ISSUES
2009
WEDNESDAY JULY 15
The Consultation Platform for Baptismal Ecclesiology
The Consultation
on Baptismal Ecclesiology
The Presiding Bishop and
the Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission are sponsoring The Consultation on Baptismal Ecclesiology.
The purpose of this significant and long ranged program is to address
the baptismal theology that the redactors of the Book of Common Prayer intended to establish in 1979. This Consultation will
seek to develop a strategic plan to equip our church, at all levels of diocesan and parish life, to better express being Christian
and Episcopalian in the context of our baptismal ecclesiology.
Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori is the Co-Chair; the Chair of the designing group is Byron Rushing, with his long
experience as a lay leader and advocate for justice and reform. The Staff Officer is Clay Morris of the Office of Worship
and Spirituality and the APLM Council. Participants include bishops: Neil Alexander, Wilfredo Ramos, Henry Parsley, Wayne
Smith, Joe Burnett; parish priests and deacons: Georgia Beasley, Stephanie Spellers, Devon Anderson; liturgical scholars:
Lee Mitchell, Louis Weil, Ruth Meyers; Christian educators: John Westerhoff, Linda Grenz,; ecclesiology and history: Bill
Petersen; canon lawyers: Sally Johnson; and advocates for justice and reform: Hisako Beasley. APLM Council members on the
Baptismal Consultation (the organizers) are Robert Brooks, Michael Merriman and Bishop Joe Morris Doss.
The specific goals of the Consultation will be to:
Explain the Prayer Book vision of baptismal theology to the whole church with clarity
and conviction.
Define the place of Baptism
in relation to the post-baptismal celebrations of Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows.
Produce new materials and programs for education, formation,
and leadership training to replace the use of Confirmation for a minimal educational standard for participation in the Episcopal
Church and significantly improve what is offered.
Distinguish Anglican identity and Christian identity and provide appropriate educational and formational standards
and opportunities for each.
Provide a canonical
vehicle to assure that a formation program is enforceable.
Provide a plan for the canonical establishment of standards and qualifications for valid voting membership and
for un-ordained leadership in the church.
Provide
new models for the visitation of bishops to congregations.
Propose resolutions and canons for General Convention.
Identify parishes to serve as models for how to establish the baptismal ecclesiology in concrete and on-going parish
life, ranging, particularly in the building of community through the relationship of worship and ministry.
Joe
Doss, APLM
Misinformation Impacts Legislation
Part of the Episcopal Church’s ability to respond to the ongoing HIV/AIDS
issues was dealt a serious blow late last week. Resolution A117 was amended on the floor of the House of Deputies to remove
the continuation of the Committee on HIV/AIDS of Executive Council. Unfortunately, the decision resulted from incorrect information
provided to the House by the proposer of the amendment. Contrary to the testimony on the floor, HIV/AIDS is indeed a greater
problem than malaria and is not as well controlled. Similarly, comparisons of cancer to HIV/AIDS fail to remember that people
do not get fired from jobs, evicted from apartments, or socially stigmatized when they have cancer. People with HIV/AIDS
suffer stigma so great that it may prevent them from seeking access to health care, including finding out their HIV status.
After years of stabilized infection rates, new infections are again
on the rise. The most heavily impacted group is young gay men, only now most of them are men of color. Geographically the
Southeastern United States, including Province IV of The Episcopal Church, now has become “home” to HIV/AIDS.
Infection rates are highest and rising in that geographic area.
HIV/AIDS
brings together the worst impact of racism, sexism, homophobia, economic poverty and ignorance about disease in a deadly combination
that remains with us, even 28 years after the epidemic began. Having the HIV Committee as a committee of Executive Council
facilitates the Episcopal Church’s interactions with other AIDS service organizations and keeps awareness of the HIV
pandemic high within multiple ministries of our church so we can continue to be in the forefront in responding to the HIV
pandemic with education and in ministering to those whom it affects.
Bruce Garner, NEAC
Member, Executive Council
Let’s Tell
the Truth about B033
It’s been said again and again, D025 doesn’t
change anything because B033 didn’t affect the canons of the Church. The canons call for non-discrimination in the discernment
process – so not confirming elected bishops wasn’t a canonical change. B033 didn’t really change reality.
Of course B033 changed the reality of LGBT people. B033 did affect the discernment
process. OK, maybe Search Committees were, strictly speaking, able to nominate LGBT candidates. But, knowing that an openly
gay candidate would almost certainly not have a chance of being confirmed, what Search Committee would go to the expense of
nominating one? California did, and they got a tremendous amount of negative press for doing so, and at least one (liberal)
diocese instructed their Search Committee not to consider gay candidates.
There
are sociological terms for organizations that claim they don’t discriminate but whose policies have the effect of discriminating.
B033 did create discrimination. What LGBT person was willing to put themselves out there only to be crucified in the confirmation
process? That takes a special kind of saint as Bishop Lawrence of S. Carolina can tell us.
The House of Bishops wants to tell the truth so let’s do that. Let’s stop kidding ourselves
that B033 didn’t change anything, that DO25 just states the way things are, that partnered gay peoplehave been able
to become bishops these last three years – just none of them wanted to.
All LGBT potential bishops please sit in the back of the bus.
Caro Hall, Integrity
Today at 1:00 PM Church Publishing welcomes you to its booth for a book signing
and conversation about Latino Ministry. I will be presenting the main ideas of the book about the future
of Latino Ministry. The Rev. Anthony Guillén, National Coordinator for Latino Ministries, will join me to introduce
the new National Strategy for Latino Ministry Development. Pick up your lunch and join us!
Juan Oliver APLM
Fair Trade, Just Coffee,
and Illegal Immigration
Is there an economic complicity “North of the Border” that
contributes and perhaps even perpetuates and cooperates in this process of illegal immigration? In their book Just Coffee
– Caffeine with a Conscience, Mark Adams and Tommy Bassett write the following:
“We
save money by hiring immigrants [in the United States]. Our building contractors, our lumbering businesses and dairy farms,
our office and hotel cleaning firms, our restaurants and landscaping operations, our agricultural enterprises and orchards
enlist these workers for extremely low wages – and they pass on at least some of those savings to us.
Since an employer can go to jail for not paying income and Social Security taxes, almost all employers collect and
pay these taxes. The Social Security revenue collected on these wages, however, enters our system without future repayment
liability. Undocumented workers in the U.S. contribute an estimated seven billion dollars a year to our Social Security system.
These workers will never receive Social Security checks from the system. It’s not all that bad a deal for those of
us who are beneficiaries of the immigrants’ efforts.”
The need for immigration reform
goes beyond appeals for family unity, it goes beyond attempting to appeal to human dignity, and sometimes it even goes beyond
what is fair or what is just. “Border issues are complex. Proper registration, adequate border security and protection,
and a process of legal order are needed. To be sure, the system that manages the line in the sand between our two countries
is flawed at best. However, the single most powerful force driving the migration inward across our southern border remains
economics. Until this issue is adequately resolved, hopefully humanely, we will not be able to change the realities at our
border – no matter how high or how long the fence.” (Mark Adams and Tommy Bassett)
The
challenge to us as a Church could be this: ask questions about immigration reform over and over and over and over again until
immigration reform with workable and effective solutions is discovered and implemented.
Carmen Guerrero ENEJ
Canon for Peace and Justice
in the Diocese of Arizona
Lunchtime Speakers
(1:00pm) in the Consultation Exhibit
Area (next to the food service area) Each day deputies, bishops, exhibitors and visitors are invited to hear riveting talks
from cutting edge Episcopalians speaking Christ’ message of Justice and Peace. We will also have some afternoon speakers
at 2:00pm.
July 15th – Rev. Wilma Jacobsen:
Born and educated in Cape Town, South Africa and currently Senior Associate at All Saints, Pasadena, CA.
2:00 pm – Brent Bourgeois, (Grammy-winning singer, songwriter
and activist) Author of "Left Behind: Jesus in the age of American Empire"
Jesus Rocks—U2charist
with Pavel Sfera, Thursday, July 16, 7:30 pm
Hilton Anaheim – Pacific
Ballrooms C & D
Offering to benefit E4GR and ERD
