A Message from Bishop Gordy 

 

What happened at the Assembly? That's a question I've been asked more than a few times this week. Actually, it's usually not been as much a question as an exclamation: What happened at Assembly!?!

 

Of course people are referring to the

The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton

election of Elizabeth 
Eaton who will replace Mark Hanson as presiding bishop at the beginning of November. Bishop Hanson has served this church well as its presiding bishop for twelve years. In this synod he is enormously respected as a person of intelligence, passion, wit, and deep faithfulness to the gospel. His outgoing personality and extraordinary

Presiding bishop Mark Hanson preaches at the 2013 Churchwide Assembly.

As our Churchwide representative at this year's Synod Assembly, he was nothing less than inspiring both in his presentations and his personal interaction with voting members and visitors. Mark Hanson gets the gospel of Jesus in all its challenge and its comfort. And, he is passionately committed to making that good news known.

A former parishioner told my wife, Morgan, recently, for her, Mark is "saintly." That is, he is courageous, compassionate, approachable, a leader of unusual grace, vision and sensitivity. One wonders where this church would be after these tumultuous years were it not for his steady, untiring hand at the helm.

So, people wonder if, after generously offering to continue as presiding bishop, he was not invited to do so, what happened? Was the election of a new presiding bishop a repudiation of his years of leadership? Those who were present at the Churchwide Assembly will tell you that it certainly was not.

I have my own ideas as to what happened in Pittsburgh that led to the election of our new presiding bishop, but one of my colleagues put it this way:  "I believe [Bp. Hanson's] long tenure came up against a restlessness for things in this church to become new and re-invigorated, for the future to be different from the past, for a new chapter to unfold in our life together." In any case, in the ecclesiastical balloting process which is used to elect a 

presiding bishop of this church, the 

Bishop Hanson congratulates Bishop-elect Eaton on her election as presiding bishop of the ELCA.

prayerful

When Bishop Eaton was elected, Bishop Hanson responded with the grace and class we have come to expect from this international leader.  And the assembly responded with applause and tribute after tribute to his leadership.  It has been pointed out more than once that when the results of the fifth and final ballot were announced at the Assembly, Bishop Eaton received a long and thunderous ovation. Moments later Bishop Hanson received an even longer ovation. Clearly the Assembly was affirming both our current presiding bishop and his successor with gratitude and joy.

Our Presiding Bishop-elect, has served as Bishop of the ELCA's Northeastern Ohio Synod since late in 2006. As I have experienced these six years in the Conference of Bishops and as the voting members of the Assembly witnessed, Elizabeth Eaton possesses a keen intellect, a profound faith, an assured Lutheran identity, and a quick and self-effacing wit. She will serve our church well in this new context we are learning to live in.

It did not escape the notice of many that the theme of this year's Assembly was "Always Being Made New."  From the huge projection screens at the front of the hall to the colorful banners hung on streetlights surrounding the convention center, we were continually reminded that "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see everything becomes new!" 

(2 Corinthians 5:17) 

Still, transitions are not easy and neither is the job of presiding bishop. I hope that in your personal prayers and in the intercessions of your Sunday assemblies, you will include thanksgiving for the good work of Bishop Mark Hanson and his wife Ione, and intercessions for Presiding Bishop-elect Elizabeth Eaton and her husband, the Reverend Conrad Selnick. We are not alone in this work God has called us to do together. God has promised to be present with us, restoring the world and making all things new.

 

Bishop Mark Hanson and his wife, Ione, receive a standing ovation for their gift of service to this church at the Churchwide Assembly.

  

  

The Rev. Chris Boerger

Voting members also elected the Rev. Wm Chris Boerger as ELCA secretary. Boerger, who

recently completed two terms as bishop of the ELCA Northwest Washington Synod, was

installed during the assembly's closing worship Aug. 16. He will begin his six-year term as ELCA secretary November 1.

Criminal Justice Social Statement Approved

Over 97% of the voting members of the Assembly voted to adopt "The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries," a new social statement. I was privileged to serve on the task force that wrote this statement. In reality, the whole church had a hand in producing this important teaching and policy statement since the process of writing the statement lasted five years and involved formal and informal listening to members of this church and others as the statement was crafted and re-drawn.

The statement was authorized by a prior Churchwide Assembly as a response to, among other things, the massive levels of incarceration in the U.S. (We incarcerate more of our citizens than any other nation on earth!) The statement is timely and important, addressing, as it does, many questions that are now being asked about our criminal justice system in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case, the "stand-your-ground" laws in many of our states, the "stop-and-frisk" policies of some of our large cities, and the hugely disproportionate number of African American males who are in our prisons and jails. It also addresses the results of the so-called "War on Drugs."

The statement calls us to offer compassion and hospitality to all who are engaged by this system - police, court officials, legislators, victims, offenders and their families. It affirms the basis of our criminal justice system even as it calls on the church to work to ensure that the noble motives of the system are carried out in reality. This statement is now a part of the official teachings of the ELCA. Some of our synod congregations were involved in the study process that led to the social statement. All of them will find the statement to be a useful educational tool. The statement can be read here.

Health Care Changes

The Assembly heard about coming changes to health care benefits provided by Portico Benefit Services (formerly the Board of Pensions).  Due to the mandates of the Affordable Care Act, Portico is moving from one level of coverage to four choices. The ELCA Church Council recommends the "Gold+" plan, as it aligns most closely with current coverage.

Rostered leaders who have health coverage through Portico should have received information outlining these changes. Rostered leaders and congregation councils will need to make decisions about their level of coverage in the coming weeks. Please be informed about these plans and make sure your leadership considers the options before this fall's deadlines. Learn more about the plans at Portico's website.

New Funding Campaign

Voting members affirmed the Book of Faith Initiative "as a continuing emphasis and priority in the church" and voted to extend the initiative as a continued call to engagement with Scripture.  An Assembly-wide Bible study Tuesday through Friday grounded and informed the work of the Assembly.  PDF versions of the Bible study and background papers are available here.       TOGETHER, WE CELEBRATED MINISTRY...   Malaria Campaign passes half-way mark    To date the ELCA Malaria Campaign has raised $8.7 million - more than halfway to the goal of $15 million by 2015. So far some 7,000 staff and volunteers have been trained to educate their communities in sub-Saharan Africa about malaria prevention and control, and they have reached more than 1.7 million people, said Jessica Nipp Hacker, campaign coordinator. "Our challenge today is to finish the campaign strong," she said.   Learn more.   Assembly acted on Israel and Palestine proposals, and more   The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and took measures to ensure that commitment Aug. 17, including a memorial designed to continue this church's awareness-building, accompaniment and advocacy on behalf of peaceful resolutions in the Middle East. Learn more.    LWF President Bishop Munib Younon The Assembly also heard from  Lutheran World Federation President Bishop Munib Younon. Younon also serves as Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.   Learn more     Starting new congregations remains a priority   Since the ELCA began 25 years ago, 435 new congregations have officially organized. Today there are 330 new starts currently under development, including 56 new starts in 2012. In the past four years, ELCA members kept their commitment that at least half of this church's new starts is in a "situation of deep poverty" or part of "one of our ethnic strategies." The Rev. Stephen Bouman, executive director of Congregational and Synodical Mission, said that there are now 20 new starts engaging mostly the emerging young adult generation.    Our own Shepherd of the Lake in Loudon, TN was featured as a new ELCA congregation engaged in ministry with the community in a very intentional way. The video below was featured at the Assembly.   New start, young at heart - Shepherd of the Lake, Loundon, TN   Congregational renewal: Recovering the "first love" of mission   "At the heart of the mission of our church and its 25th anniversary are congregations," the Rev. Ruben Duran, ELCA director for new starts, told the Assembly. Duran invited the 952 voting members of the assembly to think of their own congregation. "It was once a new start," he said.   "Congregational renewal is recovering the 'first love' of mission which birthed our congregations," said Duran. "I see renewal happening throughout our church.  In every place where the Spirit is moving us, in every place where the context calls us, renewal in our first love of mission is driving the renewal of our congregations."  For more information on new starts and the work of the Congregational & Synodical Mission (CSM) Unit, see the CSM report here.   Elected Southeastern Synod leaders to Churchwide leadership positions   The Southeastern Synod was well-represented on the many ballots considered by the Assembly for positions on the ELCA Church Council, boards and committees.  The Rev. William Flippin, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Atlanta, GA was elected to the ELCA Church Council.  The Rev. Dr. Ruth Hamilton, St. Luke, Atlanta, GA was elected to the Nominating Committee and Sr. Sylvia Countess, Deaconess, Knoxville, TN was elected to the Discipline Committee.  The Rev. William Flippin   The Rev. Dr. Ruth Hamilton                 Sister Sylvia Countess