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Friday, February
13, 2004
Resolved, That the Executive Council, meeting in Tampa, Florida, adopt the following
as a message to the Episcopal Church
A Message to the Episcopal Church
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Your Executive Council, meeting during February 2004, at Tampa, Florida, considered
the life of the Episcopal Church in light of the mission initiatives set by the
74th General Convention. We do not underestimate the difficulties that many dioceses
and congregations continue to face in light of the decisions made in Minneapolis.
It is our hope that all parties will continue their conversations in a spirit
of what our Presiding Bishop calls "passionate patience." We must resist
the tendency to push for a speedy or easy resolution of our differences, but
rather continue the hard work of listening to one another and searching for ways
to accompany one another. Only in such ways will we discover the gifts God may
have for us in our commitments and disagreements.
In a sermon offered in Spanish at one of our daily Eucharists, Wilfrido Ramos-Orench,
Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut, struck the theme of our friendship, our companionship,
in Christ--a friendship that must be sacrificial and must endure the tensions
of our differences. We cannot claim to be friends if we do not struggle to understand
one another and to walk with one another despite our differences. Much of the
effort in the Episcopal Church in recent months has been to keep open and clear
lines of communication with other parts of the global Anglican community and
to seek ways in which we can engage God's mission together beyond the present
strains in the Communion. We are encouraged that relationships within the Episcopal
Church though pressured and stressed by our differing viewpoints have continued
to focus on support for the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church.
Our mission and ministry go forward. Among the initiatives we addressed were
significant improvements to the Episcopal Church website, the hiring of missioners
for the African American and Asian ethnic offices, the commitment to publish
church documents in Spanish and French, the adoption of shareholder resolutions,
and the sending of missionaries around the world. In addition your Council considered
several new initiatives for young adult and youth ministries in response to the
budget priorities set in Minneapolis. A representative advisory board of young
people, provincial network coordinators and members of Executive Council was
established that will advise the Council on additional youth initiatives during
the triennium.
The Council is actively stewarding our resources so that we can carry out the
program set by the General Convention. The church staff has been encouraged to
find ways to widen the circle of participation in the church by pressing ahead
with Spanish and French language initiatives and attempts to reach young people
and the unchurched.
As your Council, we pledge to take our part in the continuing conversations around
the church and to engage with all the members of the church in listening for
the voice of God in these days. Our primary concern is God's call to mission,
and we press ahead with the work that is set before us. !Adelante!
The Executive Council
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