglican Communion."
At this meeting we engaged in significant discussions about
important Communion matters. We deliberated and offered responses to
questions and concerns raised by our Anglican partners. We believe
that these responses will provide clarity and point toward next
steps in an ongoing process of dialog.
While we acknowledge that we are not of one mind in all things,
we strive to be of one heart. At the beginning of our meeting, our
Presiding Bishop reminded us that to go forward in rebuilding our
relationships we will need to cooperate with the Spirit and to
create a space for the Spirit to work. We recognize that this
requires real sacrifice from all, yet we know that the Cross of
Christ leads to life. Communion in Christ requires that all of us
come to the foot of the Cross. When we gather, we pray that we will
greet one another with compassion and thanksgiving.
The spirit of this meeting was good. We were always keenly aware
of the prayers that surround us. We give thanks for the faithful
women, men, and children who in Christ's Name give so much to
support the ministries of our Church. These blessings cannot be
counted.
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