Blog the Third
By Jean Etsinger
A father cried. A mother cried. A woman angry about what’s
happening in her church cried.
But that was in the afternoon, many hours after Saturday at Synod Assembly got under way. Unaccustomed as I am to arising at an early hour, I did awake in time to see the sun rise. And that left plenty of time to get up and about and over to the outdoor shell early for the 8:15 Morning Prayer service, which was good, because it started at 8.
Led by the Gardner Tweed Family Singers, Player and Pray-ers, the service sent participants off to Plenary No. 2 inspired and energized. I was struck by the Rev. Dr. Rita’s admonition that “we have to keep emptying ourselves” of the anger, grudges, hurt and hate “that diminish our capacity to love God and love one another and love ourselves.”
Plenary No. 2 proved frustrating for this voting member when it came to voting. My keypad functioned just fine. The problem was the time allotted – or, more particularly, the lack of warning when time was about to expire. This occurred during run-off voting for two contests. Immediately after the two top vote getters in those races were announced, we were instructed to vote. I didn’t have enough time to shuffle my two sets of bio pages and refresh my memory concerning the candidates. Sure, I could have been better prepared, and I should have been better organized. But it would have helped to have warning that we had “10 seconds more,” or whatever. To ensure a better informed electorate, such voting could be done outside of the plenary at a “polling place” open during designated hours. The keypad seems better suited to deciding options on issues.
In her second keynote address on the ELCA’s new “Book of Faith” initiative, director Diane Jacobson shared the insight that when it comes to reading the Bible from a devotional perspective, “sometimes having an expert in the room can be a real problem.” A few moments later she mentioned “Luke-Acts” in the middle of a thought. Having no idea what she was talking about, I consulted the person next to me, who, fortunately, was better versed in biblical history. (The explanation I was given: Scholarly research suggests that the Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles had the same authorship and were originally one document.)
A lot – really a lot – of the plenary was devoted to recognitions, acknowledgements, congratulations, a wave or two and infomercials. These things have a legitimate place in the assembly, but smaller doses on the dais might result in fewer dozes on the floor. Meantime, I would love to have heard several of the people introduced tell their own stories – such as the founders of a new Hispanic congregation in Hialeah and the African émigré pastor who will be starting a new congregation for others from that continent in Tampa.
I didn’t do any workshop-hopping on this day, opting to attend the Hearing on the Draft Statement on Human Sexuality and then the session on “Opening the Door: The Journey toward Inclusion of All the Faithful by the Faithful.” This is where the part about people crying comes in.
The father teared up speaking at the “Opening the Door” workshop about how his son was treated by members of their congregation after he came out as a gay man while in college. The mother wept at the Draft Statement hearing while telling of the cruelty she has experienced from church folk when they learned that she is lesbian. The angry woman said at the hearing that her congregation was literally held together by the administrator, a gay person, while it had no pastor, but that a member had written an eight-page, hateful letter condemning the young man.
One of the quotes I took notes on Saturday was this one: “I fear that we deceive ourselves about how welcoming we are to those who visit our churches, and especially to those who are different than us.” The speaker was not the distraught father, the discouraged mother or the disillusioned parishioner. It was Bishop Edward R. Benoway, in his annual report, delivered during the morning plenary. He added: “I challenge you and the people of this synod to become an ‘inviting and welcoming’ synod.”
The “Opening the Door” workshop focused on the process of becoming a “welcoming congregation” in the context of the four in Florida that are Reconciling In Christ parishes. By adopting the RIC designation a congregation goes on record publicly as welcoming all persons without regard to gender orientation or sexual preference. In small group discussions after the four congregations shared their experiences, several participants said they as pastors or their churches would likely embrace the RIC perspective if the synod did so. Others have argued that the impetus for Florida-Bahamas becoming a RIC synod must come from the ground up. Last year an RIC resolution was defeated at Synod Assembly. This year, none has been introduced. Next year, the issue is all but certain to be revisited with the approaching 2009 Churchwide Assembly, where the final Statement on Human Sexuality is to be considered.
While many had anticipated an overflow crowd and acrimony at Saturday’s hearing, neither materialized. Views differed diametrically and dramatically, but voices were not raised. There was confusion toward the end about what was termed “the other document.” The reference turned out to be to an anticipated Churchwide Assembly resolution addressing issues not addressed in the Draft Statement – the ordination of gay pastors in committed relationships and the blessing of same-sex unions.
As for what is in the 46-page Draft Statement, hearing speakers variously said they found portions confusing, inaccurate, inadequate or excessive. My own feeling is that a Social Statement should not be a litany of do’s and don’ts; the more detailed, the less adaptable such a governing document, intended for a long shelf life, can be to emerging realities down the road. At the hearing, there seemed to be consensus on one thing: that the ELCA’s Task Force on the Study of Human Sexuality, after seven years of research and deliberation, has produced a Draft Statement that is problematic for just about everyone.
Some more quotes from my notes: “You want to fill your churches? Your enrollment’s down? Open your doors to the gay community, and your pews will be filled.” – the tearful mother.
“Did God make a mistake? Is that what we’re saying? If God didn’t make a mistake, who are we to judge God?” – an elder in reference to a young family member with gender ambivalence.
“Silence does not equal assent.” – counsel from an RIC congregation member on the information sharing and communication crucial to gain wide acceptance of becoming a welcoming church.
On tap for Sunday are money matters at the concluding plenary and more great music at the Closing Eucharist.