From the Rector

Dear Friends,

It has now been a year since the General Convention of the Episcopal Church approved the Diocese of New Hampshire's election as their bishop a priest living in a committed gay relationship. The Convention also passed a resolution acknowledging that "in our understanding of homosexual persons, differences exist among us about how best to care pastorally for those who intend to live in monogamous, non-celibate unions." The resolution went on to reaffirm moral and spiritual teachings of the Gospel which should characterize such relationships: "fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see, in each other, the image of God." Finally, the resolution "recognized that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same sex unions." The intent of that last statement has been the subject of much disagreement. Some have construed it as tantamount to approval or permission for clergy to bless same sex unions. Others have understood it as merely protecting any clergy who have done or do such blessings from ecclesiastical discipline.

In July, Bishop Michael Curry issued a pastoral statement to the clergy of this diocese offering guidance on this matter. He began by "placing this ministry in the context of the mission of the Church, especially our pastoral calling to be a community of God's reconciling love and compassion," and grounding that in scripture and in the catechism of the Book of Common Prayer. Then after laying out the various parts of the resolution quoted above, Bishop Curry emphasized that providing pastoral care and spiritual support for all who are part of the Church does not mean that such care will be done in the same way in every context. "For some," he emphasized, "that may be a pastoral ministry which includes the blessing of the unions of persons of the same gender. For some, it will not include such a ministry. I am not suggesting that all congregations will be called to exercise this particular ministry of pastoral care." For those who do have a sense of that call, however, he then set forth specific guidelines, which include consulting with the Bishop, responding to "clear and specific pastoral needs within the parish community," the rector's arriving at such a decision "after wide and extended prayer, conversation and education in the parish and in consultation with the vestry," "agreed-upon guidelines outlining spiritual expectations in relationships, process of preparation and means of liturgical expression," and reaffirming the moral and spiritual teachings articulated by the past two General Conventions (above).

As your Rector, I want to share several thoughts with you. The first is that theologically and morally, I am in agreement with the directions of General Convention and Bishop Curry. That position was arrived at slowly over my first two decades of ordained ministry, and I first articulated it publicly about 10 years ago at our diocese's Annual Convention. My years of pastoral experience convinced me that, for those with a true homosexual orientation, being gay is not a choice. The frequently painful choice is whether or not to face that reality and how to live loving, faithful, fruitful lives in that context. Many men and women I have known have been or are on that courageous journey. Some have embraced a call to celibacy; others have felt the Holy Spirit calling them to a lifelong, monogamous relationship, such as that characterized by General Convention. The real underlying question the Church has been struggling with for some time now is not so much "Should we bless same sex unions?" or "Who should be ordained?" but "Can the Holy Spirit be at work in such a relationship?" That is a question on which the Episcopal Church and certainly the worldwide Church has not yet come to a wide agreement. We are making some progress in talking and praying with each other about it, but we still have a very long way to go.

And so the second thought I want to share with you is that, despite my own theological and moral convictions, ecclesiastically I do not believe that now is the time for individual parishes to begin to engage in blessing same sex unions. I believe that the Church should strive to move together as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has urged us to do. While each national Church in the Anglican Communion is free and indeed responsible to respond to Divine grace as it is manifest in its specific culture, two important and historic Anglican charisms which should characterize our decision-making and actions are love and order. As a parish and a diocese and the Church, we should be open to the Holy Spirit as God works through many instruments, including the Archbishop's special commission (due to report this fall), future actions of our Annual and General Conventions, and our
respectful and searching conversations with each other. None of us has a corner on the Holy Spirit ("Now we see in a mirror dimly..."), and I am confident that through all our faithful struggle, God's grace will be fruitfully and, no doubt, surprisingly manifest.

I urge patience on us all, whatever our theological, moral, and ecclesiastical convictions. Another particular charism of our Anglican heritage is making room for the convictions of others. Together as a parish we are called to continue to carry on the ministry God has given us (in the words of our Mission Statement) "on the campus, in the community, in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, and throughout all the world."

- Stephen