Her Remarks:

May we be at home with Grace

Our baptismal covenant invites us to become increasingly aware of God’s Grace in our lives, instructing us in ways we may share it with a broken and needy world.  This is spiritual work that intrudes into every crevice of our being, transforming us and empowering us for abundant life and servanthood.  Living in God’s Grace is how we answer the call to love God and neighbor, to become like Christ; for Jesus is pure Grace and our life is in Him.  When the church is at its best, we are a community of people who continually discover the many facets of this gift, and live out this undeserved favor of God that forgives our sins, enlightens our minds, stirs our hearts and strengthens our wills.  I have been nurtured in communities who have lived this process, and as priest I seek to draw others into it.

Having served in parish ministry for 10 years before joining our bishop’s staff two years ago, I marvel at the diversity of ways that God is at work in our congregations, institutions and outreach ministries.  We are blessed that as Anglicans we embrace diversity in the ways Grace is carried to all those in need of healing and transforming power.  In ministry I remain open to a variety of resources, utilizing a repertoire of people and materials, and working in teams as often as possible to achieve mutually discerned ministry goals.

As I have submitted to this process and a possible call to be your bishop, it appears to me that the Diocese of El Camino Real is actively engaged in a time of change.  Having clarified the essentials of your life and faith together, you now appear ready to discover and live out new ways of being church. I understand well the dynamics and importance of change.  I assist congregations and our diocesan system as shifts in leadership, ministry, and overall functioning are negotiated and implemented, working with others in response to the call of the Holy Spirit.   I have done this work in a parish, as a rector.  I know it requires Grace and disciplined hard work.  I also know it is worth it.  The lives of individuals, including my own, have been eternally transformed for the better because congregations have engaged the process of transformation.  Simply put, we cannot ask someone else to do something we are not willing to do ourselves.

It is often said that the church must change in order to keep up, or catch up, as the case may be. I believe that the church must embrace a lifestyle of change.  Jesus modeled agility and sensitivity in his life with the Spirit and the community around him.  We must discover ways of being that allow us to be more responsive and flexible as we hold fast to the essentials of our faith.  We are called to live daily in the Grace that is gifted to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Spirit “which blows where it chooses” (John 3:8).  We must respond to the Spirit’s movement just as Jesus did in his earthly ministry, so that the fruit of transformation may be made known.  Lives, whole communities, depend on it.  I believe that Anglicanism continues to offer a rich heritage in its expression of the Christian faith, blessing us with great opportunities for exploration within the bounds of our common life.

I would be honored to join you as bishop in what I believe to be a great adventure: together discovering effective and exciting ways of being church, sharing with all the Good News of Jesus Christ who is our home and through whom all things are made new.

Responses to Diocese of El Camino Real Questionnaire

We want our bishop to be the chief steward of God’s Mysteries, to be rooted in faith and
centered and faithful in prayer, deriving strength from a strong and mature spiritual life.
One who will be listened to and will listen to the counsel of others. To our clergy, our
bishop will be their coach, mentor and counselor; to the laity, their spiritual guide and
fellow traveler.
1. Briefly describe your personal journey to leadership in the Episcopal Church,
and your belief you are called by God to be a bishop in the Church.

I live following Christ in the context of Anglicanism.  In both the joyful and challenging times of life, I have been shaped and formed by Jesus in this special place of Christendom.  Sometimes faithfully and sometimes rebelliously, I have worked out my life with God, myself, the church, and the world.  I have never perceived the need to leave the church in order to be shaped by the Holy Spirit to live more deeply into the image of God.   My journey to leadership, therefore, has been from my birth and in the context of Anglican community.

My first memory of being at the altar was as a young girl accompanying my mother to altar guild duty on Saturday mornings.  As my mother and her faithful companions scurried about tending the Lord’s sanctuary, with their heads and street clothes covered, I was given the opportunity to be present at God’s table.  To keep me busy I am sure, I was given the task of washing the altar.  So as not to miss a spot on the very large, marble columns and underbelly, I got underneath that large and heavy table.  I took comfort there, sometimes lying underneath and feeling very much at home.  To the backdrop of women being called and ordained to holy orders in the Episcopal Church, I grew up around that altar at St. Stephen’s church in Coconut Grove, FL, including attending its day school.  While I think I experienced a call to priesthood early in life, the 1970’s in the Diocese of Southeast Florida was not a place where the vocations of young girls were actively engaged.  Nonetheless, my parish family raised me to be a leader in the church, and included me as a teen in music and Christian education leadership.  Parish and diocesan youth ministry provided faith and moral formation, and a very positive experience of Christian community.

I began to consciously explore the idea of being called to priesthood in my twenties.  By then I was married to Michael and living near his family in Orange County, California, going to college, and working.  In our parish of Emmanuel, Fullerton, I once again experienced loving and nurturing community where God worked in me so I could hear such a call.  Seeking postulancy with the Diocese of Los Angeles, however, was difficult.  In part there were challenges in diocesan leadership during the interim between Bishop Rusack and Bishop Borsch, and certainly some members of my Commission on Ministry struggled with me as young, female, exercising a charismatic expression of Anglicanism at Emmanuel, and still having plenty of maturing and formation to do.   Having grown up in a nurturing experience of church, the lack of enthusiasm with which I was received as a postulant was confusing and painful.  While the first years of my process were trying, they were essential.  I would not trade a minute of that time if it meant giving up the self I discovered as both a human being and spiritual leader. 

I was a postulant for two years before going to seminary.  My husband Michael and I have always had an agreement in our marriage, that life’s adventures cannot cause such hardship for the other that the adventure becomes a burden and no longer life-giving to us as individuals or to our marriage.  Going to a US seminary was mysteriously difficult for us.  Michael was working in international business at that time and loved his job.  Finding such satisfying employment near a US seminary was just not happening, no matter how hard he tried.  One day a colleague said to me, “Mary, it is a very big Anglican communion; you don’t have to go to seminary in this country.”  With the support of Bishop Borsch, and my husband’s employer, we moved to New Zealand where I attended St. John’s Theological College (now named the College of the Southern Cross).  Michael focused on the Asia market for his company, traveling extensively.  We once again encountered a nurturing and supportive environment where not only I could be trained for ordained ministry, but heal, grow, and reach new levels of self-understanding as person and priest.  Having launched back across the Pacific Ocean to Los Angeles three years later I felt prepared for ordination, but more importantly I had discovered myself.  Those years approaching ordination were stretching in many ways, and a precious gift from God.  Finally living the ordained life, I was mentored by two excellent rectors whom I served as associates.  In 1998, we returned to Southeast Florida where I became rector of St. Margaret’s Church in Miami Lakes.  I continued to grow in leadership ability in the context of community, this time as rector of a vibrant, multi-cultural community in a diocese where my gifts for ministry were embraced. 

We seek a bishop who has the determination to address our many challenges such as our
declining church membership, reduced financial support for both the diocese and
congregations, and our great diversity—ethnically, culturally, economically and
technologically. Our bishop will identify and implement processes that will grow new
congregations and other ministries that are healthy and self-sustaining.
2. How have you encouraged church growth including evangelism, faith formation,
and stewardship in your ministry? Please give specific examples of how you
increased worship attendance, financial well-being, and spiritual maturity in
congregational settings.

When we discerned a ministry together, St. Margaret’s had a strong desire to grow spiritually, but said they did not know how to do it.  They were willing to be lead by me as their rector in this way, and to join in working together to create an environment where we could offer a safe and empowering community for spiritual growth and ministry.   The strength and love of St. Margaret’s exudes from the people, and while we programmed for faith-formation, evangelism and stewardship, nurturing a graceful, loving, trusting and inclusive community was THE program.  Building relationships based on God’s grace, and learning about God’s presence within us was our greatest evangelism tool; for ourselves and in sharing with others the good news of Jesus. 

Specifically, we grew leaders that created healthy community in our ministries.  One wanted to be in the midst of the people and the work, because there they could experience the presence of Christ in meaningful ministry.  Worship was the center of our life and primary context for faith formation and increasing spiritual maturity in our congregation.  Our intent was to praise God, be fed by Jesus, and go out in the power of the Spirit and feed a very hungry world.  We made worship accessible and seeker-friendly by having all text and music printed, using a variety of musical and liturgical sources. We encouraged and trained church leaders to welcome and befriend new members, invited all persons to receive communion, and maintained inclusive and relaxed, yet reverent worship.  Through preaching and presence, I taught worshippers how to access grace and the presence of Christ, always using the texts of the lectionary.  We listened to new members, which ended up often being non-Episcopalians, who may not have been to any church in years.  We became effective at reaching out and communicating our Anglican theology simply and often.  We did such things as give all newcomers and visitors a loaf of bread, followed up a first visit with a phone call and letter, and an invitation for meeting with me.  We prayed for people and included them in coming weeks of what some of us referred to as the “huddle”; communication among leaders about our new friends and how best to integrate them into the life of the parish.  Once per quarter, my family along with several vestry members hosted a newcomer’s breakfast at our home, where I did most of the cooking, we shared a meal, watched a video on the Episcopal Church, discussed membership, stewardship and ministry opportunities.  We tracked our relationship-building process of incorporation in order to discover our strengths and weaknesses.  Our efforts were enhanced and fine-tuned by our diocesan program, The Nehemiah Project, of which St Margaret’s was part.  The Nehemiah Project (I was also part of the leadership team) serves 10 congregations a year and trains them in various aspects of congregational growth and development.  Nehemiah has served about 30 parishes intensively over the last three years.

By the end of my tenure average Sunday attendance did not change significantly.  This was not for lack of trying.  Factors included the “family” values of the parish, General Convention ’03 followed by hurricanes, and that the congregation was located in a very transient area.  People came and went all the time.  Sometimes members would move within the same year they arrived at St. Margaret’s.  Instead of becoming discouraged by this we received it as a challenge to have members leave better off than when they arrived, equipped for ministry in their next spiritual home.  We were motivated to become very good at welcome, incorporation, and empowerment for ministry – quickly!   We were given many opportunities to live out our call to participate in the reconciliation of all people to God in Christ, and we were good stewards of that call – even if we didn’t have much time.

Another word on stewardship: I believe in and preach the tithe, and the vestry and I decided this was the way to go at St. Margaret’s.  Percentage giving was how we taught members to achieve tithing in their lives.  It is no secret that people who have grown up in the missionary churches of our communion arrive in the United States with a mindset that the church elsewhere will provide and pay for all expenses incurred in being a worshipping community.  About half of St. Margaret’s came from such countries.  Besides helping people recognize that “we are the elsewhere”, giving increased by 1% per year was encouraged in order to reach the goal of 10%.  We included people who were percentage givers as stewardship speakers and requested they talk about the spiritual growth that came as a result of the spiritual discipline of tithing.   We used anonymous pledging, educating people about the relationship between the faith life and money.  Instead of the church becoming the “middle-man” and canvassing our members, we encouraged people to pray through their commitment with God and courageously act, anonymously.  We requested two cards, one with a dollar amount on it for budgeting purposes.  The other would be sealed in a self-addressed envelope, to be returned the following year for the individual’s personal assessment of how they kept their commitment to God and the church.  Because of our turnover, we often created tithers only to have them move.  St. Margaret’s was not rich monetarily, yet still grew in pledged income by 40% in five years.  Most importantly we grew in spiritual maturity, the gifts of which are immeasurable.

We want our bishop to be one among us and not one above us—a shared ministry
between our diocese and our congregations, between our clergy and our laity. Our
bishop will challenge clergy and lay to work together in a relationship of trust and
honesty.
3. What have you done in your ministry to resolve conflicts? In addition, describe
how your leadership has led to reconciliation in your congregation and across your
diocese regarding the important issues facing ECUSA today?

In my current ministry, I sometimes work with congregations that are in pastoral conflict with their rector.  I function as a consultant in these situations, facilitating reconciliation.  Being in the midst of conflict oneself, is quite a different matter.  Conflict is inevitable, and how much trust is built up between entities before it arises and what theology and emotional health underlie the communal life will determine whether or not reconciliation will be possible.  Essentially, it is not just what you do after the conflict, but what you do before that makes the difference.  I was diligent in maintaining a high trust level as rector of St. Margaret’s, doing what I said I would, working collegially with our leadership, and keeping the lines of communication as open as possible.  As well, I am known for preaching on the bonds of grace (rather than the bonds of affection) and how that is what draws us, feeds us and holds us together in Christian community, even when we experience brokenness.   In the case of General Convention, 2003, at which I served as a deputy, I spoke with my vestry in the preceeding months and informed them of what I thought my vote would be regarding Gene Robinson.  Together we discerned if we wanted to have dialogue with the congregation to process the various understandings of human sexuality, how the actions of convention might impact the church, and the pastoral considerations of our members, particularly those with family members “back home” in more the conservative provinces of our church.  We decided that since no one asked, we would not facilitate a dialogue prior to convention, and that as a vestry, we would not allow one decision to deter us from our mission and bonds of grace.  Please know that by no means were we a parish that agreed on the matter of human sexuality.  Prior to voting to affirm the election of Gene Robinson, I called one of my most conservative parishioners who had also been a former vestry member and senior warden.  I wanted to check in with him the day before the vote and tell him personally what I planned to do.  When I asked him how this was for him, he said, “You cannot come back here with any integrity voting any other way.  We are built on grace around here.  Grace will see us through this.”  This proved to be true.  We lost members, but most remained, engaging in dialogue over the following months.  We disciplined ourselves to love each other through the conflict and kept ourselves focused on God’s unconditional love, forgiveness and grace – and our mission as a parish.  As a result of convention we even welcomed new members, who happened to be gay, and who perceived through the actions of convention that they could find a spiritual home in The Episcopal Church.  We gave substance to the hope God had placed in their hearts, and included them fully in the life of our parish.

We believe that we have an exciting and spirit-led diocese offering many challenges and
many rewards. We are blessed to be part of God’s people in one of the most beautiful
places on earth.
4. From your understanding based on the profile, what excites you about being
called as Bishop of El Camino Real?

I have always envisioned my ministry as one of facilitating a relationship of becoming between God and an individual or group, and I believe that Christian community is where this takes place.  Your diocese appears to have sufficient resources for mission and is strong in many ways.  Among other things, you have identified what is of value to you, the paradigm and leadership style that is most effective in El Camino Real, and what your relationship with your next bishop will look like. You appear to have engaged a process of self-understanding and accepted the “brutal facts” (as Jim Collins of Good to Great would say) of your diocesan personality and reality.  I admire the work you have done.   It seems the next step for El Camino Real will be to live into its corporate potential in a way that is natural to you, and that fully expresses who you and God are together.  I hear a longing to be transformational and purposeful as one church while allowing diverse groups to maintain their integrity. I value and appreciate this work of becoming, and I believe that to “lead with” El Camino Real as bishop would be a ministry in which God would bring forward the best in both of us.  This is very exciting to me.

It also appears to me that you seek to create a diocesan structure that is supportive of local ministry, rather than local ministry that is supportive of a diocesan structure.  I believe the purpose of a diocese is to network that which is essential for local ministry to thrive.  A diocesan structure must be financed and supported, but its energy and work should move back toward local ministry, either in goods and services, or in relationship building with other local ministries of the wider church.  As Anglicans we are especially attuned to this balance and flow of community.  Where would our communities be without the local food bank, school, or church?  Where would the Gulf Coast churches be without the partnerships that have been created across the world to rebuild following the devastation of Katrina?  A healthy diocesan structure that is mindful of its vision and purpose to serve its parishes and connect to the wider church can be a tremendous gift to our life and ministry.  To live out such a vision of diocesan ministry excites me.

In the end, any call from God excites me, because I know that a faithful response will result in a deeper relationship with Christ, blessing for all, and rejoicing in the heavens.  To be a bishop in a diocese that knows itself and values its future with curiosity, excitement and a bit of trepidation, tells me you are willing to take risk.  Great things are possible with this attitude; it is required to become who God calls us to be.   We are in a time of great change in our church and in our world.  As the people of God we must look forward with this attitude, stepping out faithfully to live with Christ and serve as we are called.  I know that I am called to be a part of this special time in some way.  I am still discerning whether or not my place during these challenging times is as bishop, although my community is certain of it.  They believe it is the place of my becoming.    Not taking seriously my own theology that call occurs within Christian community, I have repeatedly brushed such comments aside.  At General Convention, however, I had a very casual conversation with Britt Olson.  She told me your profile was nearly ready and the qualities you are looking for in your next bishop.  Without warning, my heart took a second look.  It excites me that as I read your profile, I find shared values, passions, and compatible ways of working.  I do not know if my excitement is a result of discovering a call or just a good fit.  Only this process of listening to God will determine who your next bishop will be, and I will be faithful to it until such time God tells me otherwise.

Web page last updated: 9 May, 2007