Reflections on the service of repentence at St. Thomas African Episcopal Church

from the VTS Anglican Communion Commentary

10/8/2008
On Saturday, October 4 a number of us from VTS attended a Service of Repentance at historic St. Thomas Church in Philadelphia. The service was part of a solemn two-day observance which constituted a public apology for the Episcopal Church’s involvement in the institution of transatlantic slavery. The service was mandated by the 2006 General Convention resolution A123 which declared that slavery was, is and will always be a sin. The resolution asked the Presiding Bishop to call for a “Day of Repentance and Reconciliation.” The Rev. C. David Williams, president of the Union of Black Episcopalians, said that the Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s call for a “Day of Repentance” was “extraordinary.”

In her sermon the Presiding Bishop seemed to let no one off the hook. We heard of the sources of J.P. Morgan’s wealth, even as he initiated the Church Pension Fund. A farm dependent on slaves is part of the early history of Trinity Church in the City of New York. The Presiding Bishop told those gathered that slave labor was utilized in the building of Virginia Theological Seminary. Our church, North and South, benefited from the institution of transatlantic slavery, and there is no shortage of guilt from the top down. The stains of slavery run so deep that a “Day of Repentance and Reconciliation” calls for more days, long days of conversation, repentance and reconciliation. Virginia Theological Seminary will spend the rest of its days dealing with its own stains and involvement in the institution of transatlantic slavery.

In writing resolution 123, John Vanderstar, Executive Council member, said: “I strongly believe that the church needs to confront its past and change its future.” As I listened to the Presiding Bishop’s sermon, I thought of our church and the Anglican Communion and the need we have to “confront” the past and to “change” the future. Our church always needs days of repentance. What are we doing today that will require an apology from those who come after us in the future?

- Barney Hawkins

From Lambeth ... from Mid-Court

...from Virginia Theological Seminary's "Center for Anglican Communion Studies" ...




7/21/2008
From Lambeth...

From Mid-Court

Well, here we are at the Lambeth Conference in a place called Canterbury. Our VTS “booth” or hospitality center is located at the Lambeth Markeplace in the Sports Centre of the University of Kent. That seems to be an appropriate location for us at this Wimbledon of Anglicanism. We are watching the fast volleys from our courtside perch! No match-point yet!

All kidding aside, you cannot miss the gravity of this event. In the history of the Communion, the Conference may be its most critical hour. It is a time which calls for great sacrifice and wisdom, and so we pray fervently for all the delegates and all who surround and support them.

Last week, the initial days in retreat with Rowan Williams set the right tone. The Archbishop met with his guests in the great nave of Canterbury Cathedral.

His opening address last evening left the impression that Anglicans will have a “Covenant” as this Conference concludes.

But there seems to me to be a larger question than the proposed Anglican Covenant: Will the Conference find the Anglican Communion recovering its religious imagination?

We have misplaced one of the great gifts of Anglicanism to the rest of Christendom: The ability to think outside the box and to imagine a church and a world that does not yet exist. Will we be clear about what we value as Anglicans in a changing church and world once we go home from this sacred place? How do we nurture Gospel values in a church conversation that could dwell on misplaced values? Our history teaches us that we are a broad church, but of late we have asked narrow questions and taken narrow positions. As we deal with current matters, are we connected with our long history and our early church identity? Can we imagine a new Church for this historic Christian way called Anglican?

Barney Hawkins

Barney Hawkins reflects on trip to Sudan

The Rev Dr. Barney Hawkins of the Center for Anglican Communion Studies at VTS reflects on his trip to the Sudan....

...I have posted it below, or you can read it HERE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5/13/2008

REFLECTIONS ON MY TRIP TO THE SUDAN

I returned from the Sudan on April 23. Since then, not one day has gone by that I have not thought about my visit and the people I met. I traveled to the Sudan for the enthronement service for the Most Rev. Daniel Deng Bul (VTS ’97) on Sunday, April 20. It was quite a journey: Washington to Amsterdam to Entebbe, Uganda. I spent one night in Kampala, Uganda and connected with the delegation from “815” and my former student and friend, the Rev. Robert Marshall. He represented the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia which has had a long companion diocese relationship with the Province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan. On April 19 we departed for Juba, the capitol of the Southern Government of the Sudan.

From the moment we arrived in Juba, gracious hospitality was always present. On the day of our arrival, the Diocese hosted us for dinner on the grounds of the Cathedral. On the day of the enthronement service, there was hospitality all day long. The actual service lasted four hours, but no one was watching the clock. In the afternoon until the sun set, there were speeches and skits to honor the new Archbishop and his family. It was a festive and fun time. In the evening, the Most Rev. Daniel Deng Bul hosted all out of town guests for a dinner at a camp on the banks of the Nile. It was a long day, and a day to remember.

The Archbishop of Rwanda preached the sermon at the enthronement service. He and Daniel Deng Bul had studied at VTS at the same time. The Archbishop of Kenya in his charge to the new Archbishop warned: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.” Going with others as a leader has been the hallmark of Daniel Deng Bul’s significant ministry in the church and public square in the Sudan. He is a voice for the voiceless. He is a voice for peace in his troubled land. He is the voice of both reason and hope.

Last week there were incursions from Chad which threatened the government in Khartoum. Darfur rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim has promised to launch more attacks until the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in Khartoum is brought down. There is a very fragile peace between Khartoum in the north and Juba in the south. By 2011 the peace agreement between Khartoum (Islam) and Juba (Christian) must be ratified. After hearing the President of the Southern Government and the Governor of the state of which Juba in the capitol, I am deeply concerned about the prospects for peace. Darfur adds another sad dimension to the story. It is a country divided by religion and material resources. It is a country ravaged by war and poverty. Such conditions do not make for easy conversation to resolve differences.

For one bright moment on April 20 at a joyful enthronement service, however, the Christian flock in Juba was full of hope about the future. The Most Rev. Daniel Deng Bul is a servant leader who follows closely the One who is the hope and promise of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of us all. I experienced Gospel hospitality during my brief time in the Sudan. This Gospel hospitality is an outward and visible sign of the hope which lives within the Sudanese people. The future of the Sudan is ultimately in God’s hands, the God of Peace and Justice whom we know in the Risen Lord.

The Rev. Barney Hawkins, Ph.D.
Executive Director, CACS