State of the Flock - Feb 2013

State of the Flock
February 3, 2013
Fr. Philip Eberhart

(Audio Podcast)

 

Each year we spend this Sunday looking back at the past year and ahead at what we think the future holds. Last year at this time we were embroiled in events on the international stage that bore fruit all the way down to our parish. I spent an inordinate amount of time and money attending events and listening to Bishops and Archbishops as they rehearsed the events of 2011 and their aftermath. What we have been left with is a divided Anglican witness in America - the land where we can least afford such a thing.

For us at Rez it meant a lateral move of jurisdiction from the Anglican Mission in the Americas into the Anglican Church in North America, and the International Diocese. Through the careful approach that was taken and through your great patience with an almost year-long process, we have come through virtually unscathed in our affiliations and in our relationships. We are still closely related to our friends in Rwanda, though not jurisdictionally. We are related by choice and by relationship, as we are with our other mission partners around the world.

Our change to the International Diocese and Bishop Bill Atwood is one that is well matched with our commitment and investment in relationships around the globe. Bishop Bill has been a key figure in connecting the Communion together through relationships and communication for nearly three decades.  Because of his priority for relational ministry, Bishop Bill was understanding that in this transition year we wanted to be careful to honor and maintain our friendship and honor for Bishop Sandy Greene as well. Though the days of official visitations from Bishop Sandy are over we continue to be in good relationship with him and his wife, Gigi. In fact, we will have a special evening and service to honor them this month, on the evening of the 20th as we gather with many from Colorado to pray for and bless them in this new season of ministry. Put that on your calendar for Wednesday, Feb. 20 @ 7 pm.

And of course, as you know, Bishop Sandy and Gigi will be present and he will preside at our daughter Aly's wedding this fall on Sept 21.

This past year has been a momentous -- even a tumultuous one, but God has brought us through intact and looking forward to 2013 and beyond. We are not without our challenges as things have gotten tighter financially, largely as a result of some significant retirements and relocations this past year. An already tight budget, got tighter and layoffs and cuts were needed to balance for this year. We will hear more on that in our next hour. We had high hopes for national changes this fall that did not come to pass, and many are reassessing their finances these days and the church and nonprofit sector are suffering greatly all across this country. We are not alone by any stretch of the imagination. Though that doesn't make it much easier, it always serves to remind us of Who our supply is and that reliance on God is what we are all about here.

That being said, we continue to look forward to the days ahead and to expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven through our little outpost here at Resurrection. Despite the difficulties of our times we press on to obtain, as the Apostle Paul said it, the "prize of the high calling, for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus!" Though we have seen some setbacks this year we are also experiencing a season of unshakable peace and of His presence in the midst of our worship and fellowship. According to our prayers, God is answering with open doors of opportunity for ministry and with the grace of new faces in our midst, all of whom we welcome with open arms and hearts, not because they are the answer to our problems, but because they are the answer to our prayers.

Earlier last year we were reminded of the words in scripture that tell us, "You have not because you ask not.".  And so we have been asking; asking God, the Lord of the Church to send us new faces. I and the intercessors are asking for a specific number and we are seeing the first fruits of those prayers answered. Our growth isn't exponential, yet, but we know and trust that growth comes from the Lord and that it is in His time and in His way.

We continue to be impressed and to have the words of Acts 2:42 and the verses following it as a guide for our life together. The model of the post-Pentecost community is one that we see holding great value for us, as a parish and as we look for the move and presence of God in the wider Body of Christ and in the world around us. The four marks or markers of that first community were 1) faithfulness and devotion to Apostolic teaching, that is, the Bible as the Word of God; 2) an intentionally deep, daily sharing of common life; 3) the priority of the Lord's Table in our midst and by extension, His hospitality in and through our own lives and homes; and finally, 4) a commitment to prayer. These are the marks of measurement by which we evaluate our life here at Rez; through which we view and by which we structure our priorities for program and action.

Our vision is one of connection. Connecting people to God through a vital, daily, authentic and personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit is our utmost priority. Connecting people into the present and powerful Kingdom of Heaven here on earth is next - the family of all God's People, next door and around the world. And all this happens, not through an outstanding worship team or pianist, though they are and they are important! It's not through a dedicated staff and leadership team, which we have; it's not even through a good-looking, charismatic, and nearly famous, humble parish priest! No!

All of this happens through you: a loving, biblically-rooted, Anglican community, prayerfully listening with willingness of heart and mind, living in availability to daily opportunities and walking in obedience to His direction, in your homes and lives, in your workplaces, across S. Metro Denver and out from here to the ends of the earth.

Friends, our priorities remain clear and unchanged, through all the changes and chances of our life in these United States and in these times that we live in. We are the People of God and as such we are called to be the light in an ever darkening world. The light never complains about the darkness, it simply dispells it by being The Light! The problems we see around us are not new or even different these days than what has been faced by every generation of God's People - we have always been and must always be fully reliant on God, and as Jesus expressed, unwilling that any should perish without Him. This is the heart of our desire and the desire of our heart at Rez.

This morning I invite you anew into the adventure - the adventure of following Jesus. Let Him be on the front seat of your tandem bike. Let Him be the pilot, instead of the co-pilot. God has an incredible adventure for you, and for all of us together at Rez and in the Body of Christ in the days ahead. Hold on tight, and fasten your seat belt. You haven't seen anything yet!

Amen and amen.
Epiphany 2013

 

A Perspective on Two Conferences

A Perspective on Two Conferences
Fr. Philip Eberhart
Resurrection Anglican (AMiA), Centennial, CO
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As I fly home after a week of Winter Conferencing and Sacred Assembling, I have some time to reflect on, as Chairman Murphy says, "What I think I think." I am an AMiA priest of going on 11 years, a former network leader, and a careful observer and listener to both sides in this family squabble and potential "divorce." (I am a "world-class hopeful romantic" to borrow a movie line, but I fear the divorce may already have happened.)

That's what it feels like after all is said and done. I haven't actually decided if the divorce is final yet, but there are going to have to be some big changes for repentant words and reconciliation to turn into restoration. And there is alot more, as with any family dysfunction, that is not seen than is seen publicly. I am convinced however, that love actually does "cover a multitude of sins" so you won't find any expose' here. 

NO DISSIDENTS HERE

What I have discovered by listening is that there has come upon us a "perfect storm" made up of human failing, spiritual warfare, and genuine ambition, more or less godly in its genesis. I've discovered an array of relational mis-steps over years, from the lowest to the highest levels, the cumulative effect of which has been to spoil our "alphabet soup." There are no dissidents - well, only a few that can actually be identified - who are pouring fuel on the fire for ends that I don't fully understand. As I understand it the "back door" of AMiA has always been as open as the front - maybe more so!

What I have encountered at both of this past two week's gatherings is truckloads of sincere grief and a kind of foggy lack of clarity that pervades every conversation. Most are still unclear even about 'what' happened, let alone how. When we play with time lines in hopes of finding an analytical way through, we come face to face with our propensity to assign motives that demonize and villify others in the process of our "discernment". Not that discernment is a bad thing here, but we must be careful to discern what the Spirit is saying, mostly about my own sin, not the sin of others. It's never been very helpful to confess one another's sins, as it is the antithesis of James' admonition, moving us away from healing!

A "DIFFERENT" WINTER CONFERENCE

With these words we were welcomed to Houston's posh downtown Hilton Americas for the 12th Annual AMiA Winter Conference, of which I am proudly an alum of all twelve. From just a few churches and lots of us "tire kickers" at the first Winter "Homecoming" Conference in '01, through twelve years of the blood, sweat and tears of slugging it out planting a church, through "building the bridge as we crossed it," through network formation, re-formation, and expansion, through an ever widening Anglican missional enterprise, through partnership with other Anglican bodies and always in relationship with our beloved Rwanda - to a very "different" Winter Conference. Very different indeed!

Winter Conference, sans our Rwandan friends, save former Archbishop Kolini and the other founding archbishops, Moses Tay and Yong Ping Chung. Our beloved leaders and founders are once again among us - consolation for a moment that we are still "on track." But on track for what and to where? Chairman Chuck is the ever diligent visionary, pointing to a new way forward, as a "Missionary Society," with appropriate and compelling slides, charts and graphs at the ready. But lingering and nagging questions bubble up in the 'anglican' part of me. What is our relationship now to Rwanda, and what does the presence of retiree archbishops signify? I want to give them due honor and heed their admonitions to press on, but how can this be? Is ++Kolini separated from Rwanda too? Apparently, and tragically I fear. What else can it mean? I remember sitting with him at a clergy convocation as he recounted the pain and sacrifice associated with his work on our behalf over the past decade, and weeping. Now I weep again to think - once again he chooses us over homeland and retirement security?

And the message we hear is new. Sorrow for what has happened, but a sense of calling to go on ... even a broader calling to global church planting! Awesome! But what of our Rwandan relationships? I am a personal friend of His Grace ++Onesphore RWAJE because of the sister-to-sister church partnerships begun in '02. A decade of trips, work, care and love. I don't want to go forward without this relationship. Do I have to choose between parents?

Repentance, healing prayer, God's presence ... and the nagging questions. What are we now? Where are we now? Whose are we now? We know we belong to Jesus, and there is great solace in that, but... as Anglicans we believe that its BOTH faith AND order. Don't we?

I told friends who asked that I actually came away from Houston with more questions than I had when I went! And I was not alone. On the Sunday in between my intercessors could only weep and the whole church arose to prayer for my wife and I personally and for The Mission.

A SACRED ASSEMBLY

Only two weeks ago or so we found out that there was to be a winter conference, part the second. Just a day in-between. Time to fly home, change clothes, do church and fly out again. The other half of the family was doing their reunion elsewhere. Even the thought was sobering, like a "polar bear" dip in an icy Colorado lake! I understand the need to convocate, especially at times like these, so I begged my bookkeeper and she found the needed denarii for this additional three days. Thanks, Cheryl and my board.

It's been important for me to hear and see all that was being said and by whom. The Sacred Assembly (a great alternative to "WC-the sequel") gathered two Archbishops, Rwaje and Duncan, six bishops, three Rwandan and two US former AMiA bishops with a guest appearance by Julian Dobbs, an ACNA/CANA bishop. The assembly was hosted by Archbishop Rwaje and facilitated by Bishops Barnum and Glenn, along with a team of clergy leaders and the gracious gifts of hospitality at Church of the Apostles in Raleigh, NC.

Representive clergy and laity from 109 parishes gathered in what I would characterize as a repentant, grief-filled, introspective time of worship, teaching, exhortation and prayerful communion. Bishop Glenn commented, "Personal pain robs us of perspective, but worship restores it." We heard encouragement from ++Rwaje - "You are still with us. We are still with you. We have not left you."

From ++Duncan a sermon with humble beginning, "His church is not yet a spotless bride;" "we have sinned against each other;" "God works in all things for good..." but then he also reflected his personal pain at The Mission's (read +Chuck's) choices regarding full jurisdictional inclusion and participation in the ACNA, calling our "Personal Prelature" (i.e., +Chuck's working directly under and for ++Kolini as "Primatial Vicar") unanglican. Really? Wasn't that what all the provinces who rescued us, prior to AMiA or ACN or ACNA did? Then he went further, inferring our prior TEC days of undisciplined, ungodly, rogue bishops, by saying "It's a cruel thing to have to send our problem of discipline 8000 miles away." What does someone from the AMiA take away here? Wow.

The rest of the messages were generally challenging and encouraging. +Terrell and +Thad led gently with an eye to those who were double-dippers, like me - who attended both conferences - probably 15-20% of the conferees I had seen in Houston. Others from the Anglican Mission Center in Pawleys Island were there as well, Canon H. Miller, AMiA's Exec. Director, Bishop John Miller of AMiA and Canon Kevin Donolan, the AMiA's canon law expert. All were treated well, at least by the leadership of the meeting. We ended with a eucharist that held the seeds of the most hopeful time I've been a part of all week: The Prayers of the People became prayers of repentance - individual voices, repenting for specific things aloud to God, and the company gathered responding, "Lord, hear OUR prayer." I wept again. All the players were prayed for from Archbishops down. The sense of grief and sorrow was tangible. Perhaps this is our way forward!

SO WHAT? ... SO NOW WHAT?

So we have convocated, and spoken our minds and listened and prayed. Now what? Is there a way forward? and to what end? Is the goal to preserve the unity of the Body or to preserve the work of the individual groups? Is the divorce final? Are we able to move forward ... together - or will it be otherwise? As one friend put it, "This is a tragedy of the first order, and we are behaving like its a wake - a mixture of a funeral and a party."

Having gone through the Episcopal Turf Wars (some are still in them), I remember the feelings I had. Betrayal, grief, profound sadness at having to choose one set of friends over another, but the choices were clear then, "gospel" or "other." Here the turf wars are not gospel driven, and the choices are not clear. There are no clean hands that I can see, save perhaps our Rwandan primate. I trust ++Onesphore, my friend of almost a decade. I trust my Bishop, +Sandy Greene, the god-father of one of my twin daughters, and a friend of 20+ years. Here I am torn again. I am canonically resident in Rwanda, and my church is a member of the Anglican Mission, an Illinois 501-c-3 non-profit, licensed to do business in South Carolina. What are my choices? Go entirely with Rwanda and leave my bishop and friend of two decades? Go with The Mission and ... well ... we don't know just yet. Its unclear what a Mission "Society" is, at least in this particular setting. Nor is it clear how we are going to remain under Anglican authority, or with whom.

I think the most hopeful star in the night sky is the "family intervention" that began in Nairobi a few weeks ago. Could we pay attention to that meeting and its requirements? (See the Nairobi Statement by Archbishop Eliud Wabukala). Is it possible that this perfect storm can be recovered from? I still have hope at this point, but it is a thin slice of bread. In my heart, I really want to say what Bob Newhart said in his "psychologist" sketch many years ago, to the woman who had an inordinate fear of being buried alive in a box... "STOP IT!" If repentance means turning around, if reconciliation means coming together again, if restoration could lead us to a truly, biblical, united and missionary Anglican witness in the USA and around the globe, why not stop moving in directions that will not achieve the completion of the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we don't, God help us ... and that is where I'll stop it, as that is my sincere prayer and our only hope for the future.

Fr. Phil Eberhart
FrPhil@RezAnglican.org