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The Bishop's Journal
February 2001
OUR NATIONAL WITNESS EVENT
On the weekend of April 27-29, 2001 our Synod will have the privilege of hosting the third in a series of national witness events sponsored by the ELCIC. In 1994, participants gathered in Lake Louise, Alberta for Holy Shift; in 1997 in Winnipeg Manitoba for Great Expectations. This year we will gather at the Deerhurst Resort in Muskoka for 2001: A Faith Odyssey.
The keynote speaker, the acclaimed author Walter Wangerin, Jr., is professor and occupant of the Emil & Elfriede Jochum chair at Valparaiso University. He is the author of novels, children's books, short stories, essays, as well as being a speaker for Lutheran Vespers, a columnist, lecturer, and more. Back in 1988 he received rave reviews when he was the keynote speaker at the ELCIC National Youth Gathering Stand By Me.
The focus of this year's gathering is 'sharing the faith'. ow can we become better equipped to comfortably and competently share the gospel hope that has been entrusted to us in Christ Jesus? It's a timely subject to be sure.
We Lutherans aren't exactly known for being overly enthusiastic self-promoters! I'm reminded of Garrison Keilor's description of Lutherans as being a people "who like to repent in the same way that they sin - quietly, discreetly, at the proper time, and with a jellied salad for afterward!"
Some years ago several major denominations in the United States commissioned a study on evangelism. After concluding that the most effective form of evangelism is that which is accomplished through the weekday sharing done by lay people with friends, neighbours and family members, the report went on to share results of a recent survey indicating that the average Lutheran invited someone to attend church once every thirty-seven years!
The fact is, we are probably a little too quiet and discreet about much of what constitutes the life of faith. Writer and poet Annie Dillard puts it this way, "Does anyone have the foggiest idea of what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets! Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews! For the sleeping God may awake someday and take offense, or the waking God may draw us to where we can never return."
If words like this cause you to feel a stir of recognition somewhere deep inside, you might be the kind of person that the planners of 2001: A Faith Odyssey had in mind when they put this event together. It's going to be an exciting weekend. Inspired worship, stimulating presentations, animated conversation; good food (perhaps even a jellied salad!) and a Saturday night dance!
If you're interested, check out the link on our Synod web-site: www.easternsynod.org. I think you'll find this to be a weekend you won't quickly forget; a much needed opportunity to get those faith sharing engines firing again!
The Rev. Michael J. Pryse,
Bishop
