On Wednesday, September 27th, 56 people with a shared interest in ethnic and multicultural ministries came together in a "Visioning Day" to develop a strategic plan for those ministries in the Diocese of California. The daylong meeting was facilitated by the Rev. Michael Yoshii, Pastor of Buena Vista United Methodist Church in Alameda, and included a reflection and response by Bishop Marc Andrus and other diocesan leaders.

According to the Rev. Richard Helmer, Coordinator of the Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries Strategic Plan Steering Committee, "Right now, ethnic and multicultural ministries tend to operate in isolation -- what some have called a silo mentality -- and it is very clear that it will be more fruitful if these ministries become a part of the greater movement of the diocese and collaborate with one another."

Helmer also expressed how important it is for there to be even broader consensus throughout the diocese that this is work worth doing. "We attempted to gather as much of the leadership form across the dioceses as possible with hope that we could forge a strategic plan and build investment in that plan."
 

Earl Clinton Williams, a layperson at St. James', Oakland, and a member of the Steering Committee said of the day: "Trying to build the Tower of Babel isn’t the goal, but only to bring the people of Babel back together to celebrate the greatness of the Holy Trinity each in our unique ways, but still as one. We saw that at the Investiture of Bishop Marc with all of the diversity that service had, and now it’s time to bring that to each of our congregations."

The meeting occurred in the context of worship, beginning with prayers, scripture, and singing, and ending with Holy Eucharist. The group worked and prayed, and ate and played together. Near the end of the day Helmer assured those gathered that this was not the end of their work. "In the weeks to come we will call on you to step-up and continue the work that was begun here today."

The steering committee then reported the information gleaned from Visioning Day to the Diocesan Convention held at Grace Cathedral on September 21, 2006. [For more information about that report and other convention news, visit episcopalbayarea.org/convention2006.] The report of the steering committee includes thirteen goals that they would like to achieve in the strategic plan, and next steps

Bishop Marc responds

Bishop Marc was engaged in every aspect of the Visioning Day, leading prayer and participating in table conversations. Near the end of the day he reflected on the work the group did together. "This has been an amazing day hearing from all of you with whom my new life is, and it encourages me so much to hear your passion and your thoughts."

Bishop Marc then reflected on several truths that brought the group together. He spoke about how, historically, western culture has put emphasis on word, while now the culture has begun to engage image. "And we've got some words that are very powerful and we're using them -- I and all of us. Ethnicity -- that's an interesting word. Ethnos in Greek means foreigner. So, how helpful is that, finally?"

He then dealt with issues in the greater Anglican Communion and words used in The Windsor Report. "The Windsor Report says that we are held together by bonds of affection," he said, "and they name those bonds of affection as being: a Celtic background … interesting. Then there's this period of the 17th and 18th centuries with the emergence of Anglicanism and Anglican divines. Then there's mention of the 19th century with the Social Gospel. But what's never mentioned are the bonds of bitterness -- and that's honest too, isn't it? Would there be an Anglican Communion if there had not been an empire? And the break up of the empire? The first member of the Anglican Communion, if you will, is the United States, because we were the first to break."

Bishop Marc then went on to discuss the words of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and of Martin Luther King Jr., that we are called to inhabit "the beloved community." "To inhabit that," Bishop Marc continued, "is not wishful thinking. And it's not simply naming so-called bonds of affection. It's also saying that there's been pain, and anger, and loss, and sadness. And that's still here. All of those emotions are still among us. And that's part of our reality as well. I don't think we are going to go anywhere without confronting that and being honest about it."

His reflections considered the strengths of developing companion diocese relationships and adapting total and shared ministry for the Diocese of California. And he shared thoughts about church planting, evangelism, and even branding and messaging and sharing who we really are with the wider community. To hear the full reflections from Bishop Marc at Visioning Day, visit our Podcasts.

To participate in further work of the diocesan Ethnic and Multicultural Ministries, contact the Rev. Richard Helmer at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .