Weekly Witness: July 6, 2008

FROM THE PRESIDENT:

So why are you going to Lambeth?

It's "the question of the week" because -- finally -- after planning and fundraising and organizing and praying and networking this is the week we start leaving for the 20-day Lambeth Conference of bishops of the Anglican Communion, to be held on the campus of the University of Kent in Canterbury.
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The conference is designed to create "better bishops for the sake of a better church" -- at least according to this interview with Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

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Hard to argue with that being a good idea -- better bishops, that is -- but it's increasingly easy to argue that schlepping them all to a 20-day conference in England is not necessarily the most cost effective way to meet that goal. Nevertheless, Lambeth 2008 is about to unfold and Integrity will be there.

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Which brings me back to the "why?" question.

Here's an answer from our Canterbury Campaign letter:

The historic ties of mutual affection and common history that have bound the diverse, global Anglican family of faith together for generations are under assault by those who would replace communion with conformity as the criterion for a place at the Anglican table. It is critical that, at Lambeth 2008, those committed to the historic ethos of Anglican comprehensiveness stand together to…

• Witness to our shared history;
• Call our Anglican brothers and sisters in Christ to transcend the differences that some insist must divide us;
• Focus on the common mission and ministry that will, in the end, unite us.
  

It is critical that the LGBT faithful, who have seen their lives and vocations reduced to bargaining chips in a decade-long game of Anglican politics, speak out together and give voice to the hope and the faith their witness to the Anglican Communion represents.

We are going to witness to the Good News of God in Christ Jesus present in our lives, our relationships and our vocations.

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We are going to guarantee that, as the Bishop of New Hampshire puts it, the bishops of the communion will not "gather once again as if there are no LGBT members of this Church and as if their lives, ministries, and relationships don't matter."

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And we are going because we will have the opportunity to live out these words from the Gospel According to Matthew -- words many of us heard in church as we celebrated Independence Day ... this translation from "The Message:"

"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst.
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When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.

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If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

In his sermon yesterday at York Minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury put it this way: "What would Jesus do is a good question to ask," he said. "Where would Jesus be is just as good."

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And we believe where Jesus not only would be but will be with us -- in our prayers and in our witness, in our worship and in our fellowship, in our opportunities and in our challenges.

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Jesus will be in the formal celebration of Eucharist in the Canterbury Cathedral on Sunday morning, July 20th. And Jesus will be in the Eucharist al fresco Integrity and Changing Attitudes will offer on Beverley Meadow that afternoon. (Everybody welcome, BTW -- nobody "banned" from this one! :)

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So keep us in your prayers. Stay tuned to our Lambeth Portal for updates from the front. And remember,

No good thing will God withhold from those who walk with integrity. Psalm 84:11

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In the News:
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English Synod Votes on Women Bishops: The Church of England will today be plunged into one of the fiercest debates in its 400-year history as traditionalists go head-to-head with liberals over women bishops.
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The Lambeth Conference "Reflection Process" announced: "Among the desired outcomes anticipated by this diverse group from across the Communion was not so much debates, position papers, votes and resolutions but participation on an equal footing, listening as well as speaking and the emergence of wisdom and a common mind."

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Upcoming Events:
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Lambeth Team: Our Lambeth team starts leaving for Canterbury this week. Please keep us all in your prayers as we undertake that important work.
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Integrity Board Member Bart Bartosh and his long-time partner Tony Saponte are planning to be married on July 11th. "Mazel tov" and best wishes for many years of wedded bliss to both of them!

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The London Premiere of "For the Bible Tells Me So" will be Monday night, July 14th. More details here.

Midwest Regional Conference: An Integrity regional conference will be held August 15-16 at St. Luke's in Evanston, Il. More detail here.

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Finally, on a personal note -- "Testing, Testing, One, Two Three:" Apologies for the video clip that we shot at the dog park with the new going-to-Lambeth-video camera and then erroneously loaded up to this blog in our excitement to "see if it would work." It did and we're through practicing now. Onward and upward!

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