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Bishop Address to the 2010 Diocesan Convention

    Date:11/25/12

    Category: Diocesan Convention

    Speaker: The Rt. Rev. Steven Miller

    Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uniformed…. There are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit, and there are varieties of service but the same Lord.

     

    Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Greetings and welcome to this historic 163rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. Historic because of the presence among us of the 26th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori  and her husband, Richard. We are honored by her presence among us for this convention and look forward to her preaching later today at our convention Eucharist.  As we gather this morning, she is visiting a few of the many ministries of this diocese born of the gifts of compassion and care the Sprit of Christ has given us; the Gathering, the Red Door Clothes Closet, and with members of the indigent burial ministry at St. James, Milwaukee.  On Sunday, she will celebrate and preach at St. Martin’s Church, Brown Deer.

    This convention is historic in another way, too. Jane Henning, chair of our Diocesan Altar Guild along with other members, has assembled a marvelous display of the liturgical treasures of our diocese; articles that reflect our rich history as first the church in Wisconsin and now the Diocese of Milwaukee. Thank you, Jane and members of the Guild.

    We are a diocese with a rich and glorious history rooted in missionary zeal beginning with the life and witness of our first bishop, Jackson Kemper, the first missionary bishop of this church. Bishop Kemper was elected at the General Convention known by historians as the Great Missionary Convention. This General Convention also designated the official corporate name of The Episcopal Church to be the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. Our first Diocesan center was situated at the corner of Mission Avenue and Mission Road in the town of Nashotah. We are a church, a people empowered and endowed by the Holy Spirit with the gifts necessary to accomplish the mission God has set before us to restore all people to unity with Him in Christ.

    One of the joys of being your bishop is that I get to see this mission engaged in exciting and meaningful ways. Members of this diocese of all ages serve Christ feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, building and rehabbing houses, visiting and leading worship in nursing homes and extended care facilities, tutoring children, and hosting after-school programs. As I make my Sunday visitations and visits with clergy vestry and lay leaders, I am energized and proud of the hard work being done in and by our congregations, their clergy and members.

    One of those people is Marshall Williams, a member of St. Peter’s Church West Allis. In his retirement, Marshall volunteers as a mentor in the Running Rebels Community Organization, a program for central city high-risk youth that focuses on education and recreational activities.  Through his involvement with these young people as a teacher, basketball coach, and all-around role model, Marshall has touched the lives of many young people who otherwise might have found their way into gangs, drugs, or other forms of dangerous behavior.  In his understated and modest way, Marshall uses the gifts he has been given to help transform the lives of others whose future would otherwise look very bleak, helping them to understand themselves as loved, gifted, and as having real contributions to make in their communities and beyond.

    Another is Ken Costello, a member of St. Francis, Menominee Falls, retired from his two careers, first in the United States Military, and a second with AT&T, ministers in five nursing homes touching the lives of over 500 senior citizens by providing pastoral care and leading worship services. Ken is also one of the founding members of our Diocesan Commission on Aging.  

    Others reach out to address issues of a larger scope. Later this month in Oconomowoc a conference on Domestic Violence entitled Not in Our Pews: Teaming up to end Domestic Violence Its goals are:

    “to build partnerships between congregational leaders, service providers, law enforcement programs and others who support victims of domestic violence.

    • to provide faith and congregational leaders with strategies and resources to effectively and safely meet the needs of victims and families.
    • To equip clergy and lay leaders to assist victims to make thoughtful decisions from a theological perspective while remaining in relationship with God and their faith community,
    • To explore how faith communities might work to end domestic violence, and to help congregational leaders navigate a congregation that is impacted by domestic violence.

     This conference was born from the labors of two priests of this diocese JoAnne Skidmore and Mark Moore, who have led us to address this issue and brought together a coalition that includes the ELCA, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Church of God in Christ.

    JoAnne and Mark are just two examples of the dedicated and hard working clergy of our diocese. I could give you many, many more. One of my mentor bishops, Frank Gray retired of Northern Indiana said to me when I began my ministry among you, “Clergy deployment is the most important thing. Steven, get good priests and the diocese will pretty much run itself.” As a staff we work hard to bring faithful, energetic, and hardworking priests to this diocese and to continue to equip and empower all our clergy. I am privileged to serve with some of the finest and most dedicated priests and deacons in the Episcopal Church. In addition, we have four people in seminary, three of them under the age of thirty, who I hope we will be able to keep in our diocese as they begin their ordained ministry. Thanks to the Episcopal Church Women and the Buschman family we will have invested over thirty – six thousand dollars in their education. I would like for this diocese to get a return on that investment. These are some of the best and brightest candidates for ordained ministry I have ever met. That means over the next years we will have to expand our budget for post- ordination training. It is a good problem to have.

    Before this convention come two resolutions regarding clergy compensation. The first is the annual minimum compensation resolution as required by our canons. I want to remind you it sets a minimum. I hope that our churches are striving to do more than that. The second calls for a study of clergy compensation. I think a study is appropriate. My hunch is it will show that we are in the middle range of other dioceses when it comes to compensation. Unfortunately, one of the challenges is that we live in a state with a high cost of health care. Clergy in other dioceses pay less for the same coverage because until now each diocese has been its own group. I hope that the new denominational insurance plan which puts all clergy and many lay professionals in the same national pool will be of some help. The projected savings is about 10%. Canon Pfaff is also working with the Episcopal Church Medical Trust to see if there are other possibilities for savings.

     A long standing mission of this diocese is the Haiti project ably chaired by Mary Alice Eschweiler and Ann Brophy. We had hoped to be honored at this convention by the presence of Pere Gracia, who now serves the church in Jeanette. Unfortunately, he had to return home due to a death in his extended family. The people and diocese of Haiti hold a special place in our hearts. This past year we watched in horror as we witnessed the devastion caused by the earthquake in that land, a catastrophe in which many lost their lives and many churches, schools and homes were destroyed. We thank God that the earthquakes of this past January did minimal damage to the village of Jeanette the center of our missionary efforts in that land.

     Our partnership with the people of St. Marc’s, Jeannette continues to deepen and grow. Our first micro-economic project Singing Rooster coffee has been an overwhelming success thanks in no small way to Christophe and Molly Nicaise of St. Andrew’s, Madison. A second project of making clergy shirts is now underway. Our presiding Bishop was presented with one of the shirts last evening. In addition, the generous outpouring of funds for earthquake relief in Haiti to ERD by people of this diocese is for me a source of pride and joy. There is still much rebuilding to be done in the Diocese of Haiti. In the coming year, a drive to raise funds to rebuild churches and schools including the Cathedral in Port au Prince will begin. I am confident that this diocese will participate in this campaign with the same cheerful and generous spirit that has always characterized your response to special needs.

    For the last eleven years we have had a companion relationship with the Diocese of Egypt. That relationship is now coming to a close, just as our prior companion relationship with the Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry of the Church in Ireland came to a close after more than a decade together. The formal close of a companion relationship is part of the natural ebb and flow of diocesan life. The ties and affection and goodwill go on as will our prayers. That this is the case was confirmed for me by the Bishop of Tuam, the Rt. Rev. Richard Henderson, who led my Bible Study group at the Lambeth Conference. He spoke glowingly about that past relationship and delighted in telling me about some of the artifacts that remained at the diocesan office. (Think Packer memorabilia). Before this convention comes a resolution to begin a New Companion relationship with the newest diocese in the Church in Tanzania, the Diocese of Newala. It seems a good fit for a number of reasons. One of our members, Neal Radtke of the Cathedral, served that area of Tanzania as a teacher in the Peace Corps. One of his students who went on to become a highly respected physician is now a diocesan officer. One of our priests, Oswald Bwecha, is a Tanzanian, and finally, one of things they need help with is a cow project something very appropriate for us in America’s Dairyland.

    Another opportunity for new partnership is the full communion agreement between the Episcopal Church and the Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church. Wisconsin is one of the few states with a significant Moravian presence. I was honored to attend and address the Synods of both Provinces this year along with Tom Ferguson, a priest of this diocese who serves as the Ecumenical and Interfaith Officer of the Episcopal Church. As I told each synod, the passage of this agreement is a sign that difference and disagreement do not necessitate divisions—an important witness in an increasingly partisan world. I look forward to see how this new relationship will unfold in the year to come.

    Ecumenical and Interfaith work, long a passion of mine, has taken a significant place in my work this past year. In addition to the Moravian-Episcopal Dialogue, I serve on the Standing Commission for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, the Wisconsin Council of Churches, and as President of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee. Later today, we will be honored by the presence of the Most Rev. Richard Sklba, auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the Rt. Rev. Paul Graf, Moravian Bishop, and the Very Rev. Fred Janacek, of the Orthodox Church in America.

    This year I was blessed to make my first trip to the Holy Land thanks to a generous grant from the Bader Foundation to the Milwaukee Jewish Council that enabled them to sponsor a trip for Milwaukee’s Religious leaders to visit Israel and reflect on the past and present in that land. Two moments stand out particularly. The first was kneeling in prayer at the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth and gazing on the site where Mary first heard and heeded the angelic word that she would be the God bearer, the Theotokos. Mary is the archetype of faith for she said yes to God, carried and nurtured Christ within her and gave birth to Christ for the world. There I offered prayers of thanksgiving for Mary’s faithfulness and God’s faithfulness in answering our prayers for Tom Winslow’s successful lung transplant three days earlier.

    The second moment was our tour of Yad Veshem, the State of Israel’s Holocaust Memorial and Museum. It is a powerful and holy place. It reminded me that those who would destroy others only destroy themselves, and renewed my commitment to our baptismal promise to strive for justice and peace among all.

    I had hoped at this convention to be able to report to you the return of our property in Elm Grove and the successful completion of that litigation. Unfortunately, the case is on hold while an insurance coverage issue is being appealed by the defendants. Hopefully, that matter will be resolved in the coming year. Until then I ask your prayers for the people of St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church and your thanksgivings for the clergy of this diocese who are providing pastoral care to them.

    An additional sadness is the continued strained relations with Nashotah House. These strained relations began well before my time as your bishop but have been exacerbated in recent months with the establishment of what appears for all intents and purposes to be a worshipping congregation, made up in large part by people who claim to have left the Episcopal Church, meeting at the seminary on Sunday with the encouragement of the Dean. I have expressed my concerns to the Chairman of the Seminary’s Board of Trustees and the Bishops of this church who serve on that Board. Many of them are equally distressed. This is particularly unfortunate as our congregations have been the site of field placements for its students for decades. My hope and prayer is that this situation can be resolved. I ask you to join me in that prayer.

    Because we are a Eucharistic people, a people of thanksgiving, I would like to conclude this my eighth address to you as your bishop by thanking those who have labored long and hard to bring this convention into being:  Our convention co-chairs,  Mrs. Verla Thibou of St. Martin’s, Brown Deer and the Rev. Steven Teague, rector of St. Paul’s, along with the members of the ir committee, Bill Robison and Ann White of Trinity Church, Wauwatosa, The Rev. Drew Bunting of Church of the Resurrection, Mukwanago, the Rev. Deborah Wolsey, St. Alban’s Sussex. John Wasbush our parliamentarian from St. James, Milwaukee, Bob Hiendle of also of St James, and many others. Thank you to Ed Doemland of St. Peter’s, West Allis and Raewynne Whitney for leading our Jazz Compline, last evening.

    These have been ably assisted by the members of my staff, the Rev. Canon David Pfaff,  Peggy Worzalla, the Rev. Shannon Kelly,  Barb Klauber,  Diane Blank, the Venerable Thomas Winslow, Deacon Marge Kiss, Kay Boesen and Carolyn Raymaker, and last but not least, Patty Jaffke, my assistant for the last 5 years whose marriage I had the honor and privilege to solemnize two weeks ago. I know you all wish Patty and her husband, Dave the best as they begin their new life together as husband and wife. 

    Thank you, too, to Stuart Parsons, who continues to serve ably as our Diocesan Chancellor,to Margaret Schumacher our Diocesan Treasurer, Carla McCook President of the Standing Committee, and Mike Hagon who serves as Director of the Trustees of Funds and Endowments. The talent, commitment and faithfulness that these fine people bring to the service of our common life are both a blessing and a gift.

    These thanks would be incomplete if I did not thank my daughters Lauren and Haley for their support and encouragement in my life and ministry. This ministry has at times meant that I have not always been as present for them as I would wish to be. I am grateful for their love and kindness.

     Most importantly, thank you to my wife Cindy. Richard Schori said to the spouses at their gathering yesterday, “ours spouses wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for us.” I know that is certainly true in my case. Thank you so much dear for your love and care for me.

     

    Finally, thank you for the privilege to serve our Lord and you as a bishop in God’s Church. This is a great diocese endowed with every good gift from the Father who loves us in Christ Jesus our Lord.  I look forward to serving God and you in the year to come.