From ELO-
The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church is meeting in Phoenix, Arizona (Diocese of Arizona) from Sept. 16 to Sept. 21. The following is an account of the activities for Monday, Sept. 20.
The day began with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, keeping the feast of James Coleridge Patteson and the Martyrs of Melanesia, after which the bishops gathered with the bishops of their provinces for conversation on a variety of topics.
The House reconvened in the afternoon and discussed "The Changing Contexts for Evangelism in the Third Millennium: Developing Leadership for Evangelism." During this portion of the program, the bishops heard from the following:
Bishop Diane Bruce of Los Angeles addressed the changing demographics of congregations, stressing that what is necessary is the three-fold welcome of radical hospitality, listening, and love. Time is needed to learn about the community, to "honor and welcome those among us" through language needs as well as community needs, such as a communal meal after services (important in the Asian populations).
Bishop Michael Smith of North Dakota said his diocese is racially diverse, with six First People congregations on four reservations, as well as those of Swedish descent and Sudanese; one-quarter of the clergy are people of color, 50-50 split of men and women. He believes people need to grow in their own sense of discipleship He further believes there needs to be an invitation to grow as disciples, which requires people willing to be transformed from church members to actual disciples of Jesus Christ.
More here-
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_124641_ENG_HTM.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment