To: the People and Clergy of the Diocese of El Camino Real
Amplified Report on the Lay Conference
Please forward to members of your congregation and other interested persons
The following Update was compiled from reports by the four lay members of the Standing Committee: Dr. Gordon Gritter, Ms. Ginger Redman, Ms. Joanna Shreve, and Ms. Ann Wright. An Update on the Clergy Conference, written by clergy and lay members of the Standing Committee, will be sent out next Monday, Memorial Day.
The Lay Conference was successful beyond our greatest expectations! At the final briefing following the Conference, the members of the Standing Committee and the Facilitators all felt that the Conference had gone very, very well.
About 270+ people registered, representing 45 parishes and missions. St. Stephen’s-in-the-Fields was literally packed to the doors. Everyone was involved, empowered, honest and listening. What a great experience for all of us. St. Stephen’s Vicar Ken Wratten and crew, led by Edy Unthank, responded with great resourcefulness: they got everybody registered promptly; they found enough chairs for everyone in the sanctuary; they set up 15 tables with chairs for small group discussions under large tents placed around their spacious grounds; they fed the throng; they had a good sound system. Nothing was lacking!
Every registrant got a packet containing the agenda, questions for small group discussions, a copy of the Open Letter to the Presiding Bishop, a roster of the Standing Committee, a statement of Bishop Shimpfky’s Settlement Package and debts to be paid out of the sale of the Episcopal Residence, and an Evaluation form.
After introductions by Ann Wright and Ginger Redman, Gordon Gritter made some comments and suggestions.
(1) Where have we come from? We have come from a time of increasing conflict, anger, fear, disorganization and confusion; a time when laity have been insufficiently informed and involved; a time of very little growth, even as the population has increased and resources have been far beyond expectations; a time of cautiously but increasingly demanding fundamental changes.
(2) Where are we now? We are at a crucial evolutionary point: the Bishop has resigned; the Standing Committee has become the Ecclesiastical Authority, has occupied the necessary Diocesan tasks and positions, and is already making needed changes; a new bishop and other new leaders are to be chosen. This meeting is a new opportunity for lay people to ask for clarifications, to make personal statements and to express differences, to express anger and dismay, approval and hope. Some of us now want to put away the past and not talk about it any more. There are three reasons why we must not yet do so: if we put it away, we cannot learn from it; if we put it away, we are left with our own individual internal struggles unresolved; if we put it away before justice is done, we become complicit in injustice. In our present situation, justice is not yet done.
(3) Where do we hope to go? We hope not to retreat into old Diocesan patterns of hidden conflict and poor communication, but into new recognition that the life of the Church moves forward by leadership of all kinds, balanced and coordinated, mutually recognized and respected. We hope to move into new openness, transparency, positives and negatives put before us in order to come to our best understanding and judgment.
Joanna Shreve then presented the financial material, sketched the situation as seen by the auditors last year, and described the great improvements that are already in place, and the encouraging prospects for the future. Details of this report will be in the June Mission Bell and are already posted on the Diocesan web site.
Conference facilitators Ron Reed and Dale Simison commented about issues and dilemmas which have become increasingly characteristic of the Episcopal Church and other churches during recent decades: The demographics have changed; American and Western culture has changed and has carried the church with it; our bishops conferred nationally and recently reported that they have become exhausted and have lost their sense of episcopal identity; and many members of the church find themselves confused and frustrated. Reed and Simison commented that they see these issues as prominent in El Camino Real, but they also see ECR as, in general, much better prepared than most dioceses to take a leading role. They talked about shared ministry and that all orders of ministry need to work together. Shared ministry means shared leadership.
If we want a sustained, transformative experience in the future, we need to identify our core values (personal, congregational, diocesan) and our core purpose (personal, congregational, diocesan). These should never change. And there is a 70% chance that we’ll never attain it all, but we need to work towards identification of those values and purpose.
Our strategies and plans are time oriented and always fluctuating. We should be constantly measuring these to be in alignment with the core values and core purpose.
At the conclusion of their presentations the laity were asked to break into small groups and discuss two questions: (1) What do you see as your personal involvement with the episcopacy? and (2) What needs to occur to fulfill your involvement?
There were several recurring themes as we shared the work of the small groups after lunch. We need:
To know more about what the Episcopal Church really is;
To improve communication (relationship building);
To know how to reach out to young adults;
To strengthen the deaneries so that the relationships among the churches are strengthened. “Build up community in the deanery through inter-parish support and shared events. Create a sense of family among the churches in our Diocese.”;
To do training for lay leadership;
To have time for healing during the interim;
To take care of the clergy;
To have respect for all;
To have shared leadership question asked why all corporate committees are always chaired by the clergy;
To look at including the laity on corporate meetings when they can attend - not always having all meetings during the week, when the working laity cannot attend;
To have transparency in oversight and management;
To operate with integrity.
They would like the Clergy to recognize the value of individuals and their involvement, and to have the Clergy encourage the laity to take leadership roles.
Many expressed the desire to have enough time to vision properly and know where we are going before calling a bishop define our values and mission first
The idea of the shared episcopacy was best described by a group that used the analogy of a three-legged stool. If one leg is shorter the stool is not functional. The 3 legs are clergy, laity, and bishop. How each of these entities exercises its responsibilities and involvement is still unclear. Discerning a common understanding of our core values and purpose is helpful. There is work to be done and we need to time to think about values and purpose.
As each small group finished reporting we asked them to list one main recurring theme from each conversation:
This is what they said:
We want more days like this.
The strength of the church and diocese depends on each parishioner taking responsibility and action.
Communication email, website, informative articles in Mission Bell -said many times.
Our youth are the future and we need to open up opportunities for their participation.
More help with training for lay leadership. “We need to pass the torch”
We would like clergy and lay leadership training
See the limits and potential of our context so we can carry the church forward
More empowerment of lay ministry in our community
Recognition and value of individual involvement
Understand better the principles of mutual ministry
Need education about the structure of the Episcopal Church we heard this several times
Mutual responsibility by laity, clergy, and bishop
Better understanding of episcopacy by all involved inter-parish community building
Be a healing force in the world
Increase church attendance
Listen to the God within us
There was a very strong feeling that there needs to be another conference in the fall for both clergy and laity as a time for sharing and having focused conversations together and in small groups.
This was a day filled with great energy, engagement and excitement for the future. It was a joyous event. At the conclusion of the conference we asked for people to sign a sheet indicating their desire to get involved. Many did. We plan to contact them to help as we move ahead. We will also be using the Evaluation forms as a guide for the future.
Finally, it was unmistakably clear that the laity of ECR had accepted the invitation to make themselves heard, they appreciated the opportunity (which many regarded as long overdue), they look forward to hearing from the Clergy Conference, and they want more of these conferences!
