By Sarah Hey from Stand Firm:
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 • 9:02 am
It's hard really to grasp the weight - the sheer tonnage - of the displays of massive incompetence from Bishop Garrison over the past six years. The mind boggles, and then slows, struggling to come up with the words to describe what has happened.
I called this "Episcopal Incompetence" in large part in order to feature just one example under the category of General Bishop Incompetence in The Episcopal Church.
In this brief overview of the massive incompetence of yet another Episcopal bishop, we begin with this simple act of malice by Bishop Garrison of Western New York in April of 2004. April of 2004 -- eight months after the act by The Episcopal Church that was going to be insignificant in its repercussions, and "all over by Christmas," not to mention bring in new members by the drove, creating a new era for our church of thriving and flourishing, flourishing and thriving. At any rate, skipping to this particular bishop's incompetence and malice, we have this description from Religious Intelligence:
"In 2004, St Bartholomew’s was one of the first American parishes to petition for Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) after the scheme was approved by the US House of Bishops.
"Mr Ward wrote Bishop Garrison on April 6, 2004, asking a bishop sympathetic to the parish’s evangelical views be exercise pastoral oversight for the congregation. Bishop Garrison declined the request and forbad the parish for issuing an invitation to any other bishop to take services.
"The bishop asked for a review of the parish finances and asked Mr Ward to prepare three sermons to be preached to the parish “on the Heresy of Donatism and its application in the current crises with reference to Article XXVI of the Articles of Religion.”
Let us pass lightly over the ensuing four years after this brilliant initial sally of negotiatory and diplomatic skill and "skip to the end" of the festivities -- October 2008 -- and an article in the Tonawanda News:
"St. Bartholomew’s is leaving the Episcopal church and taking it’s more than 1,000 members with it. ...
"... Now, after 53 years in its current location, the congregation is pulling up roots and moving on. The congregation’s leaders began exploring its options early this year, and found that negotiation for the church’s property at 1064 Brighton Road and litigation to take it weren’t likely to succeed. Moving was the only viable option for separation, so the church held a meeting with its members on May 4 to distribute a survey asking whether they would support relocating. Ward said that turned out with unanimous support for a move.
“That’s not to say everyone agreed, but everyone who returned the survey agreed,” Ward said. ...
"... The congregation’s leaders explored several options for a new location and eventually settled on the recently-vacated building at 2368 Eggert Road formerly occupied by the Jewish Temple Beth El. The leaders polled the congregation again in September to see if they would be behind a move to the Beth El site, again with unanimous approval, Ward said.
“That building is much larger and less than a mile away,” Ward said. “Even though it’s difficult to leave the building after 53 years, principle is more important than property.”
So let's see. Bishop Garrison denies a parish DEPO in 2004, and reveals his own poor theological training by claiming that the rector and parish's position was "donatist" -- evidencing that he had heard that word somewhere sometime and decided it must have something to do with heretical unrepentant false teachers in the church and how laity and clergy must pretend as if they are not. Or something. And then engages in one of the most spiteful, hectoring, childish acts I have seen in a long time by one adult "leader" [sic] to another.
Then he succeeds in losing the largest parish in his diocese.
But oh, the trend continues.
We next see Bishop Garrison making this portentous announcement on the Diocesan website in October 08:
“People may come and go, but St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Tonawanda will continue,” state Bishop Garrison. “We are ready and able to carry on with worship, pastoral care and administration. We stand ready to support and work with continuing Episcopalians who have been a part of St. Bartholomew’s, as well as those who have felt disenfranchised by the position of its leadership."
"St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Tonawanda will continue."
But wait. Didn't the responses to the two surveys of St. Bart's come back unanimous?
That's okay. We are assured by Bishop Garrison in the same announcement that ...
"[the rector] informed Bishop Garrison of his desire to disaffiliate himself from the Diocese of Western New York, and to transfer from the jurisdiction of The Episcopal Church to a different Anglican entity.
He also declared that other clergy affiliated with St. Bartholomew’s and some portion of the congregation also intend to leave the Episcopal Church. Ward and others who share his convictions plan to vacate the property at Brighton and Fries Roads before the end of this year.
Wow. So you mean ... it's just the clergy and "some portion of the congregation" who are leaving?
Whew -- what a relief! That makes it all sound definitely much better.
January 2009: Enter stage right, the requisite female progressive priest [often these clergy appointments by bishops are the people who have been hanging around needing a job because for some strange reason parish search processes haven't selected them -- but I have no way of knowing that about this particular priest] who, according to one commenter's gander at her Facebook page, is a fan of Marcus Borg's and whose Facebook friend is Louie Crew.
Here's what she has to say about the Pride march:
":It was great to see so many people whose t-shirts and outfits proclaimed they were exploring their own sexuality in healthy ways mingling around with families, kids, the religious, non-profits, for-profits – as if to say, ‘God made me like this – whether or not you want to accept it is moot.’
"I was part of a twitter conversation between some people who had divergent views on whether or not the Pride festivities should be family friendly, and one person said yes, the other no. I understand where the ‘No’ vote was coming from – he was on the Marcella’s float, which always has many beautiful people wearing not so much clothing, but my view is this: God made us beautiful, and beautifully. If more children got a chance to witness more people secure in their sexuality, in their bodies… well, in the words of one my parishioners, ‘maybe we’d have fewer gay teens trying to commit suicide.’ Indeed. Maybe we’d have few straight teens committing suicide as well, to say nothing about our culture’s serious issues with eating disorders."
Ah . . . you can script these things by now, can't you? Garden variety Episcopal progressive, and we already can predict the outcome too.
Anyway, we learn that the remaining parishioners number about a dozen. The plan, according to the new vicar, is "to grow an inclusive and challenging Christian community at Holy Apostles, firmly rooted in an atmosphere of openness and safety…"
Not to worry, though -- the vicar will receive help.
"Canon Tori Duncan, in her role as Canon for the Development of Mission & Ministry, has arranged for the Rev. Thomas Brackett to come to Buffalo later this month to provide Sarah an intensive day of training. Brackett serves as The Episcopal Church’s program officer for church planting and redevelopment. After their meeting, he’ll continue mentoring Sarah and connect her with others around the country pursuing similar ministries."
Thank goodness that an Episcopal expert in "church planting and redevelopment" will be assisting -- no doubt he has done much good over the past six years of church planting and redevelopment within TEC and his expertise should do the trick for the new vicar.
Let us, again, pass lightly over the next eight months to the inevitable end -- which is announced in Bishop Garrison's cheery diocesan convention address.
He starts off reminding the assembled admirers of St. Bartholomew's departure the few clergy and parishioners' departures from a certain congregation named St. Bartholomews in TEC. He then throws in -- quite casually -- the announcement of yet another congregation's departure, St. Peter's, Forestville. Then he proceeds to explain that it is the fault of the clergy of those two parishes that they were inhibited and deposed. The he goes on to describe the fate of the church that just 12 months earlier he had said "will continue."
"My hope was that a remnant from St. Bartholomew’s would want to remain with The Episcopal Church. For the most part, this did not happen. A new community, called Holy Apostles has been meeting in the church, but due to our diocesan financial constraints, the support we can provide for this community is limited.
"The trustees of the diocese have called for a task force to develop a plan for the use of the building. If you would be willing to serve on such a Task Force, please let me know, by sending me a note or an email within a week from today. The trustees want to move swiftly with this discernment."
Yes -- I'm guessing that the trustees wish to "move swiftly with this discernment" too!
From that opening bang, the bishop toddles on through the rest of the Inspiring Convention Address. Here are a few nuggets:
"At Diocesan Convention two years ago we approved a plan for revitalization that included the creation of a number of teams of people to work in various identified areas. The Deanery Structure Team did not jell and has been dissolved; however, the need for deaneries to be more and more central in the work of our congregations in supporting one another is more needed than ever. I ask our deans and deanery councils to continue to consider how best to share the resources that we have with one another."
There is exciting news, though.
"The Mission Leadership and Management Team is planning a diocesan day to celebrate mission. This will take place on Saturday, May 15, 2010. The Rev. Titus Pressler, former dean of the Seminary of the Southwest, and a leader in Episcopal Global Mission will be the keynoter for that day."
I'm sure that Father Presler will explain to the clergy and laity on that diocesan day to celebrate mission how they too can lead their diocese to grow and thrive as he led the Seminary of the Southwest to new vitality and growth.
With this heartening news, Bishop Garrison then explains that the assembled should "continue to study the vitality of our congregations," and evangelize and practice stewardship. After that instruction, we are given this refreshing news:
"In the last few months I have met with vestries and leaders of a number of our parishes who are experiencing financial difficulties. The financial crisis we experience in our nation and world exacerbates and highlights this difficulty. In many parishes the trouble has been brought on by an over dependence on endowments. The leadership of our congregations need to be wise and prudent in these matters. All of us are called upon to live within our means.
"We also need to ask ourselves over the next few years, if we can any longer support the number of church buildings in which our community worships. This will be very difficult for, as I travel about the diocese, I know the devotion and hard work that generations of our people have invested in our churches in Western New York. I know and experience the strong sense of community in places where generations of our people have worshiped."
He then enjoins the assembled to read the latest report developed by The College for Bishops of The Episcopal Church and CREDO.
And closes with the repetition of the diocesan mission and vision.
...
...
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... It's hard really to grasp the weight -- the sheer tonnage -- of the displays of massive incompetence from Bishop Garrison over the past six years. The mind boggles, and then slows, struggling to come up with the words to describe what has happened: immense losses in people and funding, displays of childish spite and clueless denial, the dull recitation of failures and losses in seeming oblivious serenity as to the leader's responsibility, the casual usage -- and then tossing aside -- of the remnant congregation, not to mention the callousness of throwing a new priest into an artificial "church plant" situation, blaming others for his punitive actions, then passing the buck when convenient to other diocesan entities . . . and all with a bright and breezy disregard for what he has done to his diocese.
This man has been bishop for 11 years. In that time, his diocese has lost some 2000 in average Sunday attendance, and some 6000 members. It has been a steady stairstep of decline, culminating in 2008 with the loss of the largest parish in the diocese, after a display of pettish spite that vastly damaged what "relationship" he had mustered in the previous years. [So you'll need to bump up those losses since the church stats only measure through 2008 currently.]
Imagine such a recitation of boring failures made by a CEO in front of shareholders.
Imagine such a Presidential address made in front of Congress.
Imagine such a report from a commanding officer to a superior in the military.
Is this guy for real?
This is not a Bennison, or Chane, or Schori, or Bruno or any other of that array of tyrants and dictators that The Episcopal Church has come to know and love so well. This is an average bishop of a small diocese, trundling along through displays of ineptitude and boorish immaturity that stagger the mind.
And to watch him behave or read his words is like watching a train wreck happen right in front of your horrified eyes -- and to observe that the conductor does not appear to notice the grinding wheels, the shock of the impact, the shrieking twisting metal, the smoke and heat, the cries of the dying passengers... he is smiling and waving at the crowd in the crushed little cab of his locomotive and offering to toot the whistle for anyone who'd like to hear.
And of course, this represents just one bishop of The Episcopal Church.
Just one.
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