 Resources for Churches, Organizations, Laity and Clergy of the Diocese of California
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Diocese Meets in 156th Convention |
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Tuesday, 20 December 2005 |
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Page 2 of 6
The Bishop's Address: Boasts and Farewells
Bishop Swing, who never shies from celebrating the creative ministries
of the Diocese of California, began his convention address by honoring
the people and fruits of Jubilaté Deo, a three-year program of four
special ministry areas that officially ended with this convention. The
bishop welcomed the leaders in these four special areas (Mission,
Ministry, Episcopal Charities, and Other Specific Initiatives) to speak
of their own accomplishments and challenges:
Mission
The Diocesan Office of Congregational Development and Enrichment,
headed by the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, is responsible for all things
that fall under the "Mission" category of Jubilaté Deo. (You can read
more about this work at condev.diocal.org.) The Mission Report covered three areas: The Creative Ministry Fund, new congregations, and congregational enrichment.
Kathleen Crisp spoke for The Creative Ministry Fund, which provides
grants to ministry initiatives that could be described by such words
as: “entrepreneurial”, “progressive”, “outward-looking”, “hopeful”,
“joyful”, “transformative”, “experiential” or -- even -- “edgy!" Since
its inception, The Creative Ministry Fund awarded $296,198 in grants.
As these were matching grants, the awards represented $592,396 spent on
these ministries.
Next report covered the development of new congregations. According to
Barlowe, "Older patterns of beginning new churches are enormously
expensive, especially in the Bay Area." That is why new congregations
are being planted in the church buildings of existing congregations,
and in private homes (as is the case with St. Macrina's in the Marin
Deanery).
Perhaps the largest challenge is the call to serve the diverse cultural
communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. To better reflect the rich
cultures of the peninsula, a Pan-Asian congregation is being formed at
St. Ambrose in Foster City; and in San Bruno, St. Andrew's serves the
Latino community. This is no easy enterprise, as both the Pan-Asian and
Latino communities are comprised of many different and rich cultures
and sub-cultures.
The final mission area, congregational enrichment, was reported on by
the Rev. Mark Spaulding. This writer can do no better than to quote him
outright:
 
"We can rock this place," said Spaulding. "Those are Whoopi Goldberg’s
words in the movie Sister Act, and if you want to learn something about
congregational development, take a look at that movie. We can rock this
place! Take the message of Jesus Christ, the love of Jesus Christ, into
the world, transform the world, and watch the place grow. We can rock
this place!"
Ministry
Next, the bishop called on reports from Sandy Burnett, from the
Commission on the Ministry of All the Baptized (COMAB); the Rev. George
Sotelo spoke on behalf of ethnic ministries and contemporary models of
ordination; and the Rev. Laina Casillas spoke about helping to house
the clergy of our diocese. Each of these areas has been successful in
developing legacies for supporting the ministries of the Diocese of
California. COMAB has published Building Discerning Communities: An
Introduction to Communal Discernment, by the Rev. Sylvia Sweeney
(available from the diocesan Office for Faith Formation), and Burnett
reported that a class on ministries of discernment would be offered at
regional Faith Formation events. Sotelo said that about 200 people have
received anti-racism training, and that five people have been ordained
in a contemporary ordination track. Casillas reported on the formation
of the Episcopal Real Estate Foundation and said that its purpose was
"to provide resources for our clergy, to provide a place for sound
counsel for our parishes and ministries around the real estate
decisions that they make, and to support the planting of new churches."
She went on to say that this has not been done anywhere else in the
Episcopal Church, "so it’s another Diocese of California first."
Episcopal Charities
Sally Coates, Executive Director of Episcopal Charities responded to the bishop's question "How did we do?"
"Over the last three years," Coates said, "we have transitioned
Episcopal Charities into more of a community foundation model in which
we are working to build a community of givers to serve a community in
need." Coates went on to report that, "through the great goodwill and
help of Bishop Swing we have been the recipients of the Brotherton Fund
-- a $13 million restricted endowment," which raises the total of
restricted endowments to $16 million. "We are also very close to the
end of a $5 million major gift campaign," said Coates. She also told
the convention about the Bishop Swing fund, "a $1 million fund that
will support new initiatives for parishes and partner agencies to serve
the community in need."
Other Jubilaté Deo Initiatives
Jubilaté Deo also supported the work of the Pacifica Center for
Solitude, helped newly ordained clergy relieve their seminary debt, and
contributed to the opening of the Bay School, a new religious high
school in San Francisco's Presidio. The Rev. Sue Thompson reported that
growth had not been as expected, and that the board of the Pacifica
Center for Solitude had voted to dissolve the corporation. The Ven.
Dorothy Jones told convention that approximately $140,000 had gone to
help thirty-seven members of the clergy relieve seminary debt. The Ven.
Malcolm Manson told of a wonderful new school where "the G-word is used
a lot. We are not a Buddhist school, a Jewish school, or a Christian
school," Manson said, "we are a religious school, and there is no
default religion. I am tall and male and an Episcopal priest. Our
Chaplain is short, female and a Buddhist priest." The Bay School is now in its second year and has 123 students in the 9th and 10th grades.
More Boasts from the Bishop
After reporting that the Jubilaté Deo initiative was accomplished
without a tax on congregations, Bishop Swing continued with a long list
of other accomplishments within the Diocese of California -- a list
much too long to enumerate here. Suffice it to say that his address
(which is available in the text of the Bishop's Address at
www.EpiscopalBayArea.org) contained twenty-two bullet points of praise
and the bishop claimed that this was only a few "of the hundreds and
hundreds of sprouts of fresh life that spring up in our midst."
A final boast was one that stands out in the Episcopal Church today:
"In 2004," Swing said, "over 96% of the money assessed to congregations
was paid in full. Thus, we maintain Diocesan unity, Episcopal
Church unity, and Anglican Communion unity. Whether we agree or not on
all the issues, we put our money on the line to declare our unity in
the Body of Christ."
A Heartfelt Goodbye
Swing then recounted a few personal stories about his experience and
the experiences of his family during his tenure as bishop. With warmth
and humor, the bishop paraphrased Jesus, saying "This generation, like
all of them, seeks a sign." He then told about two signs that had
meaning for him. Anyone who has ever tried to park on the street near
Grace Cathedral has seen them -- the ubiquitous "No Stopping" signs
that the city puts up when there is construction or a special event. On
the day of his consecration, two unnamed members of the clergy went
outside, removed one of the "No Stopping" signs, and gave it to Swing.
The second was a sign that he saw in a construction zone in Seattle
two-years ago: "Prepare to Stop." "OK, Swing said. "I got the message."
The bishop then shared this story:
"In the summer of 1979, Mary, Alice, Ted, and I drove
across the country, actually from Norfolk, Virginia, over the northern
route. When we got to San Francisco on the first night, we needed
to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in order to housesit for a friend in
Marin County. Not only were we exhausted, but so was our gas tank
due to my lack of attention. So in the night our car stopped dead
on the Golden Gate Bridge. Cars were swerving, honking, speeding
by. My family had a few things to say to me. What in the
world to do? Within a very short time a bright light was flooding
from behind the car and a voice boomed over a loud speaker. “Put
it in neutral, and we’ll push you across.” A large emergency
truck gently engaged us, got us some gas, and sent us on our way.
"That summarizes my entire California experience. Every time I
have been in the dark and helpless, exactly then a light, a power,
reassuring voices gently engaged me until a bridge was crossed —
whether that bridge was an epidemic, or an earthquake, or a fire, or
controversies, whatever. The Light of God was — always — there to
sustain, so that we could survive, stay on mission, and grow."
The bishop closed with a list of acknowledgements of gratitude. The
first name he mentioned was that of Mary Swing. This drew a sustained
ovation from the floor of convention, as all present directed their
attention to the woman that has shown such love and grace for this
diocese, and who has supported the bishop in his life and work. Swing
then thanked all "the tens of thousands of Episcopalians here who
cooperate with the Holy Spirit in building a Church which is one, holy,
and catholic."
In closing, Bishop Swing's voice broke as he read these, the final
words of his final address to the convention of the Diocese of
California:
"Most of all I want to give abundant thanks to the mystery of God who
forever captivates the imagination and intoxicates with hope.
Jesus promised to be with us always even until the end of the
ages. Well he has been true in this age. Despite the
thorns, this rings true. Jesus declares to us forever: “My
grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.” Amen."
  And with that "Amen," the entire body of the convention rose in an ovation that was sustained over several minutes.
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