Copyright © 2003 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee

Diocese comes to the table
to speak, to hear, to pray

The agenda was similar for each meeting: The Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg described guidelines for the session; a meditation was read; reports were given by deputies on convention decisions of note; and the bishop reported on controversial decisions. This section is described below as it occurred at the cathedral forum.

The bishop then heard questions and comments, and he closed each session with prayer. Separate reports of each area’s question-and-answer session are given here; they have been edited to present a balance of the views and concerns expressed across the diocese. Only those individuals who consented to be identified are named.

Please visit www.etdiocese.net/index.htm for a link to decisions made by the church in convention.

A report to the diocese follows the triennial General Convention every time it is held, but the difference this time is the media spotlight on controversial issues, said the Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg. The church’s consent to the election of the Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson as bishop coadjutor in the Diocese of New Hampshire drew attention because Robinson is in a long-term same-sex relationship. Also of interest to the national media was resolution C051, which in part recognizes “that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions.”

Alice Clayton, Canon to the Ordinary and chair of the East Tennessee deputation, set the tone for the forum as she read a meditation by deputy Lynn Schmissrauter of St. Timothy, Signal Mountain. It employed quotes heard and read during and after the convention to describe the range of viewpoints and emotions generated.

The Rev. Jocelyn Bell, rector of Christ Church in Chattanooga and a clergy alternate to the convention, explained how General Convention works. She described in particular the “vote by orders,” a weighted decision-making process used on four matters before this convention. Votes of the four lay deputies are tallied separately from those of the four clergy deputies. Three votes are needed for each order to return a “yes” vote. A split vote, 2-2, is counted as a “no.” The East Tennessee deputation voted “yes” in both orders in the matter of consent to the New Hampshire election. In the House of Bishops, vonRosenberg voted “no.”

The Rev. Suzanne Smitherman, a clergy deputy and interim rector at Christ Church, South Pittsburg, looked at the national church budget and the impact of the previous convention’s 20/20 initiative, which envisions doubling the membership of the Episcopal Church by the year 2020. The church in convention said its “No. 1 priority should be young adults and youth; our second priority, reconciliation and evangelism; then congregational transformation; justice and peace; and partnership within the Anglican Communion and ecumenical partnerships,” she said.

These priorities were reflected in the budget – for example, in the $5 million allocated for work with youth and young adults, in the $750,000 designated for a national television ad campaign and in the funds set aside for multilingual resource and leadership development. Smitherman said the ECUSA Web site features more information.

The Rev. Joe Ballard, clergy deputy and rector of St. James, Knoxville, described some of the 18 resolutions he said deal with issues having impact on youth, young adults and children, including identification of internships for young adults on diocesan, provincial and national church levels; youth leadership training; and election of young deputies to General Convention.

Rick Govan, lay deputy from St. Paul, Chattanooga, described restructuring in Title III of the national church Constitution and Canons, which deal with the ministry of all baptized persons. He said a nondiscrimination provision was broadened to include both lay and ordained ministries and that community discernment has been “encouraged and emphasized more than ever before.” He said anti-racism training is now a prerequisite for ordination; that a new canon outlines the specific authority and supports the community of deacons; and that priests now will be able to serve parishes on a year-to-year basis beyond the age of 72 with the approval of their bishop. And he said licensed ministries have been expanded to include six specific roles – pastoral leader, worship leader, preacher, eucharistic minister, eucharistic visitor and catechist – and that educational requirements for their licensing have been placed at the diocesan level.

Bishop vonRosenberg then described the process of consent to election of a diocesan bishop, noting that diocesan standing committees communicate consent via standard mail for elections 120 days or more prior to a General Convention. Proximity of an election to the time of convention moves the consent process first to the House of Deputies, then to the House of Bishops. However, both houses used a Special Order of Business to consider the New Hampshire election; Bishop vonRosenberg said those involved in the process were quite respectful. Votes in both houses were approximately 60 percent to 40 percent in favor of consent, he said.

He also described the consideration of resolution C051, first considered in the House of Bishops. The bishops deleted the portion that called for a service to be placed in a supplemental liturgical book called “Enriching Our Worship” and added a provision that asked the Presiding Bishop to appoint a committee to gather rites for the blessing of same-sex unions in use around the church. The resolution was received too late in the convention for deputies to consider changes; nevertheless, they concurred.

“That resolution is descriptive of actions going on in the church now,” Bishop vonRosenberg said. “It is permissive, both in terms of permitting dioceses that have such services blessing same-sex unions to continue; permissive also of dioceses who do not to continue that practice; and non-directive: There is no expectation that a particular diocese must change.

“That’s the way I interpret it, and that’s the way it’s interpreted in East Tennessee,” he emphasized.

St. John, Johnson City, Sept. 7

By Nellie McNeil
Upper East Area Correspondent

“Grace encompasses us today as we listen and are patient with one another. God conveys that grace even when we disagree,” Bishop Charles von Rosenberg told more than 100 Episcopalians attending the Upper East area forum.

Twice, questions prompted applause. The first was, “Why did the General Convention allow the issue to be presented?” The bishop responded, “The guidelines vary from diocese to diocese. We are not a national church in all practices. We are a federation of dioceses. Each has its own guidelines.”

The second question was, “If Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire is that wonderful, how can he be so selfish to put the church in this position?”

“Please don’t [applaud],” the bishop urged. “It divides us.”

John Jones Jr., communicant at St. James, Greeneville, said, “The Episcopal Church has left us and betrayed us.” He thanked the bishop for his “no” vote and asked what deputies found so persuasive that they could break with Christian and Anglican tradition and scripture to vote “yes.”

“My impression is that our deputation went to Minneapolis open-minded, to listen and discern what the Holy Sprit said to them,” the bishop said. “There was a profound sense of listening ... It was prayer and agony.”

“How does the vote square with the scriptures?” one person asked.

The bishop reminded the group that he does not tell church members how to interpret scripture. From his own spiritual journey and scripture examination, however, he said he has drawn two conclusions. First, he said the Bible is not as uniformly condemnatory of homosexuality as we are led to believe. “It’s important to read carefully,” he said.

But he also said, “God’s intent for creation is that sexual intimacy should be expressed between a man and woman within the context of marriage. In my judgment, homosexual expression is not God’s intent. It is lesser, incomplete.”

One man expressed his concern for his children, saying he holds higher expectations for church leaders. A second said that the standards of the church have been lowered. And another asked, “What will my family and friends think of our denomination?”

“We are not unique,” the bishop answered. “The Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans are not far behind.”

The Rev. Steve Weisz, Presbyterian chaplain at Tusculum College, said, “I admire the Episcopal Church’s willingness to struggle.”

“I've never been so proud to be an Episcopalian and a Christian,” said Diane Whitehead Honeycutt of St. James, Greeneville. “All people are God’s creation. I’m proud we are facing a difficult issue.”

When asked about members who speak with their pocketbooks, even to taking their memberships to other churches, the bishop said acting hastily is a mistake. “We need to live together through what feels like a crisis. I have asked the clergy that if folks leave, nothing be said to prohibit their return, but to be open and listen,” he said.

“Right now,” he said, “we need to be careful how we treat one another.”

St. John’s Cathedral, Knoxville, Sept. 14

By Sharon Rasmussen
Communication Director

Only about 20 people of the 200 or so present at the cathedral forum Sept. 14 rose to be heard.

The Rev. Ladson Mills, rector at Ascension, Knoxville, asked whether the resolution on blessing same-sex unions has impact in East Tennessee.

The bishop responded, “At the clergy day immediately after General Convention, I made clear to the clergy that … they do not have my permission to carry forward with such a blessing. ... Frankly, what happens in New Hampshire is not going to greatly affect us in East Tennessee.”

Tupper Morehead, a parishioner at St. Francis, Norris, commented that blessing a relationship is different from sanctifying a marriage. He went on to say, “The answer is to restore all people in love. That’s what Christ came to do, to break down the barriers. We broke down the barriers with blacks in the church, and we broke down the barriers with women in the church and we’re going to survive this.”

The bishop added, “Marriage involves a man and a woman. We affirmed that again at this convention. … The relationship we bless sacramentally is the relationship of marriage.”

Bonnie Bolejack, a parishioner at St. Elizabeth, Knoxville, said she was raised a Primitive Baptist, and that the Episcopal Church “was the first church that let me use my brain. ... God can speak to many people in many ways,” she said, “and we don’t need to speak with one voice because God speaks to us with many voices.”

Earle Wright, a parishioner at St. Elizabeth, expressed pride in the Episcopal church for being welcoming to homosexual people. “Under the umbrella of God’s love, they found a place to be loved and to give love as well,” he said. “But to be very honest, the actions of convention stretched me to a point where I was clearly outside my comfort zone. … [but] I think I’m inclined to accept the fact that I won’t have an answer for everything and that I must trust that I’m not expected to have an answer for everything. ... Even when the church makes decisions that cause me consternation … personally, I feel I must stay with my parish.”

Nancy Mott of St. Luke’s Church in Knoxville noted a quotation from the meditation read earlier. “Something Alice said ... about coming together to listen grabbed me. She said, ‘listening is a primitive form of love.’ I wrote it down, and it also is probably the most powerful form of love. … I’m a lesbian. I’m in a relationship. I find God’s grace in that relationship. … When you talk in your congregations about ‘these people,’ … you do not know who it is in the pew in front of you or behind you — who you dearly love — and you’re not listening to them because … they are not able to be who they are. ... When we talk about listening, who are we going to listen to?”

“There was a discussion in Bishop and Council as recently as yesterday about that in particular,” said Bishop vonRosenberg. “Some of our committees are in communication with parishes who may have some models for us to follow in terms of having opportunities for people to sit down together.”

Harry Howard of St. Andrew, Maryville, said, “I opposed the confirmation of Gene Robinson not because he is an active homosexual, but because as a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, I just didn’t think the time was right yet. … We disagree deeply about things … that go to the very heart of who we are as individuals, but we are a people of common worship and a people of common prayer. I respect deeply the differing opinions I’ve heard today. I would not want to argue against any of those. I would want to argue that we hear each other — that primitive form of love — and that we listen with integrity, speak and live out our convictions, and that in that messiness we continue to say our prayers together and continue to be fed at the common table.”

“I came here just to listen,” said Annette Anderson of the cathedral, “but I’ve been surprised that nobody’s expressed my point of view ... that Christ teaches me to have love and compassion; and ... to include everybody. I have read about and read the writings of Bishop-elect Robinson. I celebrate and applaud and thank God that the church took the action it took and that he is now part of the leadership.”

A parishioner who did not identify himself asked about parishes leaving the diocese if a parallel province were established. The bishop said, “If indeed we are faced with those kinds of decisions, I assure you … they will be made in community with the lay and clergy leaders of the diocese. That reaction of a church leaving would certainly grieve me a great deal personally.”

Dr. Frank Gray of the cathedral mused as to whether convention action and the resulting reactions were “a catalyst for underlying unrest and discontent that’s been brewing for a while in the Episcopal Church. I think part of that has to do with governance, quite frankly … how these decisions are made at a national level. We belong to the church, we finance it, we spend our time and we believe in it, but we don’t have what would be considered an adequate voice,” he said.

Gray also questioned the timing of New Hampshire’s election: “I think that was structured, well thought out, and that means it was contrived. … There was a reason, in my opinion, that this did not go the usual route.”

“I would be naďve to say that was not recognized,” the bishop responded, then asked: “Are we facing a crisis in terms of leadership and authority? … some tough questions are being asked, certainly among the bishops with whom I communicate ... I think we do need to look at the way we do business.”

A woman who did not identify herself said she disagrees with decisions made at General Convention and expressed uncertainty about the process that gave rise to those decisions. “I’m not leaving the church,” she said, “but I’m terribly confused about what to trust. My husband said a moment ago, ‘we keep hearing: “Be still, be quiet, wait,” but while we’re waiting, it seems that much of our church is being changed for us.’ ”

The bishop said, “We are hurt and we are confused and we are jubilant and all those things together … If we lose one another, we are diminished in terms of our response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. So our eyes must be on the mission of the church. In a very real way, what we’re talking about is a diversion to keep us away from the mission of the church.”

St. Paul, Chattanooga, Sept. 21

By Emily McDonald
South East Area Correspondent

Between 375 and 400 people were present at the third area forum; fewer than 20 rose to comment.

“I am opposed to what the General Convention did, but it happened,” said Trevor Southerland, an 18-year-old student at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and a member of St. Paul’s. He asked the bishop how he would respond to young people “when we say if it’s okay for a homosexual person not to be married and live in a romantic relationship, isn’t it just as okay for me not to be married and live in a romantic relationship?”

“The position I’ve made clear to clergy in East Tennessee is that they do not have my permission to bless same-sex unions,” the bishop said. “I’ve also had significant discussions with aspirants who seek to go to seminary about the policy of this diocese. We will not ordain someone who is in a sexual relationship outside of marriage.”

Sandy Spall of St. Thaddaeus said, “I believe Bishop Robinson is a godly man.” She noted that the Episcopal Church was known for its open-door policy and wondered if there are exceptions. “In today’s society, are not homosexuals one of our least? Are they second-class citizens as the blacks and women were at one time? Do we continue to look at them like that or just open our arms and our doors and say ‘come in’?”

Mel Armstrong of Good Shepherd said he believed there might be a little difference between the civil rights movement and the issues before us. Scripture “teaches us to respect people and take in people,” but he said the liberals who have taken over the national church have totally ignored scripture when it comes to homosexuality.

Lana Hamilton of St. Francis of Assisi said leaving the church was not an option. “My priorities are my God, my family and the Episcopal Church.” She said she agreed with points the bishop had made about scripture. “It has never been clear to me that homosexuality is the unpardonable sin,” she said. But the family is the ideal, and she asked, is the issue of a gay bishop the only place the church is not meeting the ideal?

“No, we are sinners in a fallen world,” the bishop said. “Sometimes we are more aware of that than in other times.”

He was asked what mechanisms were available to formally protest convention action. He said he was sure the issue would come up at the diocesan convention and that resolutions can be initiated at the parish level to eventually reach the national church.

In response to a question about how to select deputies more representative of the diocese, he said in part that when the next deputies are elected at the 2005 diocesan convention, there may be a social occasion where questions could be asked of those who wish to serve.

Patricia Tanzer Askew of St Paul’s asked if the diocese has plans to provide some education on reading and interpreting the Bible. “I think when we talk on the issue of homosexuality it ultimately ... comes down to what the Bible says.”

The bishop said he has asked the diocesan theology committee to consider the matter and perhaps have a day where clergy can talk together. “We are also looking at ways to have conversation groups around the issue of human sexuality,” he said. The groups would involve gay, lesbian and straight folks “in a way we can respectfully listen to one another, not to push any agendas but to recognize we are all part of this great and diverse church.”

Related stories in this issue:

• Feelings mixed as first openly gay Anglican bishop is consecrated
• Anglican Communion's response biting, bitter, generous, jubilant
• Executive Council addresses the church
• Bishop’s letter emphasizes reconciliation
• Ascension rector attended 'A Place to Stand' in Dallas
• Changes pondered at Integrity mini-retreat
• Reconciliation resources available