Faith and Sacrifice in Asian provinces
At the urging of the Diocesan Board, I attended The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops meeting Sept. 17-23 in Taiwan. The Diocese of Taiwan is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and about 140 bishops also attended. The official theme of the meeting was “Expanding our Apostolic Imagination,” and that is exactly what happened. The witness of the Taiwanese Christians was consistent: there is little room for anything but an unreserved commitment to Christ. We heard reports of bishops from Taiwan, the Philippines, Pakistan, Korea and Hong Kong. Themes of sacrifice, persecution, and remarkable generosity abounded. Prime Bishop Edward Malecdan of the Philippines reported, “As we began to work on clean water for one of our villages, people came up to us and said, ‘We want to know about the God that you serve. You are not only concerned about the afterlife, you are concerned about this life’ and people became Christians.”
Here is my full report to the Diocese of Central Florida:
As I prepare to leave this House of Bishop’s meeting, I must say that I marvel at what God allowed me to both see and enjoy. Two significant conversations stand out. One was with the Rector and his youth worker at Trinity Church in the poverty stricken port town of Keelung. The other was with set in the sleek downtown Taipei apartment of a prominent Christian art dealer. The economic contrast could not have been sharper, but the content of the conversation was the same: a passionate experience of the love of God the Father. In contrast to the picture of the reserved and stoic Asian, these Christians (as well as almost all of the other Taiwanese Christians I met) were deeply and overtly in love with God. The radiant face of an 80 year old Taiwanese Christian woman was typical. She told of her conversion and baptism at the age of 40 and exclaimed to us bishops with a huge smile on her face, “I want everyone to know Jesus!”
The official theme of the House of Bishops’s meeting was “Expanding our Apostolic Imagination,” and, at least in my experience, that is exactly what happened. The witness of the Taiwanese Christians was consistent: there is little room for anything but an unreserved commitment to Christ. The cost is too high. We heard reports of bishops from Taiwan, the Philippines, Pakistan, Korea and Hong Kong. Themes of sacrifice, persecution, and remarkable generosity abounded. As Bishop Edward Malecdan of the Philippines reported, “As we began to work on clean water for one of our villages, people who come up to us and say, “We want to know about the God that you serve. You are not only concerned about the afterlife, you are concerned about this life;” and people became Christians.
One young clergyman, Fr. Richard Lee, became the Vicar of a small mission church in an economically depressed area with only 10 members. Now, 10 years later, they have started two new church plants and have a raft of ministries. He said, “I did not know what I was doing, so I had to ask Jesus for vision of what He wanted me to do and He gave it to me.”
Their witness to us was contagious and we discovered, especially during our daily Eucharists, a fresh sense of the presence of God and a call to participate God’s missionary purpose. Fr. Simone Bautista, one of our chaplains put it pointedly, “Where is your home? Mission is our home.” We sang in English, Spanish and Mandarin (that was a trick!), and there were times when the Holy Spirit was manifestly present, calling us deeper into God’s purposes.
While there is much talk about the Episcopal Church setting up its own communion (a faux communion in contrast to the Anglican Communion), the fact is that we are not merely a “national” church. Missionary endeavors over the years have made us an international church; and it was clear to me that the witness of our non-American brothers and sisters has been salt and light in our midst. I am deeply grateful that we share ministry together.
Many of you have read some of the reports coming out of this meeting: Bp Katherine Jefferts Schori will not seek reelection as Presiding Bishop. The report of the Marriage Task Group to the House of Bishop keeps the marriage canon intact and does not change the Prayer Book service. Same sex blessings are not equated with Christian marriage.
The contrast between our “in house” conversations and the missionary witness of our Asian sisters and brothers was stark. In truth, the witness of the vibrant witness of these Christians became an invitation: would we take this message home and be a part of God’s missionary vision where we live? Will the international character of our Church be reflected in the future by a new international character of our churches in Central Florida? Will we reach out to the neighbors God is sending us from around the country and around the world? Only time will tell. But I am leaving Taipei inspired.