FROM BISHOP MARC:
The new Bishop of California, Marc Andrus,
met with 180 clergy of the diocese during the
second week of September. Here are some early
impressions. Bishop Marc is soft-spoken. He
listens very well and speaks his mind with
gentleness. Instead of coaching us to be a
certain way, he lets our questions and responses
guide the conversation. The great question at
this year’s conference was inclusion. How can
we feel, each one of us, that we are beloved
children of God when there are factions out
there, seeking to divide and conquer us?
Bishop Marc loves to read. He invited the clergy
to read and reflect on William Countryman’s
book Living on the Border of the Holy. He
invites all of us in the diocese to read Cannery
Row (which I recommend. The study questions
in this month’s “Pacific Church News” are good
ones.) He encouraged us to think of ourselves as
part of a larger priesthood, the fundamental
priesthood of all, human, animal, vegetable and
mineral who stand before the Holiness of God.
Marc reminded us that in Torah, Mother Earth,
too, was given a Sabbath of rest, no less than the
children of Abraham.
Millennium Development Goals
At this year’s General Convention, the
Episcopal Church voted to embrace the
Millennium Development Goals adopted by the
United Nations. The MDGs encourage all
nations, churches and individuals to give .07%
of their GNP’s (in keeping with which, the
Diocese of California gave $27,000 to
international aid at last year’s convention) to
support the following:
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Improve maternal health
Achieve universal primary education
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other
diseases
Promote gender equality and empower
women
Ensure environmental sustainability
Reduce child mortality
Develop a global partnership for
development
If you look at those goals you will see how
global poverty has hurt women, children, and
our mother earth disproportionately. I believe
this happens in part, when an ethic of violence
harms men by turning them from being sages
and providers into soldiers and defenders. The
MDG’s reflect Jesus’ teaching that we find
purpose and fulfillment in loving and serving
our neighbor. The Department of Faith
Formation will prepare a curriculum for
churches about the MDG’s much as we
prepared a Bishop Search Curriculum. Watch
for it.
Revised Common Lectionary
Bishop Marc encourages us to make the change
to the Revised Common Lectionary before the
deadline of Advent 2007. Let us ponder this in
the months before Advent, 2006.
Astounding Worship
And finally, when he comes to visit us, Bishop
Marc hopes that we will astound him in the way
we worship in our communities.
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