Vestry meeting highlights - February 9, 2010

From a Vestry member…

The grace of God is often a violent affair

One of my favorite writers is Flannery O'Connor. Lest her name is not familiar to you, Flannery O'Connor was a native of Georgia, where she spent most of her too-brief life she died of lupus at age thirty-eight in 1964 writing two novels and dozens of short stories (almost all with Christian themes), living as a devout Roman Catholic in the heart of the "Bible Belt," and upon the publication of her first works of fiction, becoming one of the most celebrated writers of the mid-twentieth century. Her work is deeply insightful regarding humanity's spiritual relationship to God in light of our shortcomings and God's grace.

The main theme of Flannery O'Connor's work is relevant to our life at the Church of Our Saviour: the grace of God is often a violent affair. With diligent study, you will find any number of examples of this in Scripture: Jacob wrestles all night with the "angel," only to have his hip knocked out of joint to limp for the rest of his life (Genesis 32); Saul (later St. Paul) is blown off his horse and blinded as the Lord Jesus appears to him (Acts 9) these are but the bare beginnings of a list to be expanded at your leisure. Is it stretching the truth to connect the word ―violence‖ to our present situation? Emotions run high. Feelings are hurt, hopes dashed, confusion takes hold, disappointment lurks.

And yet! We have constructed ways of allowing Gods grace to invade our life together amidst the violence. In a meeting with the Vestry on Feb. 14, Bishop Gene Robinson reassured us that the parish has indeed done much "good work" in the Conflict Transformation process. And we have: six areas of concern have been identified by the parish as a whole, and a timetable to address these has been developed. At our retreat later this spring, the leadership will address, in concrete ways, these concerns and the best ways to move forward.

Perhaps most importantly, we possess a new sense of how we should relate to each other in love, in speech and action. To share with you a couple of thoughts from Michel Quoist, whom our Senior Warden Peter Ten Broeck quoted at Februarys Vestry meeting: "God says: I like youngsters, and I want people to be like them. I don't like old people unless they are still children…because my image has not been dulled in them." And, "God addresses us through every event, even the most insignificant."

Or the most violent: "Fear not."

Clifford Davis, Parish Clerk

Each month, a member of the Vestry contributes his or her thoughts in this column. The views expressed are those of the author.

A Covenant for Church of Our Saviour

      The leaders of our parish — not only the wardens and vestry, but also the delegates to convention and the conveners of committees — are committed to serving the parish in the best way we know how.

And when we don’t know how, we ask for help.

That was the way our leadership retreat developed, and why we asked Canon Tim Rich, a member of the Diocesan staff, to help all of us develop better ways of communicating and dealing with conflict.

During our retreat, each of us examined our own style of solving problems, and others’ styles. We looked at how each approach has both positive and negative aspects, and how successful groups are made up of members who recognize and honor those differences.

It was not over when the retreat ended. A small group headed by Diane Babb kept working on what we had started during the retreat, and when the leadership group met April 12, we completed work on what we are calling “The Making of a Christian Community: A Covenant for Church of Our Saviour.”

The document outlines the rules of the game, the way the leadership has committed to working together, and the way we hope “ no, expect “ members of the parish to treat each other as together we do God’s work in this community. 

The Making of a Christian Community:
     A Covenant for Church of Our Saviour

At Church of Our Saviour, we are called by God to speak the truth in love.

1. We believe that direct, honest, and respectful dialogue will help us distinguish people from issues.

2. We value differing opinions since they can show equal levels of caring and can lead to creative solutions.

3. We acknowledge that conflict is inevitable but can be healthy when viewed as an opportunity, a catalyst to deeper understanding.

4. We establish and nurture a culture that follows the Guidelines for Effective Communication.

5. We expect people to communicate directly with those with whom they have a conflict or concern, rather than forming a triangle involving a third party.

6. We promote discussions that focus on identifying specific issues and resolving problems in a timely manner.

7. We commit to a clear process and a welcoming forum for dialogue to allow all voices to be heard.

8. We trust that people will have a greater tolerance for uncertainty when there is clarity in the process and the policies, and when leaders exercise their authority in an appropriate, reliable manner.

9. We believe that the past can be acknowledged, but that the future should not be held hostage by it.

Vestry 2010   
(Terms expire in January of the year indicated;
call the church office at (603) 673-3309 for contact information) 

Officers

Senior Warden
Peter Ten Broeck (2013)

Junior Warden
Elizabeth Rotch (2012)

Treasurer
Gail Coad (2012)

Clerk
Clifford Davis (2011)

Vestry

Bill Andrews, Debbie Donnelly, Paul Murphy (2013)
David McBee, Diane Babb, Arthur Julier (2012)
Frank Manley, Karl Norwood, Robert Treadwell (2011)

Katherine Benoit (youth representative)

Delegates  to Convention & Southern Convocation

Brian McGuire, Martha Manley (2012)
Mabel Durrell. Elizabeth Rotch (2011)

Alternate

Joyce McGuire (2011)

Return to Church of Our Saviour Home Page