تصاعد الخلاف في الكنيسة الانجليكانية بسبب اختيار أسقف مثلية ! بي بي سي

Quote: تصاعد الخلاف في الكنيسة الانجليكانية بسبب اختيار أسقف مثلية التصويت انتخبت ماري وفقا للتصويت ختارت اسقفية في لوس انجليس ثاني أسقف مثلي في الكنيسة الانجليكانية العالمية، مما عزز الخلاف العميق داخل الكنيسة بسبب هذه القضية. وانتخبت ماري جلاسبول كمساعدة أسقف، على الرغم من حاجتها لغالبية من رؤساء الكنيسة الاسقفية الوطنية لمساندة ترسيمها. وتسبب انتخاب جين روبينسون كأول أسقف مثلي قبل ست سنوات في انشقاق كبير في الكنيسة. وكان التيار التقليدي داخل الكنيسة الانجليكانية عبر عن معارضته للانتخابات الأخيرة، ويصر المحافظون على أن الانجيل حرم المثلية الجنسية بشكل لا لبس فيه. وأدى هذا الخلاف إلى تأسيس حركة اسقفية محافظة في الولايات المتحدة باسم الكنيسة الانجليكانية في امريكا الشمالية. ويتعرض رئيس الكنيسة الانجليكانية العالمية، كبير أساقفة كانتر بيري، روان ويليامز إلى ضغوط للاعتراف بالكنيسة الانجليكانية في أمريكا. ويقول كريس لانداو مراسل بي بي سي للشؤون الدينية إن الكثيرين في الولايات المتحدة سينظرون إلى انتخاب اسقف مثلي على أنه انعكاس للتنوع الذي أكدت الكنيسة عليه مرارا. يذكر أن جلاسبول (55 عاما) كانت تعمل في منصب كنسي في اسقفية ماريلاند لثماني سنوات حسب وكالة اسوشييتد برس. وأضافت اسوشييتد برس أن جلاسبول ظلت تقيم مع شريكتها بيكي ساندر منذ عام 1988. ويقول الاسقف جي جون برونو إنه كانت هناك العديد من "الجهود المنسقة" حتى لا تحصل جلاسبول على الموافقة بسبب ميولها الجنسية.

غايتو ما فى داعى الواحد يعلق!
جنى

Quote: غايتو ما فى داعى الواحد يعلق! jini

Quote: The Rev. Canon Mary D. Glasspool Provide a description of your walk with God in Christ that brought you to this moment of discerning a call to the episcopate in our diocese. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14b, RSV) I was born in February 1954, on a rainy Tuesday (Tuesday’s child is full of grace) in Staten Island Hospital, New York, where my father was Rector of St. Simon’s Episcopal Church and Vicar of All Saints’. Both my parents grew up in the Episcopal Church, and each modeled a profound faith in God that was given to me as gift while I grew up. We moved to Goshen, N.Y., in April of 1954 where my father was Rector of St. James’ Church for the next 35 years until his death in 1989. As with most children, I suspect, God was more transcendent than immanent, more other than palpable in community to me. It was during my college years (1972-1976) that I began to discern a vocation to ordained ministry and concomitantly to discover my sexuality. Both these areas were sources of intense struggle for me, as I wrestled with such questions as; Did God hate me (since I was a homosexual)? or Did God love me? Did I hate (or love) myself? Was it really possible, not to mention appropriate, for women to be priests? My father’s answer to this last question was a resounding NO, and true to his own colors he never publicly supported women’s ordination, although I became something of an exception to the rule. God was still transcendent and other to me as I entered Episcopal Divinity School in the Fall of 1976, just as the General Convention in Minneapolis was wrestling to recognize the reality of women called to be priests, the new Prayer Book, and what to do with the Philadelphia 11 and the Washington 5 as we termed them at EDS. My role models at that time represented two different ways of doing things in response to God’s call: Carter Heyward and Carol Anderson. Carter, for me, represented the courage to break through barriers – not without cost – in order to become fully the person God is calling you to become. Carol represented the sacrificial love of the Church that manifested itself in restraint, and also came at great cost. Both of these courageous women have continued to model for me the integrity of responding to God’s call with your whole person, being exactly who you are. After my ordination to the Diaconate on June 13, 1981, I became Assistant to the Rector at St. Paul’s Church in Chestnut Hill (Philadelphia) under the tutelage and rectorship of Jim Moodey. God was beginning to be more in Christ for me, more present, closer, more a part of my daily walk. I grew a lot in three years at St. Paul’s, staying in touch with my spiritual director: Martin Smith, and being the only full-time cleric at the resource size parish when Jim was elected Bishop of Ohio and the parish moved into transition. When the next Rector of St. Paul’s was called, I accepted a call to become Rector of St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s (SLAM, as we affectionately referred to ourselves) in the Allston section of Boston. For the next seven years I helped the Holy Spirit build up this exciting branch of the Body of Christ while simultaneously dealing with a host of urban issues such as immigration, housing as a right, the four-pronged economic justice plan that came out of General Convention in 1988 and focused on land trusts, cooperative housing, worker-owned businesses and community development credit unions. And, because the kairos appeared to be coming, I had the privilege and subsequent joy of nominating and working with Barbara Harris, as she became the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion. It was in Boston that I met my life partner, Becki Sander, as she was studying for a dual degree in theology and social work. We have been together since 1988, and Becki has just earned her Ph.D. in Social Work, having written an excellent thesis on Restorative Justice. God has blessed us richly and continues to do so. In something of a surprise move, God next called me south of the Mason-Dixon Line to St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Annapolis, Maryland where I had the honor of being Rector for the next nine-and-one-half years (1992-2001). While striving to be honest about who I was (when asked directly about my sexuality I responded honestly and directly), it was also a time in the church when uncertainty about issues of sexuality reigned. The good people of St. Margaret’s gave me room to be myself without asking explicit questions, and I gave them room to be themselves: (at that time) a relatively conservative, but Jesus-loving parish of untapped potential. This resulted in a mostly joy-filled love affair during which the parish grew by leaps and bounds (St. Margaret’s is now one of the most exciting parishes in this diocese) and I grew profoundly in my knowledge and love of the Lord. The cost, however, was that my partner, Becki, was invisible as far as the parish was concerned, although we developed deep friendships among our different colleagues outside of St. Margaret’s. In the Spring of 2001, the Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Maryland accepted a call to a parish in Arizona, and I was among those who tested out whether or not God was calling me to work on a diocesan staff. Because the Bishop Diocesan, Bob Ihloff, wanted to make it clear that we were building a team ministry and I was to work with the Bishop Suffragan, John Rabb, as well, the title was changed to Canon to the Bishops. I was called, and after much laughter and countless tears as St. Margaret’s and I celebrated our time together, I began my new job on October 1, 2001. For the first three years of my eight-year tenure (so far), I grieved the loss of being a Parish Rector, at St. Margaret’s in particular. In my heart, I believe there is a significant part of me that is and always will be a parish priest. I use that to remind myself of the kind of service a diocesan staff should try to provide for the diocese. So, for example, if I’m sending an “allclergy” e-mail, I try to imagine what it’s like to be sitting at my desk as Rector of a parish reading the e-mail. Is it clear? Does the Diocese know what it’s doing? I promote with the staff the fact that we are here to serve the Diocese, so that whenever we are receiving a phone call or e-mail we should be ready to help in whatever ways we can, and if we can’t, we should be able to refer people to someone who can. I have come to love what I’m doing now with all its challenges and opportunities to learn. Since I have described many aspects of my current job in others parts of this application, I won’t repeat them here. The Diocese of Maryland has recently been through a search process, the election of our current Bishop: Eugene T. Sutton, his Consecration a year ago, followed rapidly by Lambeth and now, preparation for the upcoming General Convention in Anaheim. Eugene has asked me to stay on, amidst other staff changes, and this I’ve done, committed to the transition, and along with Bishop Rabb, trying to help Bishop Sutton be the best possible Bishop for Maryland God is calling him to be. Yet I find myself yearning for something new and different. In my spiritual life, I am experiencing a “holy unsettledness” - perhaps the stirrings of a new call? When one of the clergy in our diocese asked if he could submit my name for Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles, I went to your web site, read the material, and thought: “Wow! This is exciting! I would love to explore this new possibility and discover what God is up to now.” With respect to the episcopal part of discerning this possibility, I would say two things. One is that functionally, I do many of the ministries our bishops do without having been elected. I travel all over the Diocese of Maryland visiting a different parish each Sunday to preach and celebrate the Eucharist and support individual clergy and the congregations committed to their charge in their own mission and ministry in Christ. I represent the bishops on a variety of different committees and commissions. I do Mutual Ministry Reviews, facilitate Vestry Retreats, lead spiritual retreats, and provide pastoral care for the clergy and their families. Obviously I do not have the same authority as a bishop - but that lack comes with the advantage of knowing that some people speak to me instead of either of the bishops precisely because they don’t want to speak to the bishops! The second thing is simply to say that it’s time. It’s time for our wonderful church to move on and be the inclusive Church we say we are. I believe that the Diocese of Los Angeles is in alignment with the kairos – ready to move boldly into the future, with a strategic plan centered in the love of God and purposed with bringing God’s Reign of Justice and Love further into being, modeling for the whole Church an episcopal team. And maybe, just maybe, God is calling me to be a part of that exciting future. As our diocesan profile discloses, ethnic and cultural diversity are hallmarks of the Diocese of Los Angeles. What experiences have you had as a minister in culturally, ethnically, and economically diverse communities? What gifts will you bring to our unique setting? As an ordained priest, I have served parishes in: a wealthy, homogeneous area (St. Paul’s, Chestnut Hill), a small, working class, culturally diverse urban neighborhood (St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s, Boston), and in a suburban, middle class, rapidly developing area (St. Margaret’s, Annapolis). In my current job as Canon to the Bishops, I have the privilege of sharing with the Bishops in the cycle of Diocesan Visitations. Thus, each Sunday I preach, celebrate the Eucharist, and have the opportunity to support the mission and ministry of a different congregation in the Diocese of Maryland. Our congregations range from the poverty of areas of the Western part of the State, which is part of Appalachia, to the wealth and privilege of Howard County, the fourth wealthiest county in the country. In addition, as part of a companion diocese and parish relationship, I have spent time in Tokyo, Japan, and hosted our Japanese sisters and brothers here in Annapolis. In 2004, I represented the Diocese of Maryland at the Enthronement of Archbishop Justice Ofei Akrofi as Primate of the Province of West Africa, and then hosted for an entire summer my counterpart in the Diocese of Accra and his family. I have been to Israel/Palestine twice - the second time in the form of a three-month sabbatical during which our pilgrim group studied issues of peace-making, reconciliation, and a host of related topics. More recently, during the fall of 2006, I was a Merrill Fellow at Harvard Divinity School studying World Religions with the goal of being better able to engage, as a Christian, with people of other faiths. I had the extraordinary privilege of working with Dr. Diana L. Eck, author of the ground-breaking book, A New Religious America: How a “Christian Country” Has Now Become the World’s Most Religiously Diverse Nation (c.2001). We visited and experienced Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Buddhist communities of a variety of different ethnicities and religious histories, engaging in dialogue and worship, all in the Greater Metropolitan Boston area! We had the goals of deepening understanding of the different ways people develop a relationship to God, and respecting the dignity of every human being. I love being a Christian, and as my own roots have deepened, I am more willing and able to engage with others of different faiths. In fact, as I do so, I find my own faith and identity deepened by the encounter. I continue to work with and support the Pluralism Project operating out of Harvard University. The gifts I will bring to the unique setting of the Diocese of Los Angeles are: a profound love of people; a willingness to learn new things; an appreciation of others’ gifts and skills; the broad and deep experience of 28 years of ordained ministry; the “fresh” eyes of an “Easterner”; and the energy and enthusiasm that seem to come from the new things that God is always doing. After reading the diocesan profile, “Faith and Our Future,” what are the major challenges and opportunities that you envision as the diocese moves forward amid the “Great Emergence” of change within the church and the world? Describe how your gifts, interests and experience will help to shape the future of our diocese and the church. First of all, “Faith and Our Future” is a wonderful theme under which the Diocese of Los Angeles has chosen to develop a strategic plan. Welcoming All as Christ, Renewing God’s Creation, Serving with Generosity, and Building New Community are incredibly inspiring values which are more than values – they describe the way we ARE church! The Episcopal Church has some real gifts to offer the emerging world. We have a rich liturgical tradition and a spirituality that is informed not only by Western Roman Christianity, but also by the Celtic Tradition. We value diversity and (at least) try to give each other space to differ. We have a theology that is based not only in the Resurrection, but also on the Incarnation. We hold that the three-legged stool of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason (which includes experience) is an appropriate way in which to discern God’s Will. But we can be hampered by the disadvantages of the colonialism that is part of our history, institutional structures that change too slowly, and a lack of the freedom that faith brings in response to fear. I see at least two major challenges facing the Church as we look ahead to the future: first, How do we make accessible to people the riches with which we are blessed? And second, How do we clergy adapt ourselves to the rapidly-changing demands of leadership in the emerging church? With respect to the first challenge, the opportunity is to explore and create ways in which to help parishioners share their gifts and faith in making disciples for Jesus Christ, as distinct from being anxious hoarders of our gifts living in the fear of losing a mythical golden age. With respect to the second, the opportunity is for clergy to work and learn together, sharing hope and fears that are, more likely than not, very common in this rapidly changing world. We need to have healthy clergy who continue to learn and grow throughout their lives and who radiate the joy of Christ’s love for all. One of the responsibilities of my current position is to be a pastor to the clergy of the Diocese. I meet every week with clergy, both individually and in groups, for spiritual direction, counsel, coaching, and consultation. I love facilitating Vestry Retreats and Mutual Ministry Reviews and have developed deep listening skills, congregational development strategies, and basic problem-solving techniques. I have experience in alcohol and drug interventions, and conflict resolution. I bring organizational and administrative skills from my experience as “Chief of Staff” of the Diocesan Staff of Maryland, and have at times been referred to as the “glue” that holds our team together. My interests in community building, trying new ways of doing things, and my long-abiding love of people will help shape the future of the Diocese in which I serve. Where do your passions lie? In which areas of ministry do your skills, interest and gifts converge? How have you exercised these ministries in the past and how do you envision that they might be employed as Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles? The passion that seems to motivate my entire being is that of right relationship. I love God and I love people, so the particular angle I take in working to bring forward the Reign of God is to do justice. I have a passion for community and I love working on/being a part of a team. A third passion that infects my being is a passion for imagination and creativity. Connected with this last is my passion for the new and different, which always gives me energy and excitement. So with respect to the areas of ministry in which my skills, interests and gifts converge, community-building is at the top of the list. With the skills of preaching, teaching, healing, deep listening, and the capacity to organize and administrate, and the gift of being a loving person, I have helped the Holy Spirit build up various communities from softball teams to parishes to the Diocesan Staff of the Diocese of Maryland. Multi-cultural, Inter-faith, and Inter-ethnic interests have resulted in my leadership and participation in the Anti-Racism Commission, the Reparations Task Force, and the Pluralism Project. I am currently the Staff liaison to Trinity Episcopal Korean Congregation, and the about-to-be-formed Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Diocesan Convention also comes together out of my office, which is Diocesan Community Building at its most challenging! Being a four-term deputy to General Convention has been another area of ministry in which my skills, interests, and gifts converge. I have organized Maryland’s Deputation and worked for good communication and information sharing in the forms of Pre-Convention meetings regionally, Post-Convention meetings for report-back, and ongoing tracking of such important issues as the Millennium Development Goals and the Anglican Listening and Covenanting Processes. In looking at the Position Profile, particularly the Possible Specific Areas of Oversight and Accountability, I get really excited at the possibility of offering my considerable experience, gifts and skills to the Diocese of Los Angeles. In addition to Episcopal visitations, being part of an Episcopal Team, and the opportunity to learn about all of the exciting ministries you all are clearly engaged with, the Diocese could use me as a Teaching/Training Bishop, doing Mutual Ministry Reviews and Training; Vestry and Bishop Committee Training; Stewardship Training; Misconduct Prevention Training; LEM Training; and Congregational Development; as an Administrative Bishop (with all the areas you listed on the Position Profile) – employing my experiences as Chief of Staff here in Maryland and also having worked on the Dispatch of Business and Program, Budget, & Finance Committees of the larger Church; or as Pastoral Care Bishop with special emphasis on Clergy families. Best of all, I’m flexible and adaptable, excited by the possibilities electing two Bishops Suffragan at the same time offers, and I bring eight years’ experience of working with some highly-powered bishops! In our diocese, many are prayerfully engaged with issues such as world poverty, climate change, war and peace, economic justice, immigration, gender equity, and the status of gay and lesbian people in the church and society. How have these and other worldly issues touched and changed you, and how do you feel called to preach the gospel as a mediator of God’s purposes in the world? In September, 1979, The Episcopal Church held its General Convention in Denver, Colorado, and I was one of five students from Episcopal Divinity School in attendance. The Rt. Rev. Robert R. Spears, Jr. – at that time Bishop of Rochester – submitted the Report of the Standing Commission on Human Affairs and Health, which read, in part, “There should be no barrier to the ordination of those homosexual persons who are able and willing to conform their behavior to that which the Church affirms as wholesome.” and “The General Convention should enact no legislation which singles out a particular human condition and makes of it an absolute barrier to ordination,...” (Blue Book, p. 68). An Open Hearing was held on September 12, 1979, chaired by Bishop John Coburn who headed a subcommittee whose sole task it was to receive all resolutions concerning human sexuality and “perfect” them for the House of Bishops. As a 24-year-old seminarian, I registered to give one of the many three-minute or less witnesses. Shaking in my little pulpit pumps, and in front of at least 1,500 people, I tried to make the point that when we are talking about human sexuality, we’re not talking about issues, we’re talking about people. I ended my “speech” with this: I trust that God’s Love at this Convention will transcend the issues and address the people – all of us – in our wholeness. I trust and I pray that that same love will prevent any of us from condemning others - particularly in this case, homosexuals, in our human, and full, and loving wholeness. After I sat down, my Bishop, Paul Moore, Jr., came over to me, gave me a great big hug, and said: “Now that you’ve come out to 1,500 people, don’t you think it’s about time to tell your parents?!” It’s 30 years later and I almost feel as though I could give the same speech again. I still have the frayed and yellowed paper upon which I wrote it over a cup of coffee in a local McDonald’s. Almost, but not quite. You see, my essence and my vocation have been interwoven since college, and I’ve learned and grown because of that. I learned about prejudice and oppression not just by engaging with my African-American friends, but also through discovering who I really am, and how these dynamics work, and the cost of silence. So – of all the worldly issues you all have named, I have been touched and changed the most by issues of gender equity and the status of gay and lesbian people in the church and society. Yet I am not a “single issue” person, and I preach passionately about peace-making, reconciliation, the need to battle the evils of racism, and overcome extreme poverty. I continue to support, and work for the Millennium Development Goals as a comprehensive, world-wide way in which we engage God’s purposes for the world. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2001 – Present: Canon to the Bishops, Diocese of Maryland, Baltimore, MD Share Sunday visitation rotation to 117 congregations of the diocese with two bishops. Visits to a different parish each week include preaching, celebrating the Eucharist, attending Vestry meeting, meeting with clergy, teaching adult forums, and writing a summary assessment. Participate on Planning Team for Diocesan Convention. Coordinate and support Diocesan staff and Diocesan Mission Team. Conduct vestry retreats, Mutual Ministry reviews, crisis intervention, spiritual direction and retreats, congregational development, and pastoral and mission strategy planning. Represent bishops on Bishop Claggett Retreat Center Board, Johns Hopkins Chaplaincy Committee, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Baltimore Seafarers’ Institute Board, St. Mary’s Outreach Center, and as requested. Attend Diocesan Council and Council planning meetings. Provide pastoral care, vocational guidance, and support to clergy and their families. Participate in conflict management and pastoral interventions as requested. 1992 - 2001: Rector, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Annapolis, MD Preached, led worship, taught, administered, pastored, and empowered a parish of 500+ communicants. Supervised a staff of 7 including Director of Church Preschool. Orchestrated 10 church commissions. Directed/facilitated the design and management of $4.5 million endowment including a Grants Program that awarded $145,000 annually. Pledge income rose 225% during tenure to $310,000 in 2001. Parish budget in 2001: $384,400. Bishop’s Award for Outstanding Ordained Ministry in May 1999. 1984 - 1992: Rector, St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s Church, Boston, MA Stabilized and built up small, urban neighborhood parish over a seven-year period. Empowered lay leadership to operate as a team. Taught community-building and economic and social justice. Parish membership grew from 50 to approximately 150. Budget increased from $44,000 in 1984 to $102, 552 in 1992 1981 – 1984: Assistant to the Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA Organized and activated execution of parish outreach program. Shared preaching, worship, counseling, and pastoral calling responsibilities with other clergy on staff of this Resource size parish. Full-time interim Priest-In-Charge, 1984 1978 - 1979: Program Developer, Massachusetts Bible Society, Boston, MA Administered Biblical scholar education program. Distributed Bibles to parishes-in-need. Visited, preached, and collaborated ecumenically with churches throughout the State of Massachusetts. EDUCATION AND ORDINATION Fall 2006 Merrill Fellow, Harvard Divinity School Coursework and Faculty The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, The Rev. Dr. Ian T. Douglas World Religions in Boston, Dr. Diana L. Eck Religious Dimensions in Human Experience, Dr. David Carrasco Merrill Fellows’ Colloquium, Dr. Emily Click Fall 1998 Certificate Program, St. George’s College, Jerusalem The Bible and the Holy Land, Past and Present In-depth (eight weeks) experience of the Bible in its geographical, historical, and theological contexts through travel, study, and dialogue. Travel throughout Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey. Introduction to contemporary issues of peace and justice and Islamic Studies March 1982: Ordained Priest by Bishop Lyman Ogilby (Pennsylvania) June 1981: Ordained Deacon by Bishop Paul Moore, Jr. (New York) May 1981: Master of Divinity, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts May 1976: Bachelor of Arts, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Magna Cum Laude; Honors in Music; Hufstader Prize – Outstanding Senior Woman DIOCESAN AND NATIONAL CHURCH RESPONSIBILITIES 1999 – Present: Representative to Province III 1993 – Present: Member of Clerica, the association for women clergy in Maryland 2000 - 2009: Elected Head Deputy to General Convention; Dispatch of Business Committee (2003, 2006) Program, Budget & Finance (2009) 1993-2000: Board Member, Episcopal Social Ministries, Maryland 1994-1998: Diocesan Standing Committee, President, 1996-1997 1993-1995: Diocesan Planning Commission 1985-1992: Executive Committee, Episcopal City Mission, Chairperson 1991-1992 TEACHING EXPERIENCE/SPIRITUAL DIRECTION Spring 2007: Lenten Missioner to Memorial Church, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1985 - Present: Designed and facilitated over 20 spiritual retreats 1993 – Present: Cursillo Spiritual Director on five weekends 1986-1992: Lecturer in Pastoral Theology, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA 1986 – 1992: Certified Field Education Supervisor, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA Taught the following curricula: Living Into Our Baptism, Education for Ministry, and Kerygma Bible Study