The Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison, Bishop of WNY

I returned from the recent meeting of the House of Bishops at Camp Allen in the Diocese of Texas with a new lapel button. It has an Episcopal shield in a heart shape. It says: “I love the Episcopal Church.”

The principal work of our time together as the House of Bishops was preparation for the Lambeth Conference. Every ten years the Archbishop of Canterbury invites the bishops of the Anglican Communion to come together for mutual support and encouragement in our work of leading the various churches of the Communion. This conference will be held at the University of Kent, near Canterbury, England, from July 16 to August 3 of this year. The Lambeth Conference is not legislative—that work is done by the synods and conventions of the various churches. The conference will highlight ways in which the bishops can develop partnerships around the world in order that we might be better equipped and effective in our leadership in the proclamation of the Gospel and the furtherance of the mission of the Church. Our goal is to strengthen the Anglican Communion through conversation and mutual understanding.

In his “launch” of the conference the Archbishop wrote: “I believe we have...an unusually varied and original program—and a fresh style of working which will allow us both to confront differences honestly and to be focused anew on our primary tasks of service and mission.”

The catechism of the Book of Common Prayer reminds us that the mission of the Church is reconciliation—between ourselves and God and between ourselves and other members of the human family. Our retreat time during the meeting of the house helped us center ourselves on this theme. This was led by Canon Brian Cox and the Honorable Joanne O’Donnell of the Diocese of Los Angeles.

We also spent some time listening to a presentation and thinking about the third Millennium Development Goal: To promote gender equality and empower women. This was led by Nomfundo Walaza of South Africa. Nomfundo’s mother instilled in her daughter a strong sense of her own dignity and giftedness as a child of God. Thanks to brave women in her village, including her mother and grandmother, Nomfundo also gained an education, even though under south Africa’s apartheid government, the schooling of  blacks, especially black females was less than encouraged. 

Today, Nomfundo is a member of Joint Standing Committee of Anglican Consultative Council and CEO of the Desmond Tutu Peace Center.

Nomfundo characterized the MDGs “a noble attempt, a shared future for all people.” While progress has been made, much remains to be done.

She discussed marked differences in what happens to women depending on the cultural context in which they live and presented shattering statistics about the treatment of women in various countries around the world. “We need leaders for the church. We need a safe church for women to be who they are.”

Nomfundo also addressed the of trafficking of women and children. “We need a global organization of men who are enraged and say that this must stop,” she said. “We have to get men to a point of rage.”
Nomfundo’s remarks underscored for me, the importance of our baptismal promise to respect the dignity of every human being and promote the giftedness of each individual whether male or female. 

At the Easter Vigil each year we reaffirm our Baptismal Covenant—reaffirming our belief in God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our commitment to honoring the dignity of every human being and our life together as it flows from our sharing in the life of the Blessed Trinity. May each of these promises guide us in living the abundant life that is ours in Christ Jesus our Risen Savior.