The Publication of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus Spring 2003 Vol.24:2

From the Editor. . . .

It is inevitable. Every three years, as we begin the run up to General Convention, a discussion starts. It goes like this--do the actions of General Convention matter? Do they have any impact on the people in the pew?

The answer is yes. Resolution A045 was passed in Denver. It mandated a task force be formed to find ways to assist Fort Worth, San Joaquin and Quincy to comply with the canon on ordination. It has indeed had an impact in Fort Worth.

The resolution mandated that the task force meet not only with the bishops and diocesan leaders, but also with the people of those dioceses. In Fort Worth, the people invited to meet with the Task Force because they support the ordination of women attended knowing they were taking a risk--the clergy especially. If anyone doubted it, the revelation that a member of the Standing Committee was secretly recording the whole thing on orders from the bishop made it clear, even to members of the Task Force, just how oppressive things are in Fort Worth. Even so, people spoke with courageous clarity about why it is important that this diocese comply with the canon.

After the report was made public with its insulting recommendation that General Convention 2003 pass a resolution for yet more "conversation" on the ordination of women at General Convention 2006, it was as if one of those neutron bombs--you know, the ones that tidily kill people but leave property unharmed --had gone off here. Women and men began quietly disappearing from Episcopal churches in Fort Worth. Two of the five clergy present at the Task Force meeting because they supported the ordination of women have resigned and are working in other dioceses.

Every week since the report was published, more women and men, girls and boys, simply stop coming to church. But because it's two women here, or five men there, or 20 women over there, and some girls and boys here and there, spread out over time, no one seems to notice the loss. Even if the cumulative numbers of those leaving is large, their leaving simply doesn't have the impact of one bishop leaving.

If ever we needed more proof that we were on our own to deal with a bishop who refuses to ordain or license female priests, who demands total agreement on the subject and retaliates against those who publicly disagree with him, that report is it. We got the message loud and clear. Nothing is going to be done at the national level to bring this diocese or the other two into compliance with the canons of the church.

So what happens at General Convention does have an impact. And sometimes, what doesn't happen has even more of an impact.

Please send us your best thoughts and ideas, your most telling essays and sermons, your prayers and poems and, of course, your letters and comments. We can’t promise to print all of them—our space is constrained by necessity—but we will publish all we can. We will be happy to accept submissions by email to Katie Sherrod (ks1246@aol.com) or Anne McConney (jamcconney@aol.com).