The Global Anglican Futures Conference, GAFCON, has ended after meeting in Jordan and Israel, and the once-every-ten years gathering of Anglican bishops, the Lambeth Conference, has begun in England.

GAFCON was a meeting of conservative, traditionalist leaders (my adjectives) and the Lambeth Conference is for Anglican bishops by invitation from the Archbishop of Canterbury. To my knowledge, Archbishop Rowan Williams has chosen not to invite a few of the bishops, including the Bishop of New Hampshire and a former Episcopal Priest, now a bishop in an African province of the Anglican Communion. Many conservative, traditionalist bishops are not attending the Lambeth Conference.

In the midst of this friction, the American media continues to focus primarily on issues of human sexuality, and how these issues have played out in the Episcopal Church. For those opposed to gay ordination and the inclusion of gays in the church, “the drift of the Episcopal Church” continues.

I don’t think human sexuality issues are going to disappear. A number of states recognize civil unions, and at least two states now say same sex marriage is legal. Should the Episcopal Church discuss whether to change the traditional definition of marriage as being only between a man and woman? Any such discussion would not be easy. Some defections will occur and/or some who might have come to the Episcopal Church will not do so.

As one Episcopalian, I recently thought of the song made famous by the late and great jazz singer Peggy Lee, “Is that all there is?”

Is that all there is!  I emphatically answer, “NO!” All that is written above, despairing as it may appear, is only commentary on the governance aspects of our national and international church. Worship and mission, two other aspects of church life, are NOT areas of despair. The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion are fertile with new and relevant worship liturgies and mission efforts have never been more important as a focus of the church.

The church at the local level has a way of going on with life, despite all the arguing higher up. Most of the time we are more accepting of each other, and more tolerant of each other when hard issues arise. The aspect of “Anglicanism” has always been one of our strengths. I hope and pray that it remains so.

The bishop of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, Nathan Baxter, at the diocese’s spring convention, underlined for me once again this basic strength of our denomination. In reference to the question of full inclusion of all people in the church, Baxter said that he believes that there are “sound grounds” for the full inclusion of all in the church. But he said further, “But such decision must be intentional, not precipitous. . . and must be made through the theological and spiritual discernment of the whole church and not just the political work of the fearful uncertain or the angry certain.”

Nathan Baxter’s wisdom seems sorely needed.