In this Issue:

Diocese called to adventure not fear

Do Not Be Afraid: The Bishop's address to the 110th Annual Convention of The Diocese of Lexington

From the National & Anglican

Commentaries:

Reflection: From Different Voices

X-ercizing: Finding God in The Laundry Hamper

Diocesan Calendar

Past Issues

Diocese Called to Adventure Not Fear

By Shannon Wilson, Diocesan Historiographer

“All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voices let us sing,” rang throughout historic Trinity Church, Covington. At the Diocese of Lexington’s 110^th Annual Convention, participants explored new challenges for ministry in considering the convention theme, “To Teach, To Love — the Environment.” The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, Bishop of Alaska, reminded his listeners that all creation belongs to God, and that we are merely trustees of God’s wealth. One-fourth of the world’s useable land, Bishop MacDonald noted, is in the hands of indigenous people. For MacDonald, environmentalism is not only an issue of stewardship, but of human rights. Father Trimble Gilbert, an Episcopal priest and Gwich’in tribal leader, testified to the special relationship of his people with the land and wildlife that surrounds and sustains their lives. Spreading the Gospel by dog-team, following the caribou as the primary means of sustenance, Fr. Gilbert noted simply, “No caribou, no people.” For many native peoples, Christianity has been experienced as a tool of oppression. Nevertheless, as oil and natural gas drilling threaten the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Bishop MacDonald, Fr. Trimble, and the Gwich’in people use the Gospel as an instrument of resistance. “Your soul needs the wild” (Luke 5:16) is more than just a slogan.

In his address to the assembled clergy and deputies, Bishop Stacy Sauls noted that the life of faith is not a life of safety, but of adventure. In his consideration of the Incarnation, Bishop Sauls observed that it was dangerous for Mary to become the mother of Jesus. It was dangerous for Joseph to stay with Mary. It was dangerous for the shepherds to leave their flocks and seek the child who would be the redeemer of the world. The angels in each situation offered only this comfort, “Do not be afraid."  Mary, Joseph, the shepherds were all urged to abandon safety for adventure. How might this sense of adventure be realized in our own diocese? For example, what became All Saints Village was renovated without really knowing how the work would be funded, for Hurricane Katrina victims who were never sheltered there. Now All Saints Village has become Martha’s Place, offering transitional housing for those moving from homelessness to self-sufficiency. The homeless represent only one of many groups of people we should know, people who will bless us. “Our goal as the Church is not to invite enough people to help us pay the bills,” Sauls declared, “It is to invite those who will bless us — the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.” In these encounters, we meet the risen Christ. Consequently, working to welcome Hispanic people must become part of our work. Grants will support four congregations that have Spanish-speaking clergy in reaching out to nearby Hispanic populations — at Good Shepherd, Lexington; at St. Mary’s, Middlesboro; at Our Saviour, Madison County, and at the Church of the Nativity, Maysville. A part-time Hispanic missioner will be funded to assist in encouraging Hispanic ministry throughout our diocese. Similarly, a part-time college missioner will broaden the work of campus ministry efforts to partner college students with those in need. These ministries to Hispanics and college students are about adventure, of meeting the Lord in unexpected places. Stacy also proposed that the expansion of Reading Camp, the self-study of our camping and youth ministries, and the addition of another new congregation in Northern Kentucky were further opportunities for growing deeper in our love for God. Perhaps the greatest adventure has been the work of reconciliation in our diocese. Joyfully acknowledging the roles played by Calvary Church, Ashland; Christ Church, Harlan; St. Andrew’s, Ft. Thomas, as well as many others throughout the diocese, Stacy urged the convention to persevere in God’s cause. “We are healing,” Sauls observed. “As unsafe as it may have been, the adventure of reconciliation is being lived out.”

In the gracious banquet hosted by the Northern Kentucky churches, in the dancing and conversation, in the discussion and passage of resolutions and the budget, in the beautiful liturgy, the convention was marked by a good spirit of worship, work, and fellowship. Whether supporting youth through the Silent Auction, or learning about service to Hurricane Katrina victims, or the challenges facing us in General Convention this summer, our diocese is called to a life of adventure, of service to our people, “bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3)

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