The Bishop's Charge to Synod 2005

Welcome to this 123rd Session of the Synod of the Diocese of Ottawa. The word "synod" comes from a Greek word meaning "meeting" or "to gather together," and we do so as we come from every parish and ministry in the Diocese to take counsel together for the building up of the Body of Christ and to discern how we might be more faithful and effective in the ministry of Jesus.

Our theme this year is Discovering the Spirit of Mission and Living the Year of the Lord's Favour (Luke 4:19). I want, therefore, to take you back to the Gospel story when Jesus talks of that year.

It is the very beginning of his ministry, shortly after he was baptized by John and endured the temptations in the wilderness. He returns to Nazareth and as it was the Sabbath, he went to the synagogue. It was his turn to read and it must have been God's plan that the text for the day was from Isaiah. So he read:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captive and recovery of sight to the blind and to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.

In a few short words from Scripture, Jesus expressed what God had sent him to do and what he in turn sends us to do. Near the end of the days that follow, people who heard him speak and who saw him touching the sick tried to prevail upon him to stay awhile. But he said that he had to move on: "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose." (Luke 4:43)

Our Lord was absolutely clear about what God had sent him to do and was totally resolved despite the cost—and near the end, his face was set towards Jerusalem and to the ultimate cost from whence our hope and salvation comes. Others said that they would follow him there after they had put their affairs in order. To this Jesus responds: "No one who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke 9:53,62) So we need to rediscover that spirit of mission and seize the moment, for now is the time. We must not waiver nor be timid but be like the obedient servant in the Book of the prophet Isaiah who said: "For the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore I have set my face like flint and know that I shall not be put to shame." (Isaiah 50:7)

It is my hope that this Synod have those discussions and make those decisions that will strengthen our resolve to do as Jesus did for the glorious Kingdom of God in and well beyond our Diocese. After all, the Lord helps us! And Jesus tells us that if we have faith, we can move mountains and nothing will be impossible for us. (Matthew 17:20-21)

Back from Sabbatical
For a part of this year, I was away on sabbatical, which was, indeed, a restoring and refreshing experience. Some of my colleagues availed themselves of the opportunity as well, and we are all very grateful to the Diocese for making this possible and to our places of ministry for allowing us to go apart for awhile.

You may have read something about my time away in Crosstalk, so I don't want to say a great deal. However, some have remarked, when they noticed that I had done a fair number of "Church things," that maybe I really didn't get away. Well, I did. It is true that a change can be as good as a rest, and it was good for me to experience and be involved in the life of the Church beyond the Diocese of Ottawa. While in the Middle East, I travelled throughout Israel, Jordan and the West Bank with Bishop Riah abu al Assal, Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East (covering Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza). I spent time in the West Bank parishes as I travelled with a dear friend, Father Noam Hossam, who hosted our youth a couple of years ago and who brought some of his youth to visit us last year. And, at the behest of the Executive Committee, I brought gifts on your behalf to the Diocese and to Sabeel, which does Palestinian theology, along with peace and justice work. The head of Sabeel, Canon Naim Ateek, has addressed our Synod. It was also a great pleasure to make contact with ecumenical partners whom I had met before from the Lutheran, Syrian and Armenian Churches and the Latin Patriarchate.

Our friends were grateful for the gifts but even more so for the knowledge that we have remembered them and because so many from our Diocese have previously come to visit and to encourage.

In March of this year, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem issued an unprecedented Easter Message (March 21, 2005) to Christians beyond the Holy Land, and I quote:

From the Church of the Resurrection, we wish all of our brothers and sisters all over the world a Holy and Happy Easter. We call upon you, brothers and sisters, to remember the land of your roots. If you are aware that your spiritual roots lie here, then the conflict in the Holy Land is not the conflict of others. We thank you for your continuing prayers, encouragement and generosity and for your presence through a pilgrimage which has been resumed and will hopefully continue... We sense a mood of potential change in our Land with new hope raised for peace and a new life... We ask [God] to increase in all the Churches of the world a new awareness of their ministry of reconciliation now needed in the Land of the Resurrection.

While in the Middle East, I took the opportunity to visit and to celebrate the Eucharist with our troops on United Nations peacekeeping duties on the Golan Heights. They are among the thousands of Canadian Forces personnel serving the cause of peace in many deployments throughout the world, leaving loved ones at home for long periods and often knowing that after some time at home, they may be redeployed again and again. This is hard on them and on their families and is, indeed, a costly and real sacrifice that ought to be remembered by all of us.

I also visited a number of bases here in Canada and met more of our service personnel and their families in my new role as Anglican Bishop Ordinary of the Canadian Forces. For me this is a profound privilege and even evokes a bit of nostalgia, Deborah and I having been raised as children of soldiers and having been in the Forces myself.

In the Canadian Forces, we have about 35 Regular Force chaplains, four of whom are from our own Diocese—The Rev. Majors Jacques Vaillancourt (Petawawa), George Scharf and Todd Meaker (both in Ottawa), and Captain Michelle Staples (Greenwood, NS), who has just returned from deployment on Operations Athena in support of our troops in Afghanistan. They are all members of Synod. I also invited a number of Anglican chaplains from other dioceses who are serving in various capacities in our Diocese. I would like to acknowledge them, too, as they all take an active part in our parish life and volunteer their services while they are with us.

As well as the Regular Force chaplains, there are probably an equal number serving in our Reserve Units. They, with their units, are very much a part of the Canadian Forces, and they are also deployed overseas.

In short, I would hold this ministry to our Canadian Forces before you because those who minister in such contexts—including in the Correctional Services, hospital and institutional chaplaincies, and with police and fire services—are often unseen and unheralded. Please remember them.

While I was away
While I was away, I felt totally at ease knowing that the work of the Diocese and the Episcopal Office was in good hands and hearts. I would like to thank Dean Shane Parker who acted as the Commissary, Archdeacon Pat Johnston and Ann Day who just kept doing what they do in their usual exemplary way, and Bishop John Baycroft, my predecessor, who celebrated an ordination and made parish visits. He has always been there for me! In fact, all of them have been there—for me and for you. Thank you so very much!

There was much more going on while I was away, and I want to devote much of the Charge to it.

The Budget Review Task Force and beyond
Since our last Synod, a number of new initiatives have come into place. If you will remember, at that Synod, the Budget Review Task Force, under the leadership of John McBride of Saint Matthew's, Ottawa, brought in recommendations, which were approved, concerning matters related to budget preparation, financial management, governance and leadership, and stewardship and communications. All of these are in the process of being implemented, thanks to a great number of willing, enthusiastic and competent people.

At this Synod, you will hear from the Priority-Setting Team under the leadership of Glenn Bloodworth of Saint Martin's, Ottawa. They will recommend the need for strategic planning for the short, medium and long term. This is a message that we have heard often from this Synod, and I am thoroughly convinced that this is something we absolutely must do. The "times they are a-changin'," and what we do cannot merely be incremental and responsive solely to the exigencies of the moment. We must seize the initiative. We cannot keep doing the same things that we have always done and expect a different result.

The Stewardship Council
Shortly after the 2004 Synod, we created a Stewardship and Communications Committee under the leadership of Francis Christensen of Saint Paul's, Kanata. Francis has assembled an enthusiastic and competent team from all parts of the Diocese, and the Reverend Canon Jim Stevenson has ably and enthusiastically provided staff support in this and other areas of diocesan life.

Substantial progress has been made in implementing Synod's mandate. It is clear that the Diocese has a Stewardship Vision and that is that all parishes in the Diocese be actively engaged in and have a passion for a vibrant stewardship programme that will strengthen them and all of us together in the work of the Lord.

The mission of the stewardship project is to ensure that all parishes have the opportunity, the encouragement, and the support required from the Diocese to create sustainable, parish-oriented stewardship programmes. By God's grace and with devoted work and response from all of us, these programmes will ultimately make for a strong Diocese in the overall delivery of community, diocesan, national, and worldwide ministry and mission.

Now is the time to face our perennial stewardship struggles and resolve to do things differently. We need to change our mindset from one that is beset with the idea of scarcity to one that rejoices in the abundance with which we have been truly blessed. We need to be cheerful givers always and live lives that are truly thankful to God and thankful for the mission committed to us by Jesus. We need to develop a definition of stewardship that reflects strongly a parish vision and life; that seeks growth; that develops parish leadership and receives and utilizes spiritual gifts; that makes for nurturing and equipping the saints in all ways, including education; and that results in substantially invigorated parish finances so that we can do what we are called to do. We need a spirit of stewardship that springs from joyful and committed service in Jesus' name within the communities in which we live and with our partners beyond who are in this pilgrimage with us.

So what have we done?
Initially we thought of bringing together a working committee, which we have done, and employing a stewardship officer. However, after much consultation with diocesan stewardship officers in other dioceses, with the Lutheran Church and with the professional fundraisers of DVA Navion, the Stewardship and Communications Committee, henceforth to be known as the Stewardship Council, decided on something that, though not precluding such staffing, promises to be much more effective in achieving the goals. In short, we heard about a General Synod stewardship initiative called Letting Down the Nets and, having met with those charged with this endeavour, we have entered into partnership with this programme. The programme will provide us with substantial consultative knowledge and skill, including one of their staff people, for up to three years at no cost to us and for the purpose of stewardship programme development, which will be focussed primarily on parishes. In addition, General Synod has offered to financially support—to a level of 50% for at least two years—the establishment of a diocesan Gift Planning staff member, beginning on November 1, 2005. This will enhance the good work begun and carried out by Canon Wayne Thomas. We have accepted both offers, and our Gift Planning person will be the Reverend Richard Vroom, priest-in-charge of Saint Columba's, Ottawa, who is uniquely qualified, having owned his own accounting firm for many years before being called to ordained ministry.

Something, however, is required of us!
Our role in the partnership with our General Synod, which has already been endorsed by the Executive Committee, is to provide parish and diocesan leadership and resources to undertake the three-year development and implementation of the stewardship plan. Commencing this month, General Synod staff, with us, will begin a study and period of discernment that will lead to a Stewardship Plan by year's end. Many of you, including those you have designated as parish stewardship officers earlier this year, will be requested to participate in either one-on-one interviews or in focus groups conducted by the Reverend Rob Waller of the Diocese of New Westminster, our consultant; by Canon Geoff Jackson, the General Synod Director of Letting Down the Nets; and by others from our team. We will be looking for parish and diocesan visions, directions, and goals, for strategies, leadership requirements, staffing and consultation needs, timelines, communication approaches, methods and tools required, processes to be developed, and measurement criteria to be considered.

When that is done, a Stewardship Plan prepared by the General Synod consultants will be considered by the Executive Committee early in the new year. We will then begin with parish-based implementation immediately. The expectation is that all parishes will have a stewardship programme, including the implementation of a financial component, within three years. I actually hope that it might be sooner.

Early in the new year—in March, I hope—we will also host a diocesan-wide stewardship conference. It is imperative that, at least, all clergy and parish stewardship officers be there. If you have not yet designated such officers please do so soon.
This is not a quick fix solution to financial and other resource problems that so beset and discourage us. It is about a way and Rule of Life so eloquently spoken of in the "Supplementary Instruction" of the Book of Common Prayer, which speaks of considering "personal service to the Church and community [and] the offering of money according to [one's] means for the support of the work of the Church at home and overseas" (page 555). It is not about the Diocese providing a magic solution to address all of these concerns. It is about a partnership between all of us, and it requires a level of involvement that will be substantial.

It will require that you, the parishes, help us to discern and build the plan based on an understanding of what we collectively need to do in a meaningful way across and within the diversity of the Diocese, while being sensitive to the individual needs and aspirations of each community. It will require those parishes who have had regular and successful financial campaigns and stewardship programmes to share with us your successes, what you have learnt and even what did not work so well. It will require all of us to approach this in joyful expectation, for the offering of gifts is a part of the worship that glorifies God. It will require a move beyond the quick fix to a level of sustainability.

I believe in good stewardship of all of our God-given resources, and this is something that I want to see succeed because I believe that we need to be intentional in seeking the mind of God and we need to recognize that we do live in abundance. The Gospel must not be compromised by thinking otherwise.

Like you, I have many claims on my time and energy, all calling for one thing or another to be a priority, but having wanted responsible stewardship, there came a time when I realized that the hour has come and now is. While I have never been timid about the issue of stewardship, I was beginning to wonder whether I was being timid now. Then again, I am in good company. Faced with setting out on something new, many of the familiar people in Scripture got cold feet and "all with one accord began to make excuses" (Luke 14:18), and they were reluctant to set their hand to the plow and look forward. Well, I am prepared to revise my priorities and to put this project right up there. I expect and know that our clergy will do the same and that many of you will do likewise because we need good hands-on leadership. As for Francis and his team, they are providing such good leadership and are going in such a good direction that we must be with them every step of the way. They are doing this for the love of the Gospel and for the Church whose very life comes from being in mission.

In the Spirit of Mission
I'd like to speak now of other things in the spirit of mission.

The Residential Schools Settlement Fund


This is very much a part of our mission, and a special meeting of Synod some years ago gave a strong mandate to engage in "bringing closure to a troublesome heritage and moving ahead to a prouder future" with the aboriginal people of Canada. Thanks to you and to the leadership of Canon Roger Steinke and his team, we are halfway to our $1.6 million goal. I'm going to leave Roger to say more about this later, but I do want to encourage you to keep it up. As well as personal gifts, there have been a whole host of other parish events that have helped us to fulfil our promise. So, thank you all very much. We will do what we have promised.

The Reverend Doctor Carolyn Langford to Uganda
The Volunteers in Mission programme of our General Synod is one of the ways in which we put a personal touch on mission with our partners overseas. There is nothing quite like having one of our own working with partners elsewhere. But it requires someone with the courage to say, as Isaiah did: "Here I am. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8) Well, recently Jean and Blair Williams from Saint Michael and All Angels, Maxville, did so and went to Japan, which has been one of our mission partners—the first actually—from the late 1800s. And now the Reverend Doctor Carolyn Langford of the Parish of Combermere is going to be on the staff of the University of Buganda in Uganda, also a long-time mission partner of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Ever since I have known Carolyn, she has had a strong desire to return to Africa, having spent some time in Rwanda. She has many unique gifts to share, not least of which is her exemplary record as a parish priest and the fact that she is also our only priest who is a doctor of veterinary medicine.

We are proud of her and of her decision to accept such a call, and I know that, as we have always done, we will support our volunteer who is our missionary abroad and who will share something of our passion for our overseas partners and will bring something of the Ugandan Church home to us.

Some Anniversary Celebrations
This year we celebrate some anniversaries of ministries and mission.

It is the 25th anniversary of the Cursillo movement in our Diocese, and, as the largest Cursillo movement in the Anglican Church of Canada, it is a very real blessing to our ministry here. After all, as a lay led movement, its purpose is to mobilize and equip faithful Christians to be apostles, which means "those sent" by Jesus.

It is more than a three-day weekend! The purpose of Cursillo is for the 4th Day. That is, to intentionally live out the Christian apostleship in whatever environment they find themselves or to which they are called. I have always known that I can call on those who are living their 4th Day and from these people has come much of our diocesan leadership.

It is also the 40th anniversary of the Carleton University Chaplaincy. In a position once occupied by our former Primate, Archbishop Michael Peers, is the Reverend Doctor Tom Sherwood, whose ministry is support by an ecumenical coalition of which we are a part. It is imperative that we stand solidly behind and with such ministries because young people who have often left home and their home church really need to know that there are people who care for them. Tom is indeed such a person and is a very popular professor as well.

Faith, Worship and Ministry Commission
This has been the first full year of our Faith, Worship and Ministry Commission under the capable and enthusiastic leadership of the Reverend Doctor John Gibaut, professor at Saint Paul University and Canon Theologian of our Diocese.

Since we last met, the Commission has studied the Windsor Report, creating one of the most comprehensive contributions from any diocese submitted to the Primate in preparation for the meetings in Northern Ireland in February 2005. They have recently also produced an excellent report on the General Synod Canon XXI on marriage, which will be made available shortly.

There are more things in their docket that will help us substantially to discern the mind of God and to engage in the best liturgy and pastoral practice possible. In short, they engage in the theological reflection that is essential to being "on track" and to being faithful.

Our Programme and Community Ministries
We should always be proud of the many ministries of our Parish and Diocesan Services ministry, and it would be hard to acknowledge everything that is done by them under the leadership of Canon Bill Prentice and his team. It is awesome!

It gives us joy and makes us proud to see our Community Ministries, for example, serving those who are often marginalised by society. Being with the good people of The Well/La Source, Centre 454 and Cornerstone/Le Pilier and their directors, Pat Connolly, Mary-Martha Hale and Sue Garvey, is an inspiration. People look after each other in the most incredible ways.

Last year we were particularly anxious about regional funding. During a period of intensive lobbying and conversations with councillors, it became apparent to us that these ministries are held in high esteem by many in our community and are a positive face to what we do in the ministry of "proclaiming good news to the poor." These folk may be poor in some ways, but they enrich us all!

Our Youth
Earlier this month, I was privileged to spend time at our very first Youth Synod in Cornwall. It was a great experience for us all and one for which I will always be grateful.

This is an age group that really wants to live the covenant made at their baptism and which they affirmed at their Confirmation and, at that time, we said that we would support them. So now theirs is a gift that we need to receive with deep gratitude. After all, many of us here were raised in a world that has changed phenomenally in our lifetime, and if the Gospel is to be interpreted in a new age, it will require both the wisdom and faithfulness of the elders and the insights and passion of the youth.

Recognizing some people
Recognizing some people is always risky because there are so many worthy of recognition.

I have always thought of myself as being fortunate to be here in the Diocese of Ottawa because there are so many people just doing what God has called them to do and offering that freely to all of us and often without recognition.

In my first Charge in 1999, I spoke of our clergy and have been somewhat remiss in not doing so explicitly since. As you may know, in our polity, the priest does the work of the bishop in his or her area of ministry. Our clergy have done that in an exemplary way. I have always felt greatly supported by my ordained colleagues and, indeed, by each of you, and I am so very grateful. I am also grateful to colleagues I see almost daily in the Synod Office, and I know that every one of them has a passion for their work in support of us all. Thank you!

Since we last met, there have been some retirements, though no member of the clergy ever really retires and that is one of the ironies of being so-called. Archdeacon Sally Gadd, Incumbent of Saint Thomas', Stittsville, has retired, and we wish Sally and Ed every blessing. And we do so also for Canon James Beall and Joanne who will soon retire from Saint Bartholomew's, Ottawa, for Canon Wayne Thomas and Daphne who have retired from the Church of the Resurrection, Ottawa, and for John Tyrrell and Barb who have retired from the Parish of Eastern Outaouais. You have run the course and kept the faith and been a blessing to us all and to your charges. We thank God for you and look forward to the gifts you may yet share with us in your retirement.

This year we bid farewell to Canon Michael Iveson, our Director of Administration for over twenty years. Michael had, and continues to have, a deep and abiding passion for the Diocese and for the work of General Synod, which he continues, and he has offered to be available to us as required. He and Amy Newell of the Parish of Fitzroy Harbour are the only two recipients of the Anglican Award of Merit in our Diocese (Amy on January 1, 2005), conferred for outstanding contributions to the Anglican Church of Canada. We are proud of them!

Michael Iveson's successor is Michael Herbert, whom you will meet at this Synod if you have not done so already. He comes to us from the University of Guelph, and it is apparent already that he brings considerable gifts and presence to the ministry of Director of Administration.

I would also like to recognize Canon Jim Stevenson. I have mentioned him earlier in respect to the stewardship project, but I would also like to tell you that he has been invaluable in helping with some new initiatives in at least two of our parishes. Jim is, indeed, good counsel to all of us, and I am glad to have him on the staff of the Episcopal Office.

I would now like to make some appointments and confer some justly deserved honours, and I only wish that I had more at my disposal.

Due to retirements and moves we need two new Archdeacons. Therefore, I am appointing the Reverend Christine Piper to be the Archdeacon of West Quebec and the Reverend Peter John Hobbs to be the Archdeacon of Carleton. These people will be valued counsel.

I am also, with the concurrence of Dean Shane Parker, because such appointments relate to the Cathedral, naming some Canons in recognition of their contribution to the Diocese. The Reverend Susan Churchill-Lackey will become the Canon of Saint Patrick, and the Reverend Richard Marples will become the Canon of Saint David.

I am also conferring the title of Minor Canon on two of our clergy in recognition of exemplary leadership and service in ministries that are not known by many of us. With the enthusiastic concurrence of the Fire Chief and the Police Chief of Ottawa-Carleton, the Reverend John Bridges and the Reverend Robert Heard become such Canons.

Finally
Finally, I would like to welcome and acknowledge some partners in mission with us at this Synod.

The Right Reverend George Bruce, Bishop of our mother Diocese of Ontario, is with us. We still like to claim him as our own and we are always delighted when he and Theo come to visit us.

Also with us is Doctor Eleanor Johnston (Ellie) who oversees the Partnership relationships with us through General Synod and who is presently acting General Secretary. She is here to conduct a seminar and is highly respected within the Anglican Communion. As well, Canon Geoff Jackson, Director of the Letting Down the Nets programme will also be with us.

And, of course, we are most grateful to the Very Reverend Ghattas Hajal of Saint Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, our always most gracious host.

May God's blessing be upon us all as we seek to discern and accomplish what the Divine will calls us to do and be. Come, let us rejoice in our task and celebrate the year of the Lord's favour with a renewed spirit of mission.
Amen

A.M.D.G.
♰ Peter R. Coffin
Bishop of Ottawa and the Bishop Ordinary of the Canadian Forces


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