My sisters and brothers, I greet you this afternoon in the Name of our Risen and Living Lord Jesus Christ! My name is Neil Alexander and I am blessed to be the Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta! There are so many things I want to say to you this afternoon. To express to you all that is on my heart would take more time than I have allotted, so allow me to begin with some brief, but heartfelt words to you.

The last year has been quite an experience, to say the least. At the time of our Annual Council last year, the search process for our 26^th Presiding Bishop and Primate was still in its early stages. It was not until several months later, near the end of January, that we all found out that I would be honored to be among the nominees. I was humbled, grateful, and scared to death. The roller coaster of emotions that Lynn and I experienced in the five months between the public nomination and the election ranged between exhilaration and holy terror. We were aware at every point along that ride that part of our emotions were rooted in how much we love the clergy and people of the Diocese of Atlanta, and what a privilege it is every single day to serve among you.

In reflecting on the experience, now from at least some distance, I want to say three things to the Diocese of Atlanta: First, the love and care that was shown to us by the clergy and people of this diocese was a gift we will cherish forever. While we are not quite as fragile as some may have imagined, I find that being overwhelmed with love and generosity and concern is much preferable to the obvious alternatives. So for all of the cards, letters, e-mails, hugs, words of encouragement, and even the marvelous spray of funeral flowers, Lynn and I are deeply grateful.

Secondly, I want to express my gratitude to so many, and particularly to the diocesan staff, who not only shared my desire that we not let my nomination sidetrack the diocese, but who stayed focused on our mission so that the inevitable interruption was as minimal as could be. I asked everyone to stay on point with respect to our mission and our common life and, insofar as possible, not move into some sort of holding pattern. I am pleased to say that most of what we hoped to accomplish this year has, in fact, taken place. So, to the Standing Committee, the Executive Board, our other boards and commissions, the diocesan staff -- to everyone whose hard work kept the train on the track -- I am deeply grateful.

Thirdly, there has been some chatter in some quarters of our church about Bishop Katharine. Some have expressed a desire for "alternative primatial oversight." That's an odd request, it seems to me, in a church that constitutionally and canonically makes no provision for any sort of primatial oversight. We do not have an archbishop in this church; we have a presiding bishop. And I believe that much of that chatter is intended to be destructive, or at the very least it is uncharitable, unhelpful and inappropriate. Let me respond to all that chatter this way: Katharine Jefferts Schori is my Presiding Bishop and Primate, and if you understand the canons properly, that makes her your Presiding Bishop and Primate. And with you and on your behalf, I look forward to welcoming her to preach and celebrate at the Cathedral of St. Philip at Annual Council next year. I believe that under her centered, faithful and decisive leadership, our church will grow and prosper and reach new depths of mission and ministry in the Name of Jesus and for the sake of the whole world. To God be the glory!

 

Visist St Benedicts Website

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In a large and active diocese such as ours, there are so many things to talk about. And that's the good news, of course. I could spend all of my allotted time talking about just one of the great ministries we hold in common such as Emmaus House, Holy Comforter, Mikell, Appleton, CVEM, youth programs, college chaplaincies, and on and on and on down the list. This afternoon, however, I want to keep this somewhat brief and place before you a reminder, two challenges, and a request. Here they come:

First, the reminder: We are gathered here this afternoon, in the City of Macon, where 100 years ago the Diocese of Atlanta was erected out of the Diocese of Georgia. From 28 parishes and roughly 3,000 people to 93 parishes and nearly 55,000 souls, we've come a long way. And to God be the glory!

This 100^th Anniversary Year is a threshold between two centuries: our first 100 years of service to the Lord of the church in Middle and North Georgia and the beginning of our second century as a diocese of faithful Episcopalians committed to the mission of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in our time. We begin our centennial at the eucharist this afternoon with a new hymn and two new anthems commissioned especially for the occasion, music for the soul to send us on our way.

The Centennial Celebration Committee is ably chaired by Angela Williamson of St. Martin's, and she is supported by talented and committed folks from all across the diocese that serve on a host of subcommittees. They have worked together for the better part of two years in preparation for the yearlong commemoration that begins this afternoon. From the beginning the committee has focused its efforts on two things: worship and outreach. The centennial commemoration is not party; it's a time for outreach and a time for worship. It is appropriate during the coming year to pause and give thanks and praise to God for the privilege that has been ours, and those who have gone before us, to participate in God's mission in our little corner of God's vast creation. We will begin and end the year with worship, and the centennial year will be punctuated by worship offered across the diocese in each of our 10 convocations. A new setting of the Holy Eucharist will be commissioned to complement the music we have already received. A special limited-edition piece of art by a prominent Georgia artist, who is an Episcopalian, has also been commissioned, a copy of which will be given to every parish in the diocese.

Standing alongside of the worship component is outreach. From the very beginning the Centennial Committee has been clear about the fact that our celebratory year should not be about patting ourselves on the back. After all, it's God's mission anyway. We just come along for the ride. This is a wonderful opportunity to start new outreach efforts and to fortify established ministries. I have been gratified to see the creativity and energy that has gone into the planning of the outreach component, and I look forward to celebrating and blessing these efforts throughout the coming year.

Every convocation is committing to a special outreach project. Some are doing hands-on projects in their own area; others are raising funds to launch new programs; others are claiming needs to be met at Emmaus House, Holy Comforter, Mikell, or one of our other diocesan ministries; others are providing support for ministries in developing countries; and I've recounted only part of the list. The clergy have committed to another common project. (I say "another" because in the last year they pooled their personal resources -- neither parish nor discretionary money, but personal -- and provided to fund the needed guesthouse for Msalato Theological College in Dodoma, Tanzania.) I have also been excited that see that several parishes have already chosen to use the centennial as the launching pad for new local outreach initiatives. This is precisely the vision that I shared with the centennial committee from the beginning: Let this be a year of recommitment to mission and to ministry in any and all forms that might take.

At the diocesan-wide level, the hope is to be able to provide new capital support for Emmaus House, for Holy Comforter, for Camp Mikell, and for Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministries. Toward this end, the centennial celebration committee has been doing some intensive fund-raising that will continue through the year. A number of generous Episcopalians have already contributed to the effort and we trust and pray there will be more. The parishes have been asked to consider gifts beyond their support of the mission and ministry budget and a number of them have responded already. More have been promised. I want to note in particular the sacrificial gifts of several of our smaller parishes to the centennial efforts. And, I am grateful to the rector, wardens and vestry of St. Martin in the Fields for their gift that stands as a challenge to all of us. A growing number of corporate sponsors have also given generously.

In addition, under the leadership of Jim Marshall, senior warden of All Angels', Eatonton, and the Rev. Bill McLemore, our diocesan historiographer and archivist, a marvelous new picture book is on sale that tells the story of each parish and each ministry in the diocese. The sale of that book, together with other centennial mementos, will provide significant funds to support the outreach we want to accomplish during the centennial year. So buy one for your home, your office, your car, and as Christmas gifts for all those hard-to-buy-for people on your list who already have everything except this book!

There is so much more that could be said about the centennial celebration. But instead of telling you about it, I want to invite you to be a part of it. I believe the year that begins this afternoon will be a marvelous gift to our common life. Please be a part of it and encourage others to join you.

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That was the reminder. Now comes the first of two challenges. This is my sixth Annual Council as your bishop and in every previous episcopal address I have talked about growing the church. I am going to talk about it again today; you can pretty much plan on the fact that I'll talk about it again next year, and the next. Why am I so passionate about growing the church? I could talk about that all afternoon. There are statistics to quote, demographics to share, and data to present. A recent feature article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that in the next few decades one of the fastest growing regions in the nation is roughly equivalent to the Diocese of Atlanta. We already knew that of course - we've been in the traffic -- but it was nice to see the recognition of it highlighted in the newspaper. I suspect we will grow at some rate simply because of the influx of people who are already faithful Episcopalians who will come and be our neighbors. But natural, largely accidental growth can hardly be thought of as faithfulness to the great commission. The great commission requires of us that we grow the church deliberately, strategically and tirelessly.

I am not interested in growth for growth's sake; I am interested in growth because I believe that growing the church is at the very heart of what it means to be the church. A church that is not interested in growth - whether we mean by "church" a parish, a diocese, or a denomination - a church not interested in growth might as well call the undertaker because impending death is certain. Christian faith and life depends, in a very fundamental way, on the desire to invite others to share the life we have discovered. Growing is, I believe, the very essence of being faithful.

I want to suggest to you this afternoon, for your consideration, three more reasons to consider an ever-renewing commitment to growing our church. The first is this: as Episcopalians, as Anglicans, social justice rooted in the Gospel of Jesus is part of our ecclesial DNA. It is simply part of what makes us tick. It is also, perhaps, that which contributes greatly to our tendency toward untidiness and occasional discomfort. But it is questionably a deep-seated part of who we are. We also know that the work of social justice always begins at the local level. There are always the global and systemic issues of justice about which we should always be concerned, but I believe the parish is the front lines of most of the church's ministry of social justice.

It is in the parish that we can most easily roll up our sleeves and serve another in the Name of Jesus. It is in the parish that we can best organize our efforts to be advocates for justice in the public square. It is in the parish that we can best train one another for living lives of integrity that take seriously the mandates of the gospel for justice and mercy. It is in the parish that we can best instill in our children and youth the sort of passion for social justice that will empower them to do a better job than their parents in making the world a safer, more just, more humane place. It is in the parish that all of us can see most clearly a glimpse of the coming reign of God in Jesus Christ. And that, dear friends, is why we grow the church - that's why we develop new parishes and strengthen and encourage others - because vital parishes are the boot camps of the new Jerusalem. The more parishes we have with their sleeves rolled up and looking outward, the greater difference we can make in the world. We can do more to welcome God's kingdom now that we could a hundred years ago because we have more parishes filled with tens of thousands of more people and imagine what could happen if we quadrupled again!

A key to our growth is the Alleluia Fund for Mission. In its first two years it has already begun to make a difference. I am pleased to announce formally what many probably may already have heard: On Nov. 1, just last week, the Rev. Lang Lowery completed his work on the staff of St. Anne's Parish and began his new ministry as the mission developer for what will become St. Benedict's Episcopal Church, a new parish under development in an underserved area of south-central Cobb County. St. Anne's Parish, the parish nearest the target area of the new start, recently made a major gift to the Alleluia Fund for Mission that contributes significantly to the start-up resources needed to make St. Benedict's a successful start. I am grateful to the rector and vestry of St. Anne's for their customary generosity.

A second visible indication of the work of the Alleluia Fund is the continued development of Christ the King, our international congregation in northeast Atlanta, being served by the Rev. John Ray. John and his people are in the process of moving into a new facility that will serve their needs for a season as they continue to grow and reach out to a particularly important range of sisters at brothers in Christ. It is the Alleluia Fund for Mission at work.

In addition to the annual appeal for the Alleluia Fund during the Great Fifty Days of Easter, I will continue to make visits upon individuals who are prepared to make larger contributions to the fund. A number of such gifts have already been made, and I am also pleased to note an increasing number among us who have been willing to make an annual pledge to the Alleluia Fund. I'm still looking for folks from across the diocese whose hearts God has inspired to make an annual pledge. If you haven't already, I hope you will consider such a gift, and I ask that you invite others to join you. The new work that will become St. Benedict's and the congregation of Christ the King already under way, are hopeful signs that the Alleluia Fund for Mission is already producing results.

There is another reason to build the church. It has to do with changing lives, with giving people a way station along their spiritual journey. One of the great privileges of my ministry among you is to preside at baptisms and at the renewal of baptismal vows nearly every Sunday. It's a rare Sunday indeed that I don't hear the story of some precious soul who has been looking for a home and has found the Episcopal Church.

About a month ago, I welcomed by reception a dear man who was in his mid-seventies. When he came for the laying on of hands, I noticed that he was shaking rather noticeably. Some folks do get a little nervous around the bishop, I guess, but given the man's age, I thought perhaps that he suffered from a medical condition of some sort that caused the shaking. At the coffee hour after the service, I discovered I was wrong on both counts. Actually, he was shaking out of sheer happiness and delight. He made a special point to find me to say that this was among the happiest days in his life. For many years he had longed to find a faith community, a spiritual home. He had tried plenty of other churches. None of them actually made a connection with his soul and what he was looking for. About a year ago, he stumbled quite by accident into a parish of this diocese. In his words he has "been home ever since." He said to me, "Bishop, I've had a good life and over the years I've been pretty happy. I can only imagine how much more wonderful my life might have been if I had discovered the Episcopal Church sooner." "Better late than never," I said. I am blessed to have encounters like that nearly every Sunday, friends. Is that not reason enough for us to grow? Changing lives? Isn't that enough reason?

But there's one more reason, at least for today. I believe the Episcopal Church has a unique voice in the mix of the faith communities in our time. Much of the polarization in our nation and in the world is religious at its roots. Sometimes it is political ideology masquerading as religion, but even that has religious roots. The stridency of the hard left and the dogmatism of the hard right are killing us. I believe that our voice - our Anglican call to the center, our middle way between untenable extremes, our charism for holding on to one another even in the face of serious disagreements - is crucial in the mix in these days, not just in the church or in this country, but also around the world. If we cannot find a middle way between the fundamentalisms of the extremes, then people are going to die. And it's as simple as that. I'm not sure it matters whether we are talking about religion, economics, politics, or a host of other things. If we don't work our way back to the broad whole of the center, we are in trouble: our church, our nation, our world.

Our tradition is all about that broad whole, that strong center, that middle way. Being an Episcopalian has never really fixed anything, but when we have been at our best, calling people from the margins to the center, we have made an enormous difference in people's lives, in this nation and this world. Let's call more people to the center. Let's grow our church.

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Now to the second challenge: I want to invite the Diocese of Atlanta to be a leader among the dioceses of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion in support of the Millennium Development Goals. At an earlier council we embraced the MDGs, and this year we will be asked to endorse the goals again and commend them to our parishes for support at the local level. You will hear more about this later this afternoon. What is exciting is that the MDGs are achievable. On that much, pretty much every one agrees: From governments around the world (including our own), to virtually every church, to civic clubs, to colleges and universities, to individuals at all economic levels, the Millennium Development Goals are achievable. This summer at the 75^th General Convention, teed up by Presiding Bishop Griswold and carried forward by our new Presiding Bishop, the MDGs became a principal focus of our church's mission and ministry for the next decade. What an exciting time! When you think about it, to us has been given the privilege of living in a time when pretty much everyone agrees that it is within our reach, in the next decade, to eradicate the most severe forms of poverty and disease worldwide. Seven-tenths of one percent of the world's resources, less than one penny out of a dollar, redistributed to those in need, will accomplish the MDGs. It is doable, and doing our part costs us very little, comparatively speaking. The greatest cost to us will not be the money, it will be the determination to follow through and stay focused.

This is about a great deal more than putting a rather modest amount of money on the table. It is about education. It is about spirituality. It is about faith. It is about discipleship. Can we seriously call ourselves disciples of Jesus and not be about the business of changing the world? I don't think so.

I am grateful to have been invited to join the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of South Africa in Boksburg, South Africa, in March 2007 and an international contingent called TEAM: Toward Enhancing Anglican Mission. It is a gathering of 300 lay leaders, priests and bishops from throughout the Anglican Communion who will gather with the archbishops to strategize the international Anglican response to the Millennium Development Goals as a means of keeping our common life focused on our gospel mission of Jesus to serve the world in Christ's name. We will be looking at the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, the devastating spread of malaria and other diseases, the need for clean drinking water, the ready availability of health care and medicine, and many other related issues. We will reflect biblically and theologically on our responses as the Anglican branch of the Christian family. I shall carry you with me in my heart, confident that the Diocese of Atlanta is poised to do its part to share the joyful burden of the Millennium Development Goals. Even though we are still on the front end of this effort, the reports are positive: Support of the MDGs is making a difference already. Let's lead the church, Atlanta. Let's lead the Anglican Communion. Let's make a difference! Let's change the world!

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A reminder, two challenges, and now a request: It's no secret. You are aware that resolutions will come before you tomorrow morning seeking your consent to the election of a bishop suffragan for the Diocese of Atlanta. I want to share with you my thinking that has brought us to this point.

We are the only large diocese in the Episcopal Church that is not served by at least two full-time bishops. In fact, a number dioceses smaller than we are have two or more bishops. While there are no hard and fast rules, once a diocese has more than about 60 parishes, a second bishop is called for. We are presently at 93 with St. Benedict's and Christ the King under development, and more parishes planned. We are well past the point at which a second bishop is needed. I have been blessed to have Bishop Child and Bishop Allan to assist me locally, and even Bishop Sims would come from his home in North Carolina from time to time to help with visitations. We have also enjoyed visitations from Bishop Rogers Harris, Bishop Charles Duvall, Bishop William Folwell, Bishop Joe Doss, and Bishop Edward MacBurney. I am grateful to all of them. What is clear is than none of them are available on a regular, sustained full-time basis. They are more than willing to help out in a pinch, but they are not in a position to provided regular full-time assistance.

With the encouragement of many of you, it seemed appropriate to begin to explore other possibilities. In the past, the Diocese of Atlanta has had both bishops suffragan (Bishop Child and Bishop Wood, Bishop Child some time later being subsequently elected diocesan.) The diocese also has been served by an assisting bishop during Bishop Allan's time, Bishop Onell Soto. It seemed prudent to me to secure the services of an assisting bishop on a contract basis. Now for the benefit of those who may not be familiar with the terminology, an assisting bishop is one who is already a bishop and presently serving elsewhere, and who is prepared to move to a larger diocese in an assisting role. An advantage of this is that it becomes a simple contract negotiation for a stated period of time, and it saves the diocese the costs of a search process, election and ordination. My original intent was to seek your consent tomorrow for calling a full-time assisting bishop to work among us for a defined period of time.

The problem with that scheme, however, is that no one is available. I have consulted over a period of months with Bishop Clay Matthews of the Office of Pastoral Development of the House of Bishops. Bishop Matthews looks after such things on behalf of the Presiding Bishop. After some months of searching for possibilities, Bishop Matthews and I a couple of weeks ago determined quite recently that there were no bishops presently or soon-to-be available who were appropriate possibilities to consider. The alternative, then, is to elect a bishop suffragan. Again, for those who may not be familiar with the terminology, a bishop suffragan is an assisting bishop who is elected and ordained in the diocese to serve under the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop. Bishops suffragan are permanent calls unless they are translated to another diocese. Bishops suffragan, however, do not have the right of succession. What that means is that if something happens to the diocesan bishop, the suffragan does not automatically become the bishop of the diocese, but would continue to serve as suffragan under the new diocesan unless he or she were to be elected to that office.

My most serious reservation about calling for the election of a bishop suffragan had to do with the cost of the search process, election and ordination if we follow the normal procedures set out in the Canons of the Diocese of Atlanta. I noted, however, that several dioceses larger than we are seem to elect a new suffragan bishop every time they get together for a barbeque. So, I reasoned, there must be a simpler way to do this. Sure enough, Bishop Matthews directed me toward several dioceses with one or more bishops suffragan who had, within the provisions of the Canon of the Episcopal Church, simplified their process. I followed up with several conversations with other diocesan bishops who had recently been through this and sought to learn from their experience. The resolutions you will be asked to consider tomorrow were drafted by the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor, and the Secretary of Annual Council, in consultation with me. We believe they meet all of the relevant canonical tests while at the same time keeping the process as simple and uncomplicated as possible.

During the legislative session tomorrow morning, the Chancellor will lead us through the details. The main points are these, however: We will need to amend our canon on the election of a bishop. The present canon assumes that all bishops are to be elected in the same way. It does not clearly differentiate between the election of a diocesan and a suffragan. A simple amendment can fix that problem, but such an amendment will require the approval of a super-majority of the council, or two thirds, because the amendment is being brought before you short of 30 days notice. Had this process worked out sooner, a simply majority only would be required to make the change.

Assuming the canonical amendment is approved, a set of rules of order for the election of a bishop suffragan will be placed before you for your approval. Approval of the rules of order would constitute your consent to my call for the election. The rules of order are really quite straightforward: the Standing Committee will serve as the search committee, set forth the details of the process, establish the timeline and all of that. Unlike the election of my successor as diocesan bishop, a process I should have nothing whatsoever do to with, the election of a bishop suffragan is tantamount to calling an assistant for me, so the rules of order provide for an appropriate measure of participation by me in the process of selecting nominees, though in the end, it is the diocese that elects. This has become standard in dioceses that regularly elect bishops suffragan, though it is Annual Council that elects. I anticipate that the election would be held at Annual Council next year, and the ordination will take place at the Cathedral early in 2008. There are no significant budget implications for this process in 2007 that we cannot absorb in the administrative budget already established. The principal cost of this process will be the ordination itself, which, along with the bishop suffragan's salary and related costs, will need to be provided for in the 2008 mission and ministry budget.

I hope that as you prayerfully consider this proposal, this request, that it will not be about me. There's no question this diocese needs to be served by two full-time bishops. There's no question I could use some help. There's no question it would be a good thing for our parishes to see one of their bishops more frequently. But I am interested in this less for the purpose of my own help and more for the purpose of our common mission. I believe a second bishop will be a gift to us for the sake of mission, a servant who loves the Lord and likes to drive, who will work with me in every way to push the mission and ministry of this diocese in new directions and help us fulfill our calling as God's people in this time and place. I look forward to our conversations tomorrow morning.

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So there you have it. A reminder: let's live into our centennial year with joy and thanksgiving and delight. Two challenges: let's grow our church and thereby fulfill the great commission, and let's offer leadership in our church and in the Anglican Communion in support of the Millennium Developments Goals and thereby change the world. And let's raise up among us a faithful bishop suffragan to walk together with us toward all that God has in store for us.

 

God is not finished with me. God is not finished with you. God is not finished with us! And I will never tire of reminding you of this: God has just begun to show us his greatness. To God alone be the glory!

 

The Right Reverend J. Neil Alexander

Bishop of Atlanta

November 10, 2006