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What Are Some Qualities of the Diocese of New Hampshire?
(Survey and focus groups, June 2002) |
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Ecumenism and the role of women in the Church
were not the only significant issues in the life of the diocese. Martin
Luther King Jr. appeared on the cover of the April 1965 issue of The New
Hampshire Churchman, with the following explanation: “With several New
Hampshire clergymen (of many denominations) concerning themselves actively
with the race problem, it seemed appropriate to put on our cover a picture
of another clergyman— and Nobel peace prize winner—who leads this struggle
for freedom and equality.” Jonathan Myrick Daniels, a seminarian from St.
James’ Church in Keene, was martyred in Alabama for defending a young
black woman and registering black voters. Bishop Hall led the diocese
through these issues by witnessing for social justice, engaging fully in
the ecumenical movement, and nurturing the congregations in his care
during this tumultuous time in American history.
In the years that followed, we pursued issues of Prayer Book revision, the ordination of women, and human sexuality. Bishop Philip A. Smith cautioned against the “irregular” ordination of the “Philadelphia 11” because he believed that the short-circuiting of due process would endanger the goal of removing gender as a bar to ordination. Later, in 1978, Diocesan Convention asked the bishop to appoint members to a Committee on Human Sexuality, which initiated an important debate and laid the foundation for our ongoing commitment to this topic and to sexual abuse awareness training. In his 1979 convention address Bishop Smith spoke of “selecting fit persons for the ordained ministry” as outlined in two proposals. The first endorsed leaving the process in the hands of the Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee, with the ultimate authority residing with the bishop. The second proposal sought to establish that “all homosexuals and lesbians should be loved and accepted as brothers and sisters” but that “no practicing homosexual or lesbian be ordained to the ministry of the Episcopal Church.” The second resolution failed by a vote of 69 in favor and 118 opposed. Like his predecessor and successor, Bishop Smith remained committed to the changes that the Gospel and culture require of us, yet moved ahead carefully and with sensitivity to those not yet ready to embrace new realities.
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| In 1986 the diocese began to move into a more missionary emphasis under the leader-ship of Douglas E. Theuner, our eighth bishop. The accompanying capital funds campaign, “The Advance Fund for the 90s,” exceeded its goal of 1.75 million dollars. Bishop Theuner continues our tradition of episcopal leadership as an outspoken advocate for the social gospel. He served as the first chair of the national Church’s Joint Standing Committee on AIDS and testified before the New Hamp-shire Legislature on the matter of abortion, advocating freedom of choice, a position generally supported by both the diocese and the Episcopal Church. He responded to the “Michigan Plan” for economic justice by concentrating on the issue of permanent affordable housing. He helped forge strong ties between the diocese and the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. Current Episcopal Church commitments to this important cause amount to 48 percent of investments by religious organizations. |
Ministries of the Diocese
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In 1996 Diocesan Convention affirmed that within the
Body of Christ there are many understandings of God’s gift of sexuality,
including that “there are other healthy and life-giving contexts for
sexual intimacy in commit-ted and monogamous relationships other than
marriage.” With the support of the Commission on Ministry and the Standing
Committee, Bishop Theuner ordains openly gay and lesbian clergy and
supports the blessing of same-gender partnerships. In this bicentennial year we honor our incumbent bishop’s reflections on his service among us as one of “meeting on a daily basis with joyful and hopeful people.” Bishop Theuner’s understanding of a “much broader mission field” in present-day New Hampshire inspires us to purchase gifts for children of prison inmates, to encourage our youth to be witnesses in local congregations through training in the Youth Leadership Academy, and to support relationships between congregations and refugees. We must now discern whom God is calling to help us explore new ministry opportunities and respond boldly to new challenges. In the words of Rowan Williams, Archbishop-designate of Canterbury, “The Church’s good news is that human community is possible; the Church’s challenge is in its insistence that this possibility is realized only in that giving away of power in order to nurture authority in others that is learned in the giving away of God in Jesus” (On Christian Theology). |
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