Tag: #Episcopal Church

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to be a delegate to the 204th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Basically, it’s the business meeting for our little corner of the Episcopal universe.

I agreed to be a delegate because I’m really a newbie in this Church. I really want to see how it functions. Since I am kind of a student of the Church and all things Jesusie, my participation allowed me to see how things work in an organization that is supposed to be Christ’s hands and feet in this life.
And, I gotta tell ya, it was everything that I imagined it would be.
The convention was organized according to that Old Man Roberts and his Rules of Order.
Presiding over the affair was the Bishop of our Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr. He had a gavel and everything!

I had received a booklet that contained everything that I could possibly want to know about what the order of business would be. There were the financial reports and the blurbs with information about all of the folks who were running for the various offices of the Diocese. We got to vote on possible changes to our Constitution and Canons. (That’s Church-speak for the rules that govern how we do, well, pretty much everything.)
And, best of all, we got to do all of this Virtually!
Yes, that’s right! More Zoom meetings!

Ok, in all seriousness, I want to extend my gratitude to the folks who work so hard to make something like this virtual convention happen. Our Diocese contains about 90 different parishes across the Northern half of our state. So kudos to all of you who made this convention happen.
I also want to shout out to Bishop Hollingsworth and the Diocesan staff for all that they do to assist all of these disparate parishes. Our Church is not a monolith. It is comprised of regular people doing regular stuff everyday. We are politically and culturally diverse. We are rural and urban. We are mixed racially and by class. The Church must balance the various needs and desires of all of the people who choose to follow in the footsteps of Jesus with our Episcopal tradition.
As the convention began, we the opportunity to hear a brief address from the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S., the Most Rev. Michael Curry. Some of you may recognize that name. He delivered a message at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a while back. As he spoke a smile broke out across my face. In his presence with us, and in his words, I realized how big this Church really is. There are thousands of people who worship with us. I want to emphasize that:
There are thousands of people who Worship With Us.
And, in that moment when I listened to Bishop Curry speak, I realized that I am a part of that!
I’m not an outlier in some strange, self-serving organization with no roots or history.
No!
I am a part of something much bigger than I am.
Something that is alive and breathing.
Something that has deep roots in a tradition that ultimately goes back to the first century and the singular voice of an itinerate, Palestinian Rabbi who said,
“Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength,”
and
“Love your Neighbor as yourself.”

These words still anchor us today in the bedrock of Christian faith that the very first disciples of Jesus passed on to their next generation.
Who passed them on to the next.
Eventually, these words have come to rest in our care.

Through the Church to the Diocese to the Parish these word are now ours to pass on to the next.

I am thankful to the Episcopal Church for her faithfulness in carrying this tradition and proclaiming it to all who would hear.