The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church is meeting in retreat March 13 – 17 at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, NC. The following is an account of the activities for Sunday, March 15.
The theme for the spring meeting of the Episcopal Church House of Bishops is Fostering a culture of curiosity, compassion and courage in Christ.
The day began with Eucharist, celebrated by Bishop John Tarrant of South Dakota.
The emcee for the day was Bishop John Smylie of Wyoming.
The Eucharist was followed by a thoughtful meditation on Economics/Class presented by Bishop David Bailey of Navajoland.
Through vivid stories Bishop Bailey took us through the sad history of how, beginning with the European Doctrine of Discovery and how it influenced our attitudes, we have mistreated and abused indigenous people through the taking of their land, culture and identity. His challenge to the bishops of the church is two-fold. The first challenge was to identify our complicity in what our predecessors and ancestors have done to indigenous people. The second challenge was to create and enact a strategy to rectify these actions through our selfless love of persons who are at risk of continuing to be invisible to the people of this church and the people of our country.
Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves of El Camino Real prepared the House for table discussion on Bishop Bailey’s meditation.
Throughout the afternoon, the period of Sabbath continued.
In the evening, all the bishops will gather for a fireside chat with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. This is a time of sharing and discussion among the bishops.
Media Briefers for Sunday, March 15
Bishop Matt Gunter of Fond du Lac
Bishop James Magness of Federal Ministries
Bishop Dabney Smith of Southwest Florida