August 7, 2007
ELCA Churchwide Assembly Day Three
Tuesday
Grace, Peace, and Blessings to you at the end of this, the third day of reporting, the 1.5 day of the assembly…
Ok, it has started, the forgetfulness in the middle of an assembly, that time when a conversation is so interesting that you walk completely to the other end of the hotel with someone as if you also were staying in that corridor, or get off the elevator with them. In my case, it takes the form of things that thought I knew that they were mine finding themselves alone in meeting rooms, or on benches in the lobby - for hours. My small triangular backpack, that I really like and knows it, has learned several ways, known only to my possessions, to look reproachful but forgiving. It used that tonight when I returned to retrieve it from the meeting room I had left in earnest conversation 45 minutes earlier…
Refresh your memory: read Acts 8:26-40, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch… Go on; I'll wait for you to get back…
This morning, as the voting members were boarding the buses to take them to Navy Pier, they were offered a booklet, A Place Within My Walls. Within this booklet they found a welcoming word, an understanding that assembly "is often a time when schedules are so intense that finding a moment for personal Bible study and spiritual reflection take real intentionality. Still, for those of us who are veterans of churchwide assemblies past, dedicating ten or fifteen minutes to center ourselves in the stories of scripture and reflection on the day often brings a stillness and clarity."
Inside they found devotions particular to each day of the assembly, written by Pastor Bradley Schmeling, St John's Lutheran, Atlanta. The devotion for Wednesday morning, when most of you will read this, centers on Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch: "What is to prevent me from being baptized?"
Also in the booklet are stories, their own stories, told by 13 LGBT Lutheran ministers, introducing themselves as LGBT and their families, their beloveds, to the rest of the church. And further on, the 13 are joined by 69 others, ministers saying who they are, that they are LGBT, that they can not be, and will not be, silent anymore. They understand the potential for consequences. But, as Barbara Lundblad, renowned preacher, professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York, says, the time has come "when silence is no longer faithful."
All the named state they are LGBT, some partnered, some not, some ELCA, some ECP, some dismissed from the roster – all committed to their calling, the work of the church, and their relationship with God through Christ.
See for yourselves; here [HTML version] or www.goodsoil.org [PDF version]. I'll wait till you get back…
Lift a prayer of thanks for these Spirit-led courageous people…
The booklet has been well received, judging from the two shuttle buses I rode from the hotel to the Navy Pier. I sat in the back so I could check on the way off the buses: found only 3 left on the bus.
Today, Wednesday, when you are reading this, the voting members will be offered another booklet, "Ministry Rooted in Gospel," companion to the first booklet. "Ministry…" is about congregations and ministries, again available on the two websites for viewing.
By now you probably know that we have elected a Presiding Bishop, or I should say re-elected. Bishop Mark Hanson was re-elected on the second ballot this afternoon. On the first ballot, 75% required to be elected, that being 767 votes of the 1013 legal ballots cast, Bishop Hanson received 765 votes. The next closest nominee had 42 votes. On the second ballot, Bishop Hanson received 888 votes of the 1027 legal ballots cast, 772 required for election. The same nearest nominee had 73 votes.
Bishop Hanson said that he viewed this as an affirmation of his call, not the result of a political process. He committed himself to the future of a revitalized church.
Bradley Schmeling and members of the congregation of St John's are here now. They spoke to the press this afternoon and this evening to a room full of more than 350 voting members, observers, and visitors. The vast majority were voting members.
Those present heard the reasons St John's and their pastor, Bradley Schmeling, are a combination led by the Holy Spirit and infused with a joyful commitment to mission, spiritual growth, and lifting up each other as community. They heard of a strong pastor, theologically rooted in Gospel, gifted with children. Members spoke of the brokenness of some of their relations with the Lutheran church prior to their experience of St John's and the pastor called Bradley.
Why do they go to St John's? In their words, spoken tonight: to be fed with the love of God for all, to have faith grow, to be challenged by addressing difficult questions, to encounter role models for youth and children growing up in the family they call St John's, to meet and know people whose lives live out their faith, to talk about justice issues and do something about them, to mature in the Christian faith, to have a home: St John's is home, and "we all need a home."
Today: courage extraordinary, stepping up, firm in the love of God, steadfastness, joy, peaceful rest secure in one's faith, buoyed up by the love of one's companion and fellow Christians, a community to call home, a renewed pastor of pastors, a commitment to revitalizing the church…
As I type, I am listening on earbuds to Frei Manuel Cardoso's Requiem, a wondrously perfect piece of unaccompanied, ethereal, richly unfolding, uplifting Renaissance music I use when I want to center myself… Tallis Scholars performing. I recommend it.
It has been an incredible day…
Phil Soucy
Director Communications LC/NA
communications@lcna.org
