Report on the 28th Convention of the Diocese

The 28th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth met November 19 and 20, 2010 amid an atmosphere more like that of a happy family reunion than a business session.

The Rt. Rev. C. Wallis Ohl, provisional bishop of Fort Worth, presided.

In his opening sermon/address, Bishop Ohl praised the outreach, mission and ministry of the parishes in the diocese in the aftermath of the 2008 departure of the former bishop and diocesan leadership. He pledged that when the disputed property is returned, no parishioners who remained in those buildings will be asked to leave their church homes. On the contrary, they will be given a "prodigious welcome."

Convention delegates approved revised diocesan canons and a budget that includes substantial money for outreach as well as an increase in the percentage of money the diocese sends to support the work of The Episcopal Church. Delegates also elected deputies to General Convention, the national governing body, as well as members of the diocesan Standing Committee, the Ecclesiastical Trial Court, and Trustees to the University of the South, Sewanee (results below).

In other action, the convention unanimously approved a resolution commending Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns for his heartfelt message of hope to young people who are bullied because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (text below). Burns' message has "gone viral" on the Internet, reaching people across the globe.

The Friday night session at St. Christopher's included the screening of a video shown at the Strength for the Journey Conference in Arlington in September, a presentation and discussion of the budget and proposed changes to Constitution and Canons, as well as an update on litigation by the chancellor.

Diocesan Treasurer Bob Hicks elicited laughter and applause when, asked why the funds in reserve were so small, he replied, "We plan to spend it all. We are working out of a theology of abundance."

[The bishop also addressed this point Saturday in his opening sermon and address: "The budget committee and our Executive Council made the decision to oversubscribe our asking to make up for the many years that our diocese gave little or nothing to the Episcopal Church budget. We are learning to move from that old fear of scarcity—the dread that there is never enough that permeates the richest nation that has ever existed—to living into the abundance that God provides out of God's bounty which is limitless. That, of course, is what the tithe is about when introduced to the Hebrews, offering the FIRST 10% of the harvest and the firstborn of the herds, trusting that God will provide more than we need for our sustenance and growth. Remember that is the FIRST 10%, not the leftovers. Now, that is living into God's abundance!"]

On Friday night, Diocesan Chancellor Kathleen Wells began her presentation by holding up a replica of a famous bright red sign produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II.

She reviewed the status of the various lawsuits and reminded everyone that the litigation might not be resolved for three or more years. The best course of action, she said, was to do as the sign advised – "Keep Calm and Carry On."

Convention reconvened Saturday morning in the Simpson Upper School at All Saints Episcopal School. Something new was added this year – workshops open to all in the morning and during the lunch break on Saturday. Whether for the workshops, the exhibits, or simple interest in the proceedings, more than 275 people attended at least part of convention.

Bishop Ohl celebrated and preached at the opening eucharist in the chapel. He said the lections for the day spoke "of proclaiming faith in Jesus Christ as dangerous, leading to suffering and persecution." His entire sermon can be read here or viewed here.

"We live in a culture that is becoming more overtly hostile to Christianity in movies and television, and even in ordinary life. Not only are those hostile to Christianity the antagonists, Christians are becoming more hostile to one another; 'if you don't agree with my version of Christianity, you might not be Christian at all,'" he said.

He spoke of being deputy to the General Convention in 1985 when Edmund Browning was elected Presiding Bishop and said the "now famous phrase, 'In our Church, there will be no outcasts.'

"That is Anglican comprehensiveness in its fullest and best. Since then, however, we have been arguing—not debating—who is an outcast, and making one another into outcasts," he said.

"The great sadness for me about the current litigation in which we are engaged is that we cannot, as heirs of Christ, sit with those who have been nurtured by the same household of faith, acknowledging our differences of theology and practice, and work through the issues of property. The genius of Anglican polity has always been the ability to hold diverse positions, and hold them fervently and demonstrably, to argue our positions passionately, not as enemies but as members of the same family, and at the end of the day come together to the supper Table of the Lord, unified in Him who makes us one," he said.

He acknowledged that many of those present have lost life-long friendships, been estranged from their church homes, even been called names in the heat of the moment and might even have called others names. He said that this time in our diocesan history will be looked upon with deep sadness, "not unlike the bitterness of the Civil War."

"We who are followers of Christ are called to be Christ in this world. We are to follow His leading and do His bidding. If we believe that Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and we say we believe it every time we rehearse the Creeds—we, too, are called to carry Christ's forgiveness to those who have wounded us, rejected us, heaped calumny upon us. We must begin today the process of forgiveness for everyone who might be considered to have hurt us. And likewise, we must seek forgiveness from those against whom we have sinned. That is part of the Baptismal Covenant which we will pray together in a few moments," he said.

He hastened to add that, "Lest someone think I am calling us to shrink back from our legal claims, I emphatically am NOT doing so. I believe that we have the responsibility of stewardship for the bounty with which God has blessed the Episcopal Church through the last 136 years in this part of the Kingdom. But we also have a responsibility to work toward the restoration of the relationships that have been fractured. When we recover the buildings, there will be many in those churches who will wonder how we will treat them. They may have remained because this is their spiritual home, because their grandmother sat in that pew, because their parent or spouse is in the columbarium, or simply because they didn't understand the rhetoric from either side which was geared at division. Some of those folks have already wondered if we would drive them from their pews, from their spiritual homes.

"Will we drive folk from their church homes? Not on my watch! If someone chooses to depart, I believe we must say to them 'God bless you on your journey' without rancor or anger. Those who choose to stay—or if you prefer—to come back to the Episcopal Church—must be greeted with prodigious welcome, as God has prodigiously welcomed us so often in our own lives," he said, eliciting applause from the congregation.

He said that while some outside Fort Worth think that litigation is all he does, the reality is that legal matters take up less than 10 percent of his time. To the contrary, he said, "We are called to proclaim the risen Christ 'in season and out' and to reach out to our broken and hurting world with good news by word and example. More and more I believe we are developing the ministry that God has laid upon us, and we continue the litigation but it is taking a back seat position in relation to the Gospel work we must do and are doing."

He said that by the end of December he will have been with almost every parish and mission at least twice this year and said he is "thrilled at the witness being borne by congregations in their buildings as well as by those who are having to worship as 'church in a box.'"

He acknowledged the challenges congregations who are worshipping in spaces other than their buildings face, but added, "Yet each time I visit, I am greeted with excitement and passion to 'show off' what is happening within the parish and with the new possibilities that are on the horizon. Every Sunday I make a visitation, I am invigorated by the experience of the life of Christ among our brothers and sisters and find hope for the future, growing our spirits through the power of the Holy Spirit."

The bishop announced that the diocese is in the process of creating a companion relationship with the Dakota and Lakota peoples, commonly called the Sioux, of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota. He said mission trips to South Dakota to work with congregations in some of the poorest areas of the United States would be announced in the coming months.

He reported the appointment of a Diocesan Youth Commission and announced that in the summer of 2011, he will lead a group of 32 youth and eight adults to the Episcopal Youth Event [EYE] in St. Paul, Minnesota.

"I want us to get out the effort to send everyone who wants to go and scholarship the cost as much as possible. This may be the first time Fort Worth has had a presence at EYE, and with God's help we will make our presence known with a powerful witness," he said.

He reminded the congregation that the Diocese of Fort Worth was among the most generous in the church, with per capita giving to Episcopal Relief & Development being among the highest in The Episcopal Church.

Rod Radtke, president of ERD, addressed the convention to thank the diocese in person for its generosity and to report on ERD's work around the globe.

Marti Fagley of the Episcopal Church in Parker County and lay dean of the Western Deanery, which hosted the convention, greeted delegates. She described the tiny deanery as the "little deanery that could."

The Convention took the second of two required votes on constitutional amendments to remove provisions which are inconsistent with The Episcopal Church's constitution and canons. At its special meeting in February 2009, the convention declared the disputed language null and void; at its 27th annual neeting in November 2009 the convention approved amendments to remove the void language and reinstate provisions consistent with the Church's governing documents. This year's action completed the effort to confirm that the diocesan constitution and canons are consistent with and contain an unqualified accession to The Episcopal Church's constitution and canons. Proposed canonical amendments include adjusting diocesan disciplinary canons to reflect changes made at the 2009 General Convention to The Episcopal Church's Title IV disciplinary canons.

The convention also passed an amendment to Canon 25 on wardens and vestry of parishes that was proposed by All Saints', Fort Worth:

Sec. 25.4 Re-election. If a No person having has served two (2) consecutive terms he or she shall not a full term in office or at least two (2) years of an unexpired term shall be eligible for election to the Vestry until a full year has elapsed. However, a person elected to fill a vacancy of less than two (2) years, shall be eligible for election to two (2) full terms.

In a meeting immediately following the adjournment of convention, Margaret Mieuli of St. Christopher's, Fort Worth, was elected president – the first lay person to serve in that capacity.

The convention ended with prayer, with Bishop Ohl using the call and response with which he ended his sermon/address:

He said, "God is good!"

And the people said, "All the time!"

RESOLUTION #1

Whereas protecting God's children is the responsibility of parents, families, the church, schools and society in general; and

Whereas adolescents and teens frequently face many bewildering, difficult and even potentially life-threatening issues and choices; and

Whereas both public and private schools and churches alike need to provide positive, safe, supportive, and respectful environments for all students, teachers, employees, and staff, regardless of national origin, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or association with others identified by those categories:

Now therefore be it resolved that this twenty-seventh annual meeting of the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth commend Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns for his recent profoundly courageous and widely disseminated personal statement via the It Gets Better YouTube project at which time Councilman Burns spoke candidly and optimistically to thousands and thousands of straight and LBGTQ teens here in Fort Worth, through the United States, and around the world who might consider suicide because of bullying and harassment; and

Be it further resolved that this meeting of the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth commend each school district serving students within the Diocese of Fort Worth, neighboring dioceses, and beyond that has in place or is considering adopting and enforcing anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies.

Moved by
David Lindsey, St. Christopher's Church, Fort Worth

Seconded by
The Rev. Gayland Pool, priest retired of the Diocese of Fort Worth

Elections:

Bruce Coggin, priest retired, was elected secretary; Linda Johnson, St. Anne's, Fort Worth, was elected registrar; and David Leedy, St. Elisabeth's, Fort Worth, was elected historiographer.

Deputies to General Convention

Lay

Kathleen Wells – Trinity, Fort Worth
Victoria Prescott - St. Francis, Willow Park
Katie Sherrod - St. Luke's-in-the-Meadow Fort Worth
Bob Hicks - St. Christopher's. Fort Worth

Clergy

David Madison - All Saints', Fort Worth
Susan Slaughter - St. Luke's-in-the-Meadow Fort Worth
Fred Barber – Trinity, Fort Worth
Melanie Barbarito - All Saints' , Fort Worth

Standing Committee

Lay

Marti Fagley, Episcopal Church in Parker County

Clergy

Bill Stanford, St. Christopher's, Fort Worth

Trustee, University of the South, Sewanee

Lay

Catherine Wehlburg, Trinity, Fort Worth

Clergy

Michael Caldwell, Trinity, Fort Worth

Ecclesiastical Trial Court

Lay

Connie Lefler, All Saints', Fort Worth

Clergy

ClayOla Gitane, Christ the King, Fort Worth & Episcopal Church in Parker County
Vernon Gotcher, St. Stephen's, Hurst