I was elected a few weeks ago to Bishop’s Council, a group of people from the Diocese who act as the Executive Committee of the diocesan legislature, Diocesan Synod. The setting was the relatively new library of the Cathedral, and the great and the good of the Diocese were there, including little ol’ me.
The discussion was interesting, and I knew that I’d hit the important committee when I discovered, to my delight, that instead of the usual curled-up sandwiches for lunch we were having Lamb Terrine with couscous, Mushroom Risotto, Green Beans in a Balsamic Vinegar sauce, and fruit tarts, all catered by the Cathedral refectory.
I also got a chance to talk to the Archdeacon, who is a good man and a good pastor to the priests who serve under him. We will be having lunch in January to discuss the pastoral situation here at my parish. This is a very good thing to do, and I should have done it a while back, but didn’t feel I should speak until I knew the Archdeacon better. Hopefully my parish will get some assistance.
We discussed the Windsor Report and the Anglican Covenant, with three presentations that were really good in terms of defining the problem, defining what we know of the proposed solution, and what effect it will have on the Church of England and its ecumenical partners. My contribution to the discussion centred around the loss of prophetic voice that will happen if the Anglican Communion is constrained to move at the pace of the slowest of its parts. I attended the consecrations of Barbara Harris (first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion) and Gene Robinson (first openly-gay bishop in ditto) I said that I didn’t think that either of those events would have happened had there been an Anglican Covenant in place. Besides, the Anglican Communion, being composed of many provinces, has grown in such a way that a Covenant would be extremely un-Anglican; the only covenant I needed was the Baptismal Covenant between me and God, and between me and every other baptised person. The Bishop of Woolwich told me afterward that he was quite moved by what I had said.
At the end of the meeting the Diocesan Secretary, Simon, came up to me and asked me whether I’d like to join the Business Commitee, which is the executive of the Bishop’s Council, and meets two weeks before each meeting of that body (four times a year). I think they may get an even better meal than we got today. So, of course, I said that I would be happy so to do. I think that, after the Bishop, that committee is most important in determining how the diocese is run.
And so, we go to St. John’s Larcom Street tonight to bartend their Christmas Concert. I shall wear a bow tie, as usual. I seem to now have become “memorable” because I wear a bow tie rather than a long tie (regular tie? I’m not sure what the opposite of “bow tie” really is.) My boss’s boss was trying to get hold of me on Friday, and called someone else who didn’t know me. He told the guy, “Get Chris for me…you know, the guy who wears the bow tie.” It worked. I was found.
I wear a bow tie rather than a long tie (regular tie? I’m not sure what the opposite of “bow tie” really is.)
“Straight tie”, unfortunately.
Oh, well, I shan’t hold it against the tie makers…