Cornerstones for Mission

Cornerstones for Mission

I am laying...a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation
(Isaiah 28:16)

Cornerstones Newsletter
February 2007

During Bishop Daniel’s address to the diocesan convention in February, 2005, he shared with the delegates from each parish in East Carolina his vision for East Carolina:

“We have historically tended to see ourselves as a small diocese in a region that is rural, poor and remote. Our expectations of ourselves are often too low – we’re slow, sleepy and southern – not a very positive self image. We often see ourselves and model our diocesan life on a vision that I believe is too small to meet new opportunities for mission that are before us today.

We’ve all seen and experienced the dramatic growth along our coastal areas, and more is on the way. We’ve seen and experienced a flood of people moving to East Carolina, many of them Hispanic. More are on the way! Many of our towns and cities are growing and major highway construction will bring even more people to our blessed region and diocese which, according to recently published statistics is among the top ten fastest growing dioceses in the Episcopal Church.

….This is a challenging transition for us.

Our self-image and our structure as a diocese
Have not caught up with the reality of the changes we’re experiencing.

We’re growing and changing dramatically and rapidly and along with the changes come the opportunity for expanded mission. It’s time for us to catch up to that. I say this to both celebrate our growth and to call us to further and intentional efforts as a diocese to find richer ways to express our love of God through ministry to our neighbor. I say all this out of a deep and abiding confidence in this diocese and its ability to grow in meeting the wonderful opportunities for new ministry and mission waiting at our doorstep.”

Cornerstones for Mission

One brick. . .

The first part of my vision has to do with the greatest evangelistic frontier that stands before us: Hispanic ministry. According to census figures, Hispanic population is growing faster in North Carolina than in any other state in our nation. I have a vision of calling another priest to work among a growing Hispanic population.

I don’t want us to miss the greatest evangelistic opportunity our diocese has had in its history.

Father Rojas has a vision for building a church for Sagrada Familia since they now have to worship outdoors, and I want to help him build that church. Part of his vision is for La Sagrada Familia to be a mission center where Anglo priests can learn Spanish and about Hispanic culture in order to welcome our growing Hispanic population not just in Newton Grove, but in Goldsboro, and Wilmington and Edenton and throughout our diocese.

What opportunity for dynamic evangelism lies before us!

...laid side by side with others…

The next part of the vision for us has to do with new congregations. We have new congregations growing in our diocese, and little money to support them. I want to be able to go, in your name, to our newest missions in New Bern and Carolina Beach and to the emerging fellowships in Currituck County and the Hispanic fellowship in Goldsboro and say ‘here is money for land, here is support for mission, here is encouragement for growth from your brothers and sisters all over the diocese.

...one on top of another…

Third, I see a vicar at Trinity Center and building a chapel there. I want the priest to have oversight of worship life at Trinity Center, to be a chaplain to the people who visit Trinity Center and to the staff there. I see the priest serving as director of the ministry of spirituality for our diocese, and to be responsible for leadership training for clergy and lay folk, for rectors and wardens, and Christian educators throughout our diocese. I want a wise and mature priest who can also be an evangelist to those who visit Trinity Center, to invite them into a life in Christ and in the church as part of our diocesan vision for dynamic evangelism.

…reaching ever higher…

As a diocese, roughly half of our communicants belong to small parishes which need attention and support in ways that larger parishes may not. I’d really like to call a priest to a job that’s too big and say, “We need you to go to the small, often struggling small parishes among us to support and encourage them and build them up.

We’ve got to hold all the small congregations in our diocese in trust because
in many of the places where we have small congregations, the growth is coming!”

The coast is full, and the next wave of growth for our diocese will probably be along the “Inner Banks” of the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. For example:

Holy Innocents, Avoca, is a small chapel set in the midst of what was once a large plantation on the shore of the Chowan River across from Edenton. The plantation buildings are gone; all that remains is the chapel and the land. Now a new planned golfing /residential community of 500 units is being built on the old plantation land, and we have a little church literally waiting at the front gate!

New condominiums are going up in Edenton –

The fish factory in Belhaven is being torn down to build 50 condominiums.

Our newest fellowship is in area of growth between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City. A flood of growth and people are heading inland from the coast.

I want to call a priest who will be both pastor and empowering evangelist to our smaller parishes in preparation for what’s coming and to give them the tools and the pastoral care to be ready to grow.

…stretching ever wider…

I have a vision of spending more on youth, young adult and college campus ministry. Right now, the money in our diocesan budget set aside for youth, young adult and college ministry comes from dead people, through the Foundation, and none from us, the living. Often, college is the time when many people make choices about what their religious life will be in coming years as they grow into adulthood and profession and family. Another field of evangelism that awaits our response!

…until we reach our goal.

Here’s the challenge in the vision: to substantially increase stewardship among the living so we won’t have to depend on the dead to do our giving for us. We can do this! The vision I offer is one that calls us out of isolation into relationship and demonstrates our love of God through love of neighbor. It’s all about relationship. No diocese, no parish, no church exists in isolation. We are called into being through relationship. It’s about who we are together – we belong to God, we belong to one another. We make one another stronger through being in ever closer relationship, or we wither away in isolation.

I’m inviting everyone to come be a part of the vision.

I’m calling us to come closer to one another in a vision for mission so that we can fling our energy for the Gospel outward into the hearts and lives of others and draw them in. How will we achieve this? I offer a way for us to build toward putting the vision in place over the next 2-3 years.

I am looking for 5000 Episcopalians from throughout our diocese
willing to pledge at least $99 a year for the next 3 years
in order to support the vision and to put it in place.”

At the close of his address Bishop Daniel challenged each delegate to make a pledge and to go back to their parishes with ten extra pledges cards to get ten more pledgers. If every delegate accomplished their goal, there would already be 2000 of the 5000 goal. If you have not received your pledge card, please contact one of your delegates to the 2005 convention, or your rector or parish office.

Click here for a brochure(.pdf) with pledge card!