from Stand Firm by Sarah Hey:
Well, it's a sign of my level of interest that I had forgotten that today was the day of the consecration of the Bishop of Upper South Carolina.
At any rate, much -- much, much, much, much -- was made over the past many months of the 1700 people who were going to be attending Bishop Waldo's consecration at Christ Church, Greenville. The facilities set aside for the consecration were as follows:
-- Christ Church proper -- my understanding was that around 525 tickets were given for this venue, but the doors opened to all after a certain time -- estimates are that it held 725 of which approximately 80 or so were Bishop Waldo's friends and family
-- The Chapel -- seating 220 -- one of the original venues scheduled to be used -- but ten days ago, due to tickets being returned, was cancelled as a venue
-- Finlay Hall -- the old gymnasium -- approximation of around 500 chairs
-- The All Saints Center -- the new gymnasium area -- approximation of around 500 chairs
Taken altogether, the estimation of 1700 planned attendance breaks out to around 525 CC, 220 Chapel, remainder in the two gymnasium areas.
Here's what actually happened.
Christ Church proper -- around 750 estimated attendance, after the doors were opened to all
Chapel -- 10 days or so ago, due to tickets being returned unclaimed, the Chapel was closed as a venue
Finlay Hall -- approximately 1/3 full, around 200. One person counted 12 actual persons in the second half of the chairs [he had reason to count], with the remainder of the front half about half full
All Saints Center -- about 1/2 full
Estimations of actual attendance -- between 1000 to 1200.
There are a variety of reasons for this significantly lower level of estimated attendance. One of the primary ones I suspect is that people want to be in the main venue for such an event. That's a big deal and plenty said "I'm not driving that far to be in a gym watching this on a screen."
Certainly the consecration might have been planned for a secular venue like the Carolina First Center -- but I understand the desire to have bishop consecrations in actual churches.
Nevertheless, I also suspect that there were other reasons.
Our Dear Leader, the Presiding Bishop, is quoted in today's Greenville News as saying
"fallout from the 2003 decision to consecrate Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire appears to have settled out for the most part.
“The reactivity right now is much, much less than it was seven years ago,” she said during an interview at Christ Church, where Waldo's consecration will take place.
“I think the church, and certainly the part of the church in the United States, is reasonably clear about where we're going, even though everybody doesn't agree. And those in the church, I think, are willing to live with that tension.”
The headline of the article says "Episcopal leader Jefferts Schori says anger over gay ordination has eased."
Certainly those thoughts are an interesting way of looking at the massive decline in funding, attendance, and membership that the Episcopal Church has experienced, along with the departing parishes, departing dioceses, and general roiling outrage expressed from pew to pew, diocese to diocese, and newspaper letter to parish newsletter. I'm not sure, though, that "anger" [by which, Jefferts Schori actually means "opposition" and through which she demonstrates her own anger at that opposition] has eased at all in TEC. There are fewer people to oppose, that's true. But has the actual "opposition" eased?
I think the answer is that the "opposition" has instead . . . detached and gone guerrilla and passive-agressive.
Let me explain.
There are certainly fewer "protests" and open conflicts [other than the masses of lawsuits that the Presiding Bishop has pursued using our money to fund them]. But what's happened in many places -- and here Los Angeles and Upper South Carolina are two peas in a pod -- is that people have simply said "have a good time" to the leaders of their dioceses and many of their parishes. They haven't left, or started a new church, or done much of anything except . . . slowly step back from the display, rather like one would avert one's eyes from a flasher in the street.
In our diocese's case, people were asked to serve in the consecration service -- and declined. People were invited to attend -- and declined, with tickets being returned from whence they were sent.
People had . . . other pressing engagements.
That's not so much a slap at Bishop Waldo -- he seems like a very nice man with great taste in music -- as simply the significantly lower level of engagement and attention that The Episcopal Church now has achieved from its own parishioners.
The best summary attitude describing most [but not all] of the friends I have in this diocese who are remaining in TEC is . . . "good luck with our church, sir -- we are barbecuing out this fine Sunday."
I think that low level of involvement will most likely show up by such things as 1) consecration attendance, 2) parish ASA, and 3) pledging.
But we'll see. It's easy for me to predict. And certainly some have said "no, it's solely the venue issues that made the attendance so much dramatically lower than estimated."
But weeks ago, I predicted low attendance at this consecration to some of my conversation buddies. And I didn't make such a prediction based on the venue or logistics, although I do think that had something to do with it. I based it on the level of smoldering and detachment that is now a part of the "ethos" of our diocese. A significant number of parishioners in this diocese -- non-voting-delegates -- are well aware of the theology of Bishop Waldo and want no part of it. That's a chunk of the percentage of non-attenders right there. Another significant number of parishioners in this diocese know nothing about Bishop Waldo other than the untruths told them by their rectors [and here I will quote one: "he must be a good solid traditional fellow -- he's from Alabama and he went to my seminary so you know you'll like him"] but they find our Presiding Bishop repellent and want no part of her. And another significant number of parishioners are simply depressed over the horror of the latest General Convention -- a circus similar to the Glasspool consecration only stretched out over some 10 days -- and have not yet recovered.
On the positive side, and also as expected, reports are that the service was utterly traditional and completely charming [save for KJS -- and yeh, that's what my reporters say about her], including the bishop's brother's sermon. No smudging, no liturgical loincloths, no dancing girls, no ancestor worship, no desperately-trendy syncretism -- none of that Good Old Anglican Inclusion. No one who has the musical taste of Bishop Waldo would have had otherwise, I expect.
And neither Glasspool, nor Bishop Waldo's "friend and mentor," Bishop Robinson were there -- I am a little surprised over that latter. I don't know why one's friend and mentor would not be at one's consecration, and certainly his calendar was said to be open. But nevertheless he was not there.
Neither was Mark Lawrence.
But I'm sure that all three had pressing duties elsewhere.
DCNY Editor's Note: Bp. Mark Lawrence has made it clear that he and the Diocese of South Carolina have removed themselves from official functions of pecusa.
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