You may be thinking, what is the ECMN Convention? Is it like Comic Con? In a way, it is. Once a year, Minnesota’s Episcopal clergy and laity (non-clergy) gather (this year, in Bemidji) to worship, take care of some business, and share in community. Instead of Star Trek or ‘90’s sitcoms, the theme was “Who do you say that I am?” We were asked to reflect on how we live lives of love and service as individuals, congregations, and as a diocese (collection of Episcopal churches).
Part of the programming included hearing from three of our fellow “Minnepiscopalians” – how they are listening to the small quiet voice of Jesus that is inside each of us. We encourage you to listen to their stories here. As part of the Eucharist, we heard a sermon from Bill Tesh, Lutheran Bishop for Northwest Minnesota (in honor of the newly launched shared ministry in White Earth). He spoke on having a spirit of humility and curiosity, sharing that if we notice God in creation, we cannot help but perceive our calling to care for creation. If we look with eyes of faith, we will see the fingerprints of God on creation, including our neighbors (even those with different beliefs or with whom we disagree).
Because faith communities do not exist in a vacuum, a couple of hours of the Convention were dedicated to business matters including passing a budget – yay for balanced budgets! – and elections. Congratulations to Peter Stebinger who was elected to serve on the Commission on Ministry! The business session also included voting on canonical amendments (like statutes that help govern ECMN) and two resolutions (Migration with Dignity; NorthStar Act), both of which were offered by our own Rev. Rex McKee, as part of his work with the Episcopal Migration Ministry and NorthStar Alliance. Both passed with overwhelming support – recognition that we hear Jesus calling us to care for our immigrant and refugee neighbors across Minnesota, now more than ever.
We would like to share with you some reflections from the Bishop’s Address that spoke to us (the full address can be viewed using the link above):
- Humanity – impossibly beautiful and hopelessly broken
- Resist the temptation to give into the anxiety to try to fix everything or to give into despair – focus not on how we can save our church but how do we find God
- We should strive not to work harder or to do more but to deepen our roots – change is a chance to deepen our roots because deepening our roots is planting seeds for God’s future
- Planting seeds is looking for small simple ways to connect with our neighbors, not acquiring more for ourselves
- We don’t have to be afraid of or be ashamed of change (or fight it) – everything has a lifecycle
- Jesus is the face of God and shows us dying is living
We also want to share some highlights from the session that was led by Archdeacon Sally Gaze of the Diocese of Suffolk, England:
- The Parable of the Would-Be Farmer – the farmer got so caught up in the work of planting seeds (meetings) and caring for the barn (church buildings) that he failed to harvest the crop. The story asks us, “Are we harvesting the meaningful things in our church and in our lives?”
- The challenges faced by rural, suburban and urban congregations in Minnesota are not so different from those faced by rural congregations in England, nor from each other – e.g., aging and shrinking congregations, finding change difficult, maintaining aging buildings (at least ours aren’t medieval and have indoor plumbing!), facility/space limitations, communities experiencing economic struggle.
- Everyone has a role to play; everyone matters. We need to seek to understand each person and their story to build community and deepen relationships.
- As we deepen relationships, we may discover new ways to support and love our neighbors. And don’t be afraid to fail.
We leave you with this final reflection to ponder (one we brought home with us and now share with you) – How do we at St. John’s continue to lead with service and love?
from Lay Delegates Ben, Hillary & Kathryn
