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THE
EPISCOPAL ADDRESS FOR THE 131ST DIOCESAN CONVENTION
OF
THE DIOCESE OF NEWARK
THE RIGHT REVEREND JOHN PALMER CRONEBERGER
NINTH BISHOP OF NEWARK
Friday, January 28, 2005
I spoke, Lord, and I am furious.
I am furious because I worked so hard with gestures and with words.
I threw my whole self into them, and I'm afraid the essential didn't get across.
For the essential is not mine, and words alone are too shallow to hold it.
I spoke, Lord, and I am worried.
I am afraid of speaking, for speaking is serious;
It's serious to disturb others, to bring them out, to keep them on their doorsteps;
It's serious to keep them waiting, with outstretched hands and longing hearts, seeking for light or some courage
to live and act.
Suppose, Lord, that I should send them away, empty-handed!
And yet, I must speak.
You have given me speech for a few years, and I must make use of it.
I owe my soul to others, and words are crowding to my lips to bring it to them.
- Michel Quoist
Speaking plainly about the expansion of our capacity for ministry in, through, and beyond the Diocese of Newark.
Any reasonable reading of the New Testament will indicate at least two distinct methods Jesus used in order to
communicate his message to those around him. There were times when Jesus used parables and images that seemed to
confuse his listeners . . . at times he appeared to deliberately want to confuse in order that his listeners could
not understand. On the other hand, there were times when Jesus told stories with images that were simple and clear,
using everyday examples with which everyone could identify. In these instances, Jesus was described as speaking
plainly. In John's gospel, the Jews ask Jesus, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah,
tell us plainly." Jesus told them plainly, and of course they took up stones to throw at him.
Several chapters later, Jesus tells the disciples, "I have told you these things in figures of speech. The
hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the father." The
disciples responded, "Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech!" In Mark's gospel,
after Jesus took the deaf man with a speech impediment aside to heal him privately, the man's ears were opened,
his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.
I stand before you to tell you that my ears have been opened in order that I might listen . . . to God and to you
. . . and my tongue has been released in order that this evening I might speak to you plainly. Well, except for
this story.
There is an old story of a jester who sometimes had very wise things to say. One day he said something so foolish
that the King, handing him a staff, said to him, "Take this, and keep it till you find a bigger fool than
yourself."
Some years later, the King was very ill and lay on his deathbed. His courtiers were called; his family and his
servants also stood round his bedside. The King, addressing them, said, "I am about to leave you. I am going
on a very long journey, and I shall not return again to this place, so I have called you all to say, 'Goodbye'."
Then his jester stepped forward and, addressing the King, said, "Your Majesty, may I ask a question? When
you journeyed abroad visiting your people, staying with your nobles, or paying diplomatic visits to other courts,
your heralds and servants always went before you, making preparations for you. May I ask what preparations your
Majesty has made for this long journey that he is about to take?
"Alas!" replied the King, "I have made no preparations."
"Then," said the jester, "take this staff with you, for now I have found a bigger fool than myself."
Tonight I want to speak plainly about the opportunities we have to expand our capacity for ministry . . . in our
World, our Nation, our Communion, our Diocese, and our personal lives.
Our global village, seems to grow smaller and smaller each day, and the recent tsunami tragedy in Asia, the continuing
tragedy of warfare in Iraq, the Sudan and other troubled places around the globe, the mud slides in the western
portion of our country, the continued devastation of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, malaria, and other killer diseases,
the massive poverty that is simply a painful reality for substantial inhabitants of this world, the continued evidence
of discrimination and oppression for persons of color, women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender; all these and
more bring the sobering truth of the fragile quality of human life to our own doorsteps.
Former presidents Clinton and Bush recently spoke of the tsunami tragedy, saying, "no one can change what
happened...but we can change what happens next." For Christians, what happens next is an opportunity to expand
our capacity for ministry. It should be noted that when we went looking for partners to go with us to war, we
found precious few takers...but no one had to go looking for partners to offer relief for the tsunami victims and
survivors. And where is God in all these things? God is where God has always been and continues to be, in the
midst of the chaos...God with us...calling us into God's presence as agents of reconciliation and peace. The overwhelming
outpouring of love and support offered throughout the world and within this diocese through the Episcopal Relief
and Development and other national and international agencies has been such a powerful witness to our inherent
ability to rise above our differences to celebrate the simple goodness of our humanity...God's most wondrous creation.
These areas of global concern call for us to enlarge our focus for ministry...through our prayer raised passionately
before God; through decisions about how we want our resources used in the service of others in need; through our
voices raised in support or protest.
The one voice which is mine to raise, cries out for my government to speak plainly to me...and you...there is something
quite biblical about being asked to count the cost...at what cost...to whom...what has really been the cost for
this war in Iraq? For our men and women in harms way...in death and in those seriously wounded...for those whose
native land has been so tragically scarred and violated...for those living in war-torn Iraq whose lives have been
taken, or whose bodies have been broken.
And what will be the cost to our children and grandchildren who will pay for our inability to find the way to peace...and
yes, what will be the cost if we choose not to be at war. May our voices and our prayers continue to cry out for
peace...for all of God's people...and may our voices also cry out to our government...speak the truth...tell us
plainly.
We also need to challenge the authorities of our state, demanding that the death penalty be put aside, in order
that all persons in prison be treated as human beings deserving of humane treatment. We need to expand our ministry
in our ecumenical circles, seeking better understanding and acceptance of different traditions, and uniting to
oppose hatred and violence, terrorism and warfare.
The recent horrible-gangland style murder of the Coptic Christian family in Jersey City brings the reality of violence
to our own neighborhood. We need to lobby vigorously to defeat a house bill that would limit the definition of
marriage to a man and a woman, refusing to allow the state of New Jersey to limit the rights of homosexual persons
living among us. None of us can do it all, but each of us can expand our own capacity for ministry by choosing
to be involved in global village concerns in order to contribute to the growth of a more peaceable kingdom.
I want to speak briefly to you about our beloved Anglican Communion and the "Windsor Report", as an opportunity
for us to expand our capacity for ministry. In the foreword of the Windsor Report, Archbishop Robin Eames wrote:
"The mandate given to the Commission spoke of the problems being experienced as a consequence of the opposing
views on human sexuality and the need to seek a way forward which would encourage communion within the Anglican
Communion. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of our current difficulties is the negative consequence it could have
on the mission of the church to a suffering and bewildered world."
Many of the 142 bishops who attended the special House of Bishops meeting in Utah earlier this month came seeking
moratoriums on ordaining non-celibate homosexual persons, and on the blessing of same-sex unions, prepared to debate
the length of the moratorium (2006, 2009, indefinitely?) On the floor of the house and in table groups, I focused
my opposition to the moratoriums around the baptismal covenant, indicating that to me it felt as if we were being
asked to declare a moratorium on certain sections of the baptismal covenant (seeking and serving Christ in all
persons, striving for justice and peace among all people and respecting the dignity of every human being) placing
them in suspension until we could determine if we really meant them. After much discussion, I believe our bishops'
statement, in response to the Windsor Report, is balanced and thoughtful.
Speaking plainly, NO, we are not in agreement. YES, we ought to be repentant for some of our behavior. YES, we
regret the pain which has been caused for anyone because of actions we have taken in the Episcopal Church. YES,
we made our decisions as a gathered Church in the presence and power of God's Spirit . . . and YES, I supported
those decisions then, and I stand by them now. We will continue to carry out our ministries, as they are both
pastorally and sacramentally appropriate for this diocese.
The question of whether the Anglican Communion as constituted can continue to serve the world in the service of
God's mission is a deeper question worthy of time and conversation, but I would lay this question before you, "Could
there be a time at which point UNITY in the Anglican Communion becomes an idol?"
If we believe there is something vitally important to our continued connectedness within the Communion, and I believe
there is, then we need to expand our capacity for ministry within the Communion by presenting a cogent theological
position on human sexuality that incorporates scripture, tradition, reason and experience, and explains why we
in the Episcopal Church have acted as we have.
This will also mean that we need to describe more clearly the polity of the Episcopal Church and how it differs
from other Provinces within the Anglican Communion. Just as there are a variety of gifts but the same spirit,
so also there are a variety of Provinces but the same spirit within the Anglican Communion. The task continues
to be before us to learn to honor and respect the gifts each Province might bring to the Communion for the building
up of the body of Christ rather than to condemn the gifts because they are different.
Plainly speaking, our capacity for ministry is enhanced by the faithful ministries of gay and lesbian clergy and
lay leaders in this diocese and that should be so obvious that I shouldn't have to say that again! There is ample
evidence of God's Spirit at work in these ministries and that's the real measurement we seek. All of this leads
me to invite you to reflect with me about how we in the Diocese of
Newark are indeed on a journey - an exciting journey to expand our capacity for ministry.
Well into my seventh year as your bishop, I am aware more than ever that the polity and everyday life of the Episcopal
Church are both intended to be relational. A diocese has a bishop with jurisdiction, oversight, and authority
(not as much as you might think), together with ordained and unordained people, all called to be in relationship
with each other.
The House of Bishops refused to take unilateral action on moratoriums as requested by the Windsor Report, rightly
acknowledging that formal actions of the Church need to be taken at General Conventions when the bishops, priest,
deacons, and lay persons are meeting in relationship with each other.
During the past few years I have, on more than one occasion set out to describe the polity of the Episcopal Church,
describing diocese and local church, and the central relationship of the bishop to all of that. At times, seeing
blank looks on wardens and vestry faces, I have resorted to this description: "Look - you have a chicken franchise
in this community....and I am Colonel Sanders!"
The Anglican Bishop of Toronto said recently, "Authentic leadership is not quick, definitive action, as much
as it is the ability to hold our differences together until such time as we can move forward." I would agree,
but add, a true leader needs to be unafraid to identify the side of the difference she or he takes, while still
seeking to hold the two sides together.
Here in the Diocese of Newark, relational work is bubbling all around us, and we can see and touch and taste the
savory stew that is finding its way to our plates:
- the round table setting for our diocesan conventions, calling
us to focus more on education than legislation, more on
relational conversation than on resolutions;
- the gathering at clergy conferences of more that 125 clergy
as compared to 30-40 seven years ago;
- the district clergy groups meeting with the bishop or the
Canons; the reorganization of the Diocesan Council with
four active, excited working groups;
- and the district confirmations which welcome young people
and adults to an experience of the larger Church, inviting them
to take their place in the ministry to which all of us are called.
Before saying more about congregational ministry, I want to speak of the expansion of our capacity for ministry
through the institutions directly or indirectly related to our diocese, of which there are at least twenty-three.
Tonight I have chosen to hold up three for you: Christ Hospital. . . Cross Roads Camp. . .
St. Philip's Academy.
Christ Hospital was established 131 years ago in Jersey City. Its mission then was to provide quality health care,
particularly to the people of Hudson County. Its mission today remains the same. Almost four years ago, the hospital
faced with serious financial matters, entered into a partnership with a national health care organization named
Bon Secours.
In time, it became clear that the continuation of this partnership was not in the best interests of Christ Hospital.
We sought relief from the courts, asking the court to dissolve the partnership. On January 1, 2005, Christ Hospital
was officially returned to its status as a stand-alone, independent facility, affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese
of Newark.
This past month the Canterbury Health Services Corporation elected Mr. Frank Fekete, CPA, Managing Partner of Mandel,
Fekete, and Bloom, as Chairman of the Board, with the Rev. Geoffrey Curtiss elected as Vice-Chairperson. Frank
and Geoff have dedicated untold hours in behalf of Christ Hospital, and this bishop and this diocese owe a huge
debt of gratitude for their faithful leadership. We are where we are today largely because of their efforts.
To all the Board members, clergy and lay, and to our chaplain the Rev. Fairbairn Powers, and our director of Clinical
Pastoral Education, the Rev. Beth Glover, we salute you and offer our thanks.
Five years ago, the 126th Convention of the Diocese of Newark approved our investment in a partnership with the
Lutheran Church in what is now called Cross Roads Outdoor Ministry. It seems to me that at that time we bought
into this venture with our heads and perhaps our wallets, but not with our hearts. After several years with marginal
results, the Board stepped up to the plate, accepting their responsibility to take a more active role in the ongoing
life of Cross Roads. Some personnel changes were made, better fiscal management was undertaken, a very limited
program was carried out this past year, and a national search was begun to find a new Executive Director for Cross
Roads.
I am excited to introduce to this Convention Ms. Marie Skweir and Mr. Andrew Molnar (husband and wife) and to welcome
them this evening as our Co-Directors of Cross Roads Outdoor Ministries. Marie and Andrew bring excitement, enthusiasm,
experience and passion for this ministry. We have already begun to write a very new chapter in the life of Cross
Roads ministry, and I strongly urge you to get your heart into the game. Marie and Andrew will have an opportunity
to address this Convention tomorrow.
St. Philip's Academy began its history in 1988, born from a dream of Dean Dillard Robinson and others at Trinity
and St. Philip's Cathedral in Newark. The doors opened that year for ten, first-grade students, with the intention
of providing excellence in education for urban students who might then be able to succeed in independent schools
across the country. The academic year 2004-2005 began with 285 students registered from kindergarten through eighth
grade. We've come a long way!
Bursting at the seams, having outgrown their present facility at 18 Washington Place in downtown Newark, the Board
of Trustees, along with the head of the school, Miguel Brito, acted to purchase and renovate a building located
at 342 Central Avenue with fifty-five thousand square feet of space. The new building is located in the University
Heights, Science Park District of Newark. The Board of Trustees, ably chaired by David Farrand, hopes to open
the doors of the newly renovated Central Avenue building in September 2006.
Three institutional examples of the exciting expansion of our capacity for ministry, and the stewardship of our
resources.
It should go without saying that our 50-50 model of Stewardship effects our relational focus between bishop, diocese
and local congregation. The strength of this system as pointed out by our Chief Financial Officer, John Zinn,
is that there are no quotas or assessments or taxes imposed on each congregation. Our model is based on the need
of the giver to give beyond oneself, acknowledging that all that we have is a gift from God with a goal of 25%
to the diocese and national church, 25% developed for ministries of outreach determined by each congregation and
50% for the program, personnel, and property of the local congregation.
When congregations work with this model in relationship with the diocese, as congregational income increases, diocesan
and national church income will also increase. When congregational income decreases, diocesan and national church
income also decreases, which is what has happened this year, as more congregations have honestly worked to address
budget deficits with sound fiscal management.
As painful as that has been for local congregations, as well as our diocesan budget (and it certainly has), the
office of the bishop accepts that as part of the impact of being in relationship. The difficulty for me and my
staff, is when congregations act unilaterally to lower percentage pledges to the diocese and national church without
any conversation or consultation with the diocese, as if we are not in relationship and have no responsibility
for each other.
In every case where congregations have contacted us with financial concerns, members of the staff have met with
clergy, wardens and vestries to have open and honest conversations, which have led to mutual agreements supported
by all.
It is out of the strength of this relational model for carrying out our ministries that we have witnessed congregations
alive in the spirit, growing in ministry, numbers, and financial stability.
The most likely threads we have seen include those who have successfully answered questions like, 'Who is God calling
us to be?' 'What is the unique mission for this congregation in this place at this time?' 'Are we committed to
this mission?' 'What resources do we have to carry out our mission?' 'What resources will we need to carry out
this mission?' 'Who can help us?'
I believe we find answers to these and other questions in scripture, in prayer, in community, by looking around
us, and by listening to our neighbors.
During this next year I have been inviting us to focus on the stewardship of our resources recognizing what they
are and using them in such a way as to maximize the results. Particularly exciting and rewarding for me is to
be in a partnership with a very much reorganized Diocesan Council - filled with energetic, talented members of
this diocese who have organized themselves into four honest to God WORKING groups, each in their own way focused
on the expansion of our capacity for ministry in congregations and districts and diocese. . .Congregational Vitality,
Inclusion, Outreach and Discipleship. These groups are working relationally to develop partnerships, which support
congregational life and diocesan values.
As a staff, we continue to seek ways to support and expand our capacities for ministry. These include our Congregational
Development Staff, and the Congregational Development grants available through the bishop's office and approved
by the Trustees.
Tomorrow you will be invited to use information about your community from a new resource as you engage questions
about mission. Demographic data will be provided from the Percept Program as a basis for our table conversations.
Additionally this year, our now full-time Property Manager for the diocese, Mr. James Caputo, (together with a
Property Task Force) has improved the interactions of several diocesan bodies responsible for property matters.
In my visitations, I have come to see first-hand how congregations that have come to know Who they are, Whose they
are and the Mission to which God is calling them, are growing, vibrant, alive, moving forward. That's exciting!
Within the last year, several grassroots initiatives with diocesan staff support have begun to blossom. A Black
Congregations' Initiative has been formed, building on the gifts of our lay leadership and clergy of color. Common
concerns and opportunities have brought this group together, and they are working relationally to share resources
and to develop training and support services for the ministries to which God is surely calling them. These urban/exurban
congregations are developing strategies for ministry, which come from the
grass roots.
I have been warmly welcomed at one of the early gatherings of this group. I also heard very clearly, Bishop, 'there
are some things we need to be able to say to each other.' I respect that and welcome it, and want to continue to
offer my support and that of the diocesan staff as appropriate. Obviously strategies need to be designed to meet
the needs of a particular geography and opportunity, but for me, whether urban or suburban, strategies work best
when the right combination of excellent, passionate clergy and lay leadership combine to enlist the enthusiastic
support of the community. My time as bishop has only strengthened my commitment to, and concern for, the state
of Urban Ministry in our Church.
I sit on the Board of the Episcopal Urban Caucus which is comprised of representatives from many of the urban centers
in our country. Next month our diocese will host the Annual Meeting of the Urban Caucus on February 23-26, at
the Robert Treat Hotel in downtown Newark. Co-chairs for our local planning committee for this event are Marge
Christie and Michael James.
I believe we have some wonderful things to share with those who will be in attendance, and I am excited for us
to serve as hosts. Information about this event is available here at Convention. I hope many of you who really
care about urban ministry will join us for all or part of the caucus gathering. The growing strength of a revitalized
Newark Regional Ministry is an example of the wonderful opportunities for us to expand our capacity for urban ministry
in our own diocese.
At this same time, a mid-size parish initiative has emerged for leaders of congregations with average Sunday attendance
between 100 and 200, focusing on how to move from a clergy-centered ministry to a mutual ministry model that will
empower all the people of God in these congregations.
The presence of a group of Deacons in this diocese called to a vocation that brings the needs of the world to local
congregations and equips and empowers the Laos to engage relationally with ministries of outreach, compassion and
concern also expands our capacity for ministry.
In the coming year, we will continue to expand our capacity for ministry as we intentionally engage in conversations
among ourselves and with others. . . conversations which will call us to a heightened concern for the good stewardship
of the significant resources entrusted to us.
I know of at least thirteen congregations engaged in conversations about ministry, the stewardship of resources,
and creative ways in which mission and ministry might grow. . .through new partnerships. . .ranging from talks
with a local synagogue about long-term shared space, talks with a neighboring Lutheran congregation, to many different
kinds of conversations with nearby or not so nearby Episcopal congregations.
During this past year, I am looking forward to more conversation among clergy and laity about opportunities for
mutual ministry working effectively together in all sizes of congregations. Tomorrow, Bishop Kelsey will preach
and lead a workshop: 27 congregations, two full-time priests: they figured out some effective ways to be the church
to do ministry.
Look around you . . . we are your brothers and sisters in Christ . . . called to be in relationship one with another
. . . on God's mission in the world. Let us rejoice and celebrate all that is happening around us, and let us
continue to expand our capacities for ministry in the name of the risen Christ. We began this Convention with
a Eucharistic celebration at which we renewed baptismal and ordination vows. We were asked, "WILL YOU?"
and we answered, "I WILL, WITH GOD'S HELP!" When we leave tomorrow, it will be enough to live into that.
Speech, Lord is a gift, and I have no right to be quiet through
pride, cowardice, negligence or apathy.
The words that I speak must be conveyors of God, for the lips
that you have given me, Lord, are made to reveal my soul, and my soul knows you and holds you close.
- Michel Quoist
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