Episcopal Press and News
Third Annual Renewal Conference Held in Louisville
Episcopal News Service. November 12, 1976 [76345]
Richard J. Anderson
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- "All these Episcopalians coming to town remind me of that Convention three years ago, " commented the cab driver as he took a passenger from the Louisville airport to the Gait House motor hotel for the third annual National Episcopal Conference on Renewal.
The November 10-13 meeting was sponsored by the Pewsaction Fellowship, a coalition of Episcopal Church-related organizations primarily led by lay persons. The meeting drew 430 clergy and lay Episcopalians from throughout the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska. Several Canadian name tags were also spotted on conference participants.
An opportunity to praise the Lord with like-minded church members and spirited fellowship with each other seemed to be the twin magnets that drew the crowd together. There was also the chance to hear such Anglican renewal leaders as retired Bishop Cuthbert Bardsley of Coventry, England; the Rev. Everett L. Fullam of Darien, Conn.; the Rev. Canon Michael Green of Oxford, England; the Rev. Charles Murphy of Nashville, Tenn.; and the Rev. John W. Howe of Fairfax, Va. Added attractions were the promise of singable music led by The Fisher Folk, a chance for Bible study, and opportunity for give-and-take discussion periods with conference leaders.
Presiding Bishop John M. Allin addressed an evening conference session, was principal celebrant at one of the morning Eucharists and led a discussion period during which he dealt with questions raised by conference participants.
The Rev. Robert B. Hall, executive director of the Episcopal Center for Evangelism in Miami, was conference coordinator and Kentucky's Bishop David B. Reed welcomed the gathering to Louisville on behalf of his diocese and the neighboring Diocese of Lexington.
Bishop Bardsley, who was introduced as "the leading evangelist in the Church of England," began the conference with a spirited admonishment of the Episcopal Church for what he described as little or no evangelistic effort. He noted with dismay that there are now "twice as many non-Christians as there are Christians" in the world and that Christianity "is not keeping up with world population growth."
"People who say evangelism is unimportant need to have their heads looked at," tile English bishop said. "We are not called to be a kind of holy huddle in retreat from the world; the Lord has called us to go out into the world to make disciples." His definition of mission, as outlined for the conference in his talk, was "not I working for God, but God working through me."
Bishop Bardsley was critical of what he termed "activism and busyness" in the Episcopal Church. He said that gratitude rather than duty is the "dynamic behind evangelism." He told the conference that community, worship, prayer and witnessing service are four ways through which the mission of God is expressed. The bishop drew applause with his remark that while the charismatic movement has done much to deepen the worship of God, charismatic Christians have all too often set themselves apart from the rest of the community.
Pounding the podium to thump added emphasis into his remarks, Bishop Bardsley reminded the conference that "God is concerned with society, that society be in accordance with the mind and will of God." He said Christians must serve society by doing "ambulance work" and by taking leadership in such areas as improvement of wages, adequate housing and social justice.
Father Fullam gave the conference a sample of the Bible-based preaching that has been a good part of the reason for the rapid growth of St. Paul's parish in Darien, Conn., where he is rector. Thumbing through a well-worn, leather-bound Bible with ease, the Connecticut priest gave some Old Testament examples of persons being annointed by the Holy Spirit. He said this activity was culminated with the baptism of Jesus.
"The fact that a person is filled with God's spirit does not mean that they are infallible," said Father Fullam. "Such a person still must walk humbly with his God."
"All Christians have the Holy Spirit," reminded the Darien rector. "You cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit." He called "baptism of the Holy Spirit" an "anointing by God with power for service. " He said it was received by the 12 disciples after they had been called by Jesus but before they were sent out. Father Fullam maintained that baptism by the Holy Spirit takes place at Confirmation when the church uses that rite as it is historically intended to be used.
"Our church does not need larger church buildings or parish houses or larger budgets or more sensitive programs," said the priest. "Our church needs more people who are filled with the Holy Spirit."
Conference participants had an opportunity to respond to the speakers during an afternoon panel discussion as well as during daily workshops. Canon Green told one workshop session that "conversational witnessing" is what is most lacking in the Episcopal Church. After explaining what he meant by the term, he asked each workshop participant to talk to a person near him in the meeting for a few moments about "where they were in leading others to Christ."
Presiding Bishop Allin thanked the members of Pewsaction organizations for being faithful to his pre-General Convention call to prayer. He warned against praying only in times of crisis. He said the real lesson of the Tower of Babel story in the Old Testament is not thwarted communication but the necessity to learn whatever languages the people are speaking.
During the discussion session, Mrs. Mary Moody of Warner Robbins, Gallup, George., asked Bishop Allin if the recently organized Trinity Episcopal School for the Ministry is an official seminary of the Episcopal Church. He replied that New York's General Theological Seminary is the only seminary with the designation "official" in the Episcopal Church. He said whether or not the new school is a "good seminary" will be determined "when people get around to calling parsons" from among its graduates.
One of the few teenagers at the conference, Peter Marsh of Flint, Mich., asked Bishop Allin why there were so few persons of teen age at the conference. He replied that most young people were in school at the time of the meeting, commending Marsh for having given up school to be present. The Presiding Bishop said people could be witnesses "where they are" without coming to conferences.
"I think this conference may have to be overhauled," continued Bishop Allin. "I think we may be getting out of the conference era. We need to get more mileage by bringing fewer people together to do more The General Convention would be improved by this."
Between lectures and workshop sessions, conference participants browsed through displays and sales booths sponsored by the various Pewsaction organizations. There was much embracing as old friends met, and persons were seen administering the laying on of hands to each other in hotel corridors and during coffee breaks.
Some at the meeting were worried about the smaller number of participants than had been present for the previous two national renewal meetings. There was also concern about an almost total lack of participation by ethnic minority group Episcopalians. The Eucharist on the final day of the conference -- at which an offering was received for world hunger -- had been announced as a "gung-ho charismatic Eucharist" until Bishop Allin mildly reminded those present that "every Eucharist is charismatic."
"What do you think this meeting is accomplishing?" was the question put to one of the conference leaders near the end of the session.
"Well," he replied, "it is giving some uplift and needed encouragement to a lot of people who feel they aren't very well understood in their home churches. And I hope it will remind the Episcopal Church that evangelism is alive in our church even though most of our members probably don't know it."