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“Transition in the Midst of Transformation”
At last year’s Annual Meeting, the Committee on Response to the Bishop’s Address did not have the conclusion of my address in which I announced my intention to resign as Bishop of Hawai`i in 2007. This year the Committee did not have final paragraphs of this address since it was written before the election of the Fifth Bishop of Hawai`i.
Yesterday this Annual Meeting chose Robert Fitzpatrick to be your Bishop. The work of this Annual Meeting and the Diocese of Hawai`i does not end with the election of a Bishop. To the contrary, our ministry continues. The life of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai`i is always ongoing. Ours is a ministry that demands renewed commitment and faithful witness to Jesus Christ. The Mission of the Church of God never ends. Our participation in that mission never ends. We have elected Bob to lead and share with us that never-ending mission of restoring all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. Ours is a pilgrimage of faithful servanthood in mission that began with our baptisms.
In forty-plus years of ordained ministry, I have never given a title to a sermon or address. As this is my last Convention Address, I have chosen the title, “Transition in the midst of Transformation.” I confess that I chose a title because Dee has been bugging me about the theme of my address for the past month.
Last year I described the Diocese of Hawai`i with these words, “…With adoption of the Strategic Plan, the transformation of the Diocese of Hawai`i was begun. The Diocese has begun that move from the on-ramp of maintenance onto the highway for mission. With adoption of our Strategic Plan, we said that we were ready as a Diocese to move forward with a new commitment to mission. We were ready to risk for the mission of the Church. The journey has begun…there is no turning back…the actions taken by the 36th Annual Meeting began the transformation of our Diocese. The people of God in the Diocese of Hawai`i have been called to become a new Church…a Spirit-filled church dedicated to a mission of reconciliation with God and with each other….”
A year later we continue to be immersed and challenged by transformation, a process that has generated success and disappointment, joy and pain. This third year of our Five Year Plan has required more of us than many had anticipated or have wished to give of themselves. We are all being called to new levels of accountability and responsibility, major paradigm shifts in this Diocese. This is the year that we have had to act and put our money, time, and talents where our 2004 Convention resolutions have directed us. The proposed 2007–2009 Budget of the Diocese is a clear reflection of this new reality. We are not accustomed in the Church to following through with adopted plans, resolutions, and priorities. The last long-range plan adopted by the Diocese of Hawai`i in 1983 fizzled out in 1986, its third year. As I make my final visitation to congregations of the Diocese, I experience and witness the transformation that is occurring at all levels of our Diocese with the joy, anxiety, hope, uncertainty, and fear of a first pregnancy! And we don’t have an ultrasound to determine what the new and transformed Diocese of Hawai`i will birth!
Many congregations and programs have taken their brave first steps and have opened themselves to the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit among them. Increases in average Sunday attendance, new families, larger Sunday School enrollment, and ministries of service addressing community issues of homelessness, hunger, and youth, have been transformational experiences in numerous congregations. I have heard and sensed the enthusiasm of people describing their experiences of cooking meals for families in need, of teaching children in an after-school reading program, and of hearing the elder members of their congregation publicly share for the first time their faith in Jesus Christ.
I have also heard words of frustration, disappointment, fear, and anger. It is the frustration that comes when attendance at educational programs have not met personal expectations. It is the disappointment when no one comes forward to exercise ministry that has been set as a priority by leaders. It is the fear of risking for ministry in the unknown because “we have never done it before,” or “we tried it before and it doesn’t work because we’re different.” It is the anger resulting from broken relationships when a person’s dignity and gifts for ministry are rejected by gatekeepers.
The 2006 Report of the Task Force created by Resolution 15 of the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Convention describes many of the accomplishments and achievements by congregations and programs of our Diocese that move us towards the attainment of our goals. The report calls our attention to the need for interdependence and sustainability in ministry. I strongly recommend that you read the report of the Task Force which is found in the October 2006 issue of The Hawaiian Church Chronicle and on page 11 of the Convention Information Booklet.
Brothers and sisters, our transformation is not complete by any stretch of our imagination. The transformation of the Diocese of Hawai`i will only become reality when personal transformation of individual members is addressed in every congregation regardless of size, location, or constituency. In too many congregations, leaders, both lay and ordained, have abdicated their responsibility to teach and learn. When was the last time that clergy exercised their teaching ministry in your congregation? When was the last time that the lay leaders of your congregation modeled their commitment to personal Christian formation? When was the last time that you prayed with someone outside the context of Sunday worship?
Through regular worship, study, and prayer, each and every baptized member of this Diocese needs to renew and sustain his or her relationship to Jesus Christ. Each congregation regardless of size must provide opportunities for its members to engage and devote their whole being — their time, their talent, and their treasure — to being transformed by the presence of the Risen Christ in their lives. There must be opportunities for everyone to grow in faith and to strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ. Since 1997 my vision has been for a Diocese where people are encouraged and enabled to live their baptismal covenant. We still have much work to do in Christian formation.
When personal transformation has been experienced in the life of each member of our Diocese, then and only then will the transformation of The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai`i be a reality. It is only then that we can honestly say that we have begun to attain the goals of our Strategic Plan adopted in 2004. The vision and goals of each congregation and program of the Diocese will only become attainable when we are individually transformed by a living faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Evangelism, stewardship, Christian Formation for all ages, children’s ministries, youth and young adult ministry, and new church plants will be the fruits of that personal transformation.
Personal transformation must be just as important as, if not more important than institutional transformation. Personal transformation is the foundation that makes institutional transformation possible: just as the opening Affirmation of Faith in our Baptismal Covenant makes possible our affirmation and living the promises of our Baptismal Covenant. The challenge, individually and as a Diocese, will be our willingness to be transformed by the Risen Christ.
In the midst of this transformation, transition in the Episcopate enters in. The “between” times of every transition contain ambiguity and uncertainty. Ambiguity and uncertainty can be stumbling blocks to the ongoing life of congregations as well as the transformation of the Diocese of Hawai`i. There will be uncertainty and unanswered questions about the roles and authority of incumbent Bishop and Bishop-elect between now and March 10, 2007. “Will decisions be made during the transition that affect me and my congregation?” is a question that will undoubtedly be asked. A “wait and see” perspective or attitude towards implementation of ministries that require risk and higher levels of personal commitment may supplant decisive decision and action that will advance the mission of the Church.
This should not be a new experience for most of this Diocese. Most congregations of our Diocese have gone through clergy transitions and know the reality of which I speak. Of the thirty-nine congregations in the Diocese, only six (6) congregations have not been faced with transition and have the same clergy leadership today as in 1996: Grace Church, Hoolehua; Trinity By-the-Sea, Kihei; St. John’s, Kula; St. Matthew’s, Waimanalo; St. Mark’s, Honolulu; and St. Timothy’s, Aiea. But within the next six weeks transition will become the reality at Trinity By-the-Sea and in addition, at Resurrection Church, Hilo; St. Columba, Paauilo; St. Jude’s, Ocean View; St. Andrew’s Priory, Honolulu; and Emmanuel, Kailua, Oahu. Ministry does not stop when there is no vicar or rector or chaplain. Ministry continues through the ministry of the baptized.
The transition in the Episcopate must not detract from personal transformation and from the decisions and ministries that will transform this Diocese.
My own transition should not detract from the transformation that must continue in the Diocese of Hawai`i. I am totally committed to enabling this transformation until I resign my jurisdiction of the Diocese and transfer jurisdiction to the Bishop-elect next March. There will undoubtedly be difficult ministry decisions that will need to be made before that transfer. As Bishop of Hawai`i, I will make those decisions necessary to foster the transformation of this Diocese and its members. I will exercise my episcopacy in light of my three-fold vision of a Diocese that is mission-oriented, not maintenance-oriented; where ministry is shared by all the baptized; and where people are encouraged and enabled to live their baptismal covenant. Let there be no doubt that I am committed to the transformation and future mission of our Diocese.
The transition of the Bishop-elect should not detract from the transformation of the Diocese of Hawai`i. The Standing Committee working with Office of the Presiding Bishop will solicit the consents of the Bishops with jurisdiction and the Diocesan Standing Committees to the election of Robert Fitzpatrick as the Fifth Bishop of Hawai`i. When the consents have been received, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Shori will take order for the consecration on March 10, 2007. It is my hope that she will be here as the chief consecrator.
The Transition Committee has begun assisting Bob and Bea in making the transition to a new ministry among us, and for assisting Dee and me in our transition to ministry in retirement. A 60-day period has been designated for the Bishop-elect and me to address transition concerns related to the Office of Bishop and the Diocese as a whole. I think we will begin sooner than planned. Your affirmation of the proposed 2007 budget will provide for the implementation of this transition process in an orderly manner.
The final phase of any transition is the “end.” When transition ends, the beginning will be marked by the celebration of new ministry. When the episcopal transition ends in March, you will begin a new era in the life and ministry of this Diocese with Bob and Bea Fitzpatrick. I have no doubt that you will care, support, and nurture your new Bishop with the same generosity and love that you have blessed Dee and me for the past ten and a half years.
As I come to the close of this Convention Address, I want to say thank you to some very special people. They have meant a great deal to Dee and me for the past ten plus years and will continue to hold a very special place in our hearts. And so I think the 38th Annual Meeting of the Convention needs to hear this. And so Dee and I want to publicly express our deepest gratitude to the staff of the Office of the Bishop.
Each of them in their own special unique way has enriched and enabled my ministry:
Marie, you are the concierge for the Office of the Bishop who makes everyone welcome. You take on the challenging tasks (organizing Bob’s office) and the menial tasks (ordering lunch for the Diocesan Council) with the same cheerful disposition. You have served me with a glad heart and a dedicated spirit.
Liz, you have the quiet presence that reminded me to keep spiritually focused when the chaos of the world and the mission of the Church collided and came tumbling into our offices. You have been tenacious in balancing your ministry of communication with your ministry in a small church where you are beloved.
Edith, your knowledge of computers and your Gen-X exuberance encouraged me to become more technically competent and to use technology more effectively in ministry. I could count on your smiling presence to rescue me from “blue screens” and error messages.
Nancy, we have been around this diocese for over thirty years. You have reminded me of the history our Diocese and all the special people who have worked with us to make this a very special part of the Church. You are one of those special people.
Peter, your service to me has been a witness to your deep faith in Jesus Christ. You offered more than your knowledge of balance sheets and FASB updates. You are a CPA for whom Jesus is the bottom line.
Bob, you have been loyal colleague, teacher, and counselor. And as you said yesterday, we have not always agreed but you have stood with me when decisions were made. Dee and I will always be grateful for the pastoral support given by Bea during my mother’s illness.
Tiare, in Dee’s words, you have been a blessing to us and “the best decision I made as Bishop.” You treat people with respect, dignity and a gentle firmness (after all you are a Priory Girl!). Even when you answer the telephone, you convey a warmth and sense of hospitality, something that is recognized by the wider Church. You have reminded me of my limitations. You often chastised me for over scheduling work commitments, while you yourself willingly spent extra hours to see that a job was done well. By doing the little things that I could not or forgot to do, such as wrapping omiyage, you often rescued me from the brink of social disaster.
Marie, Liz, Edith, Nancy, Peter, Bob and Tiare, you have been colleagues, but more importantly, you have been friends. You are friends who have served this Diocese of Hawai`i with me. To each of you, Dee and I extend our deepest gratitude and love.
I cannot end this address without a special thank you to the light and love of my life. Dee, you have shared my ministry from Holy Nativity, All Saints, New York, and Honolulu. Through the stresses and strains of ministry, you have been there, holding my hand and offering words of encouragement.
Brothers and sisters, transition is in the midst of us as we are transformed by the Spirit of God to do the mission of the Church in this place. Let us leave this place committed to a personal transformation shaped by a renewed faith in Jesus Christ. Let us continue with vigor the transformation of the Diocese of Hawai`i for our pilgrimage of faithful servanthood in mission does not end. Thank you and God bless. Amen.