The Scenario

At the March retreat of the new Evangelism and Congregational Life Center staff we did a series of scenario planning exercises. Contrary to the experience I had when I worked at Pitney Bowes, I felt it was a very positive experience. Four small groups came up with scenarios of what a thriving Episcopal Church would look like in 2018.

In April Suzanne asked each of us on the Evangelism and Congregational Life staff to write individual scenarios about how we were part of that thriving Episcopal Church in 2018. I've put mine below. I actually had fun doing it, and I folder full of pages of brainstorming exercises, which I will probably need to go back and look at as I further consider the Storefront Ministries.

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April 18, 2018

Harre Appointed To Oversee New Center

The Presiding Bishop’s office today announced the appointment of the Rev. Jeffri Harre as Lead Missioner for the newly formed Learning Ministries Center. Harre, who currently serves as the Program Officer for Congregational Life based in the Omaha, NE office of the Episcopal Church Center, will begin his new position on May 1. He is also Assistant Pastor of the Chicago Storefront Ministries Project.

Initially, the Learning Ministries Center will consist of two “offices,” Biblical Studies and Episcopal/Anglican Studies, and share the oversight of and work with two other offices. The Liturgy & Worship Studies and Resources office will be a cooperative effort with the Outreach Ministries Center and the Spirituality Ministries Center, and the Congregational Studies and Resources office with the Development Ministries Center.

During his tenure in the Congregational Life Office, Harre led the team that developed the successful Local Congregations Conferences series in response to declining interest and participation in national and regional conferences. The purpose of the conference series is to provide all the resources of a large conference without the investment of time and money that few church employees and volunteers can afford. By pooling resources with other denominations, teleconferencing nationally known speakers, and calling on and developing local experts for workshops, participants rarely have to drive more than two hours to participate. It also allows worship leaders to be in their own congregations for Sunday worship.

Harre also worked with the National Organization of Episcopal Resource Center (NOERC) to create the Episcopal Resource Network to facilitate development and distribution of resources for local congregations. Recognizing that even in this day of advanced technology, not all congregations have computer access, “distribution centers” have been set up in each Resource Center and in many Diocesan offices. Anyone may come to one of these centers to download and print out resources they need. For those who are not within a convenient distance, a growing “delivery network” gets the requested resources into their hands within three days. The Resource Network also assists congregations developing their own resources and serves as a way communicate with offices of the Episcopal Church Center regarding resource needs. In addition, the Network provides referrals to local experts who can consult with a congregations in a cost effective way.

Harre plans to take a leave of absence from the Chicago Storefront Ministries during the transition to his new position at the Episcopal Church Center.

More Thoughts

I was completely prepared to dislike--if not hate-- The Present Future simply because Suzanne gave it to me. Instead I am reading a lot of helpful things. Part of the book has helped me better understand Suzanne and where she is coming from. I still don't think she really gets it all, but at least I believe I'm getting clearer picture of how she's thinking. It is also the first place I've found that explained to me what post-modernism is and how it is affecting the institutional church--which also means the beginning of understanding about post-denominational. And finally, McNeal presents a lot of the same thinking and vision that Lois has been preaching and teaching at Grace Church.

Once again, I have been reminded that you can learn something even from those with whom you disagree about things. It's a lesson that needs to be repeated again and again. It's one the bishops of the Anglican Communion need a refresher on.

I still have about a quarter of the book to finish, but it already prompted some thoughts, questions, ideas, and prayer about the Storefront Ministries I wrote about briefly in the scenario I wrote for Suzanne a couple of months ago. As soon as I find it, I will post it here so that those of you who haven't seen it before can read it.

Peace,
Jeffri

Odds And Ends

If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend Elizabeth Kaeton's The Philadelphia Eleven: A Herstory of Women and Ants.

Terry Martin, of Father Jake Stops the World fame, has a new blog: Father T. Listens to the World. Terry is the new Program Officer for Evangelism at the Episcopal Church Center, and thus a new colleague of mine, since he also reports to Suzanne. Fasten your seat belts!

We have a college student working with us as an intern this summer. While he is learning about the "institutional church," we are learning about all sorts of things. Today he introduced me to a new search engine. Check it out: http://www.cuil.com/.

You may have noticed a lack of anything Lambeth here. That's because I'm not really bothering much with it. Up until the last couple of days it has been pretty much of a "non-news" event, with a couple of notable exceptions. And the news starting to surface is more of the same Tempest in the Anglican Teapot. Wake me up when someone says something new and innovative.

Peace,
Jeffri

Some Thoughts About Church And Work

Lois' comment on yesterday's post, which I didn't see until this evening after dinner, is the perfect lead in to what I planned to write about.

Last week Suzanne (my boss) gave me yet another book to read. This one is The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church by Reggie McNeal (Jossey-Bass, 2003). McNeal was the Director of Leadership Development for the South Carolina Baptist Convention when he wrote the book. He currently serves as the Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network of Dallas, TX. I have to wonder why most of the books she gives me to read are by Baptists.

A lot of what McNeal writes about is not new to me, or to many of you. Here are a couple of the many points he makes:

• The current church culture in North America is on life support. It is living off the work, money, and energy of previous generations from a previous world order. (p. 1)
• Many church leaders confuse the downward statistics on church participation with a loss of spiritual interest in Americans. (p. 11)
• The Pharisees' evangelism strategy sounds eerily familiar. Their approach to sharing God was, "Come and get it!" (p. 28)
• The mental model that many church members have for doing evangelism is for them to act like telemarketers. (p. 36)
• since the church is absent from the streets, people are turning to all kinds of false answers to their spiritual quest. Church members then have the gall to sit inside the church and pass judgment on people for their errant beliefs! (p. 41)

I'm about a third of the way through the book, and I like many of his questions and some of his ideas. It will be interesting to see what his answers are. In the meantime, I have a few questions of my own.

• If we are in a post-modern and post-denominational world, then why do we need anything like the Episcopal Church Center?
• Do we even need an Episcopal Church? A Presbyterian Church? A Roman Catholic Church?
• If we don't need denominations, do we need clergy?
• How do we recognize, acknowledge, and pass on transformation?
• What role does ritual play in a post-modern, post-denominational church?

These are the kinds of questions we need to be engaging each other with. These are the questions I would love to engage in with Suzanne. Unfortunately, I strongly suspect she would see them as questioning her authority rather than an attempt to engage and learn.

That's one of the reasons I value this tiny community of readers of my blog, we can engage in the questions of our world.

Peace,
Jeffri

Some Thoughts About Work

The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until it was all leavened. (Matthew 11:33)

Yesterday during Lois' sermon, I had a realization about working at the Church Center in this time of transition. The upper levels of management seem to think that the staff ought to be the flour being leavened by the church, instead of the other way around. That's an awful lot of leaven for a staff of approximately 200.

The new watch words seem to be "listen and learn best practices." I think this phrase is, or will be, in most job descriptions of the Evangelism & Congregational Life Center by the time we finish the writing process. Those of us who were serious about our work for the church have always been listening and learning so that we can share new resources, ideas, etc. with our networks and the larger church. The assumption, however, is that we have not.

The assumption is that the Church Center staff has not been doing its job, and that we have imposed on the church things they do not want or need. During the "research phase" leading up to the recent reorganization, the management listened to the complaints without listening to the compliments. They probably heard both, but only really listened to the complaints. I feel as if those of us on staff at the Episcopal Church Center are tref, unclean, defiled, and in danger of making the church unclean. It is not a comfortable feeling.

Those of us doing the Formation/Christian Education work in the Evangelism & Congregational Life Center--let me make this an "I statement"--I feel that the I as a staff person responsible for formation and education am being called upon to focus so much on evangelism that the formation piece is in danger of disappearing. It is because the Episcopal Church as a whole has not done a very good job of teaching newcomers--especially those from other denominations--what it means to be Episcopalian that we have this current tempest in a teapot in the Anglican Communion. Somebody has to be responsible for the teaching once the evangelising is done. That isn't to say that I shouldn't be reaching out to those outside the institutional church. But at what point do we say, "We ARE Episcopalians!"?

And where is the line which has to be drawn to preserve my integrity?

Peace,
Jeffri

Such A Drama Queen

According to The New Vision, "Uganda's Leading Website," Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi says he's afraid that "he fears for his life because of the campaign he has waged against homosexuals." You can read the full story here.

I have only one thing to say:



I love the title Lisa gave her post about the story: "Holy Homocidal Homosexuals." And Mark Harris had a similar reaction to mine, though I didn't read his "Threatened Prelate or Drama Queen" until after I'd started putting this together. James at The Three Legged Stool has a slightly different take.

Peace,
Jeffri

An Overview Of The Lambeth Conference

Over the next seven days the bishops of the Anglican Communion--most of them, anyway--will descend upon the University of Kent for the 2008 Lambeth Conference, which begins on July 16. The Design Group has been working very hard to develop the Programme, and I'm sure the Archbishop of Canterbury pictures it running something like this:


("Ascot Gavotte" from My Fair Lady. Watch the choreography, it's different.)

Of course, the media won't be far behind the bishops, so expect three weeks worth of these:


("The Rumor" from Fiddler on the Roof)

What a lot of people think the Lambeth Conference is:


("The Mad Tea Party" from Alice in Wonderland)

What the Archbishop actually has on his hands:


("Theme" from Mission Impossible)

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: The End

Reading Plan Text for July 8: John 21:20-25

And so we come to the end of the Gospel, and to the end of this Bible Study with the bishops leading up to the Lambeth Conference. At times writing these short reflections has been tedious. At others they just seemed to flow onto the screen. As I look back at them, some seem to lack depth. Yet all of them, in one way or another, fulfilled the purpose with which I started way back in February. They were meant to spark further reflection. Some of you did reflect and leave comments from time to time. And sometimes rereading one would spark further reflection for me.

Moving forward there seems to be little more for us to do than the title of Burridge's last commentary and the subtitle of its final section: "Follow Me" "Bearing witness." Such a simple thing. One that will take the rest of our lives.

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: Feed My Sheep

Reading Plan Text for July 7: John 21:15-19

Peter's roller coaster ride continues. After the Disciples' earlier encounters with the risen Jesus, Peter needs something familiar and comforting--fishing. His joy and excitement at seeing Jesus once more is evident by the way he jumps into the water and swims ashore ahead of the others in the boat. Yet after breakfast, things take a serious turn.

Jesus takes Peter aside and asks, "Do you love me more than these?" This cannot be an easy question for Peter to hear, especially after his denial of Jesus just a few days ago. In fact, Jesus asks this question three times, just as Peter denied him three times. It is obvious that these questions are more for Peter's sake than for Jesus'. Peter needs to know that following Jesus from now on will only get more difficult and more dangerous. In fact, it will be the cause of Peter's death in Rome.

But it is Jesus' responses to Peter's answers that stand out for me.

Feed my lambs. (21:15)
Tend my sheep. (21:16)
Feed my sheep. (21:17)

Today these three short commands to Peter make me wonder if I'm doing enough. What else should I be doing? Will I ever feel like I'm doing enough? Or will there always be that "one more thing" I feel like I ought to be doing?

The only answers I'm likely to find can only come through prayer and continued action.

Peace,
Jeffri

Independence Day Commemmoration

Back in May Elizabeth Kaeton wrote this post on her blog Telling Secrets. It began

This has been sticking in my craw for some time. And, some of you know how I get when something sticks in my craw.

I was not happy with the Memorial Day Celebration. Oh, I threw in some Patriotic hymns and prayers for our nation and one for 'heroic service', but they rang shallow for me, given all that is going on in the world - and in our country - right now.

So, I spent part of my holiday weekend making sure that the next Patriotic Holiday - July 4th - provides us some lessons in history.

Yes, I could preach on it, but I don't think I could be more eloquent than some of language of our historical documents.

So, inspired by one of my brothers, Ernest Cockrill, from El Camino Real, I decided to develop a sort of "Lessons and Hymns" with Eucharist for July 4th.

On the surface, it looks like a long service, but I wish to point out two things: (1) Most of the hymns are 1 - 3 verses long (or, short, actually, for an Episcopal service) and (2) there is no sermon, per se ;~)

All of the prayers come from the Book of Common Prayer. All of the historical quotes are, as near as I can figure, accurate.

So, tell me what you think. I trust your honesty.

PS - Please feel free to "steal, "borrow" or adapt this for your congregation, as you deem appropriate. Appropriate attribution will be deeply appreciated.

And that's exactly what Lois did, with a few changes inspired by conversations on the House of Bishops and Deputies listserv. You can see the service we did at Grace Church this morning on our Sermons blog.

This service is a mini history lesson for all of us. How many of us have actually read any of the Mayflower Compact? Abagail Adams' letter, or Sojourner Truth's speech, both of which brought some laughter to the congregation, are also little known. Enmegahbowh? Even if we were to believe the melting pot myth, our history consists of the stories of so many more people than a bunch of white men sitting in Philadelphia or Washington, DC.

And the music... Even when we disagree with what our government is doing, or the direction the nation seems to be taking, there is something about "The Star Spangled Banner" that brings a lump to our throats (even if the tune is an old drinking song!). And I can't hear "We Gather Together" without thinking about our Thanksgiving assemblies at my first grade school (before separation of church and state became such a hard and fast line).

This was the most meaningful church celebration of Independence Day I have ever experienced. Thank you Elizabeth, Lois, and everyone who contributed.

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: What If?

Reading Plan Text for July 4: John 21:8-14

A priest of my acquaintance once pondered what the church, let alone our Sunday worship, would look like if the early church had taken as its model this breakfast by the sea rather than the Last Supper. This may not be as far fetched as it might first appear. After all, the Feeding of the 5,000, or the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, is one the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Burridge notes

All the resurrection appearances suggest that Jesus was recognizable, eventually, yet somehow different. His old ways and habits are still there--yet transformed. So Jesus answers their questions with a familiar action: 'he took bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish' (21:13). these words recall how he fed five thousand by this same lake (6:11). We saw then that 'taking' and 'giving' are eucharistic and the reflection of the communion is below the surface her. Pictures in the catacombs and early churches use images of fish and bread for the communion as often as the cup of wine. (p. 239)

This photo by Patty Brdar shows the mosaic on the floor of an early church built on the supposed site of the miracle.


This painting, commonly called the "Eucharist fish," is in the Lucina crypt in the Catacomb of Callixtus, Rome.

My first reaction to this notion was "Sushi for communion? EEEWWWW!" Of course, the priest was not talking about the menu of the meal, but the concept. And the theological implications.

What if?

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study with the Bishops: One Last Visit

Reading Plan Text for July 3: John 21:1-7

The final chapter of John's Gospel appears to be a later addition, especially since the last two verses of Chapter 20 appear to be a logical conclusion. The footnote in my NRSV points out differences in language and style. It also tells us that the appearances in John 20 all take place near Jerusalem, as they do in Luke 24, while the appearance chapter 21 takes place in Galilee, mirroring Matthew 28 and Mark 16. Burridge adds

Also, it is difficult to fit the story into the sequence of chapter 2o and the early church in Jerusalem. On the other hand, the story recalls many key themes from the gospel and no manuscript is without it. It deals with some 'loose ends' from the gospel, especially about Peter and the beloved disciple and their relationship. So it may be better to see it as an epilogue, balancing the prologue at the start. (p. 236)

As the chapter opens, we have some familiar faces: Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, and Nathanael--remember Nathanael? Then we have two new faces, the sons of Zebedee. They are not given their names, James and John, and this is the first and only time we see them in John's Gospel. There are also two unnamed disciples with them. Later we learn that the Beloved Disciple one of those present on the boat.

Tradition, as both the NRSV footnotes and Burridge tell us, identifies the Beloved Disciple with John son of Zebedee. Maybe, maybe not. Throughout the Gospel, including this "appended" chapter, the Beloved Disciple is identified as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Nor does the writer name either of Zebedee's sons. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? Probably not. What matters is that the Disciples are seeing Jesus again.

During this last visit between Jesus and his Disciples we see familiar patterns. Jesus provides an abundance of food. The Beloved Disciple recognizes what's going on, if not fully understanding. And Peter acts the fool. He gets dressed and then jumps in the water to swim to shore? These familiar faces and their familiar actions are comforting right now. The future is still uncertain, and they know that Jesus will be gone very shortly.

How many of us cling to the familiar in the face of change? The time-worn actions are comforting, even as we realize that we must let them go. Yet change we must, or we stagnate and die--even if we go on living.

One last visit, and then we must go.

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: Thomas Returns

Reading Plan Text for July 2: John 20:24-31

Did you note the discrepancy in the first of yesterday's pictures? Like most, it shows the 11 remaining Disciples sitting at the table with Jesus. The second one more accurately depicts the story in John where only 10 of the original 12 were present.

Today, along comes Thomas. He missed the first reunion, and he refuses to believe unless he can see Jesus for himself. Jesus tells him

Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe. (20:27)

For this reason he has been called "Doubting Thomas" down through the centuries. In spite of the fact that nowhere in his Gospel does John call Thomas by that name. Every time Thomas appears, John adds "who was called the Twin." This is the man who according to tradition took Christianity to India. He is not someone either John, or the Jesus of his Gospel, holds in low esteem. Instead, this encounter sets up Jesus' concluding statement:

Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. (20:29)

Which would be everyone but the handful of men and women who saw the resurrected Jesus first hand.

Which would be us.

Peace,
Jeffri

From Conference To Movement To...?

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it. The movement is global: it has mobilised Anglicans from around the world.

GAFCON is not just a moment in time, but a movement in the Spirit, and
we hereby:

• launch the GAFCON movement as a fellowship of confessing Anglicans
• publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of the fellowship
• encourage GAFCON Primates to form a Council.

--From the Introduction of the GAFCON Final Statement

Unable to bring their parallel communion into being, the rejectionists and their allies have decided they are a "movement":

It is a confessing fellowship in that its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem Declaration, to guide the movement for the future.

Perhaps they will pull off a schism in the future, but they will not be members of the historic Anglican Communion. Instead they will be a new denomination, not unlike the Missouri Synod Lutherans. Jerusalem Declaration Anglicans perhaps?

In any case, their declaration has some problems. Take a look at the Anglican Scotist's commentary, which is amongst the better ones.

And is it just me, or does "Primates Council" come across like "Windsor Bishops"?

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: Breath Of God

Reading Plan Text for July 1: John 20:19-23

This was one of the first Scripture passages I signed in ASL for a Pentecost service. It has become a sense memory. I cannot read or hear this passage without my hands coming together to sign the locked door.

So many times we see Jesus' appearance to his disciples depicted like this painting by Duccio di Buoninsegna. Neat. Orderly. With the air of a corporate retirement dinner. Where is the surprise? The excitement? The awe? Is this not Jesus returned from the dead? Where is the Spirit? Why is everyone sitting around like a lump of clay?

Compare this depiction by Hanna Cheriyan Varghese of Malaysia. Here we see Jesus breathing the Spirit on the disciples. There is life here. The breath of life breathed into Adam and into dry bones of the valley.

Breathe on me Breath of God.

Peace,
Jeffri