Let us pray.
“Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.” (BCP p245)

This prayer on the occasion of All Saints Day is a reminder of how mystically and wonderfully our lives are connected with one another and all the saints of God in every generation. Through Jesus Christ and his Church, we are linked across time, traditions, and generations to a community of people who are called to worship God and discern and respond to God’s will in our pilgrimage through life.

Blessings:

Here in our own diocese in Oregon, we are blessed indeed with a great cloud of witnesses who have faithfully labored in the vineyard of our Lord and left behind a legacy of love and faithfulness. Thanks to God and the labors of those before us and those now among us, our diocese is ushering in a season of new beginnings and new possibilities. Together we have begun a journey that is more focused on realizing the Misseo Dei, The Mission of God, in our midst. The Mission of God is to seek our salvation and reconcile all of humanity with God, through Jesus Christ. I am so pleased and thankful to learn of so many of our congregations re-energized with new life and vitality with a clearer sense of missional thinking in defining their common life. St. Gabriel’s in Portland continues to revitalize many aspects of congregational life. St. John the Baptist in Portland has reorganized is common life to be more focused on missional goals and priorities. Grace Church, Astoria, is blessed to begin a new preschool as Good Samaritan in Corvalis seeks to expand educational and formational opportunities to older children. St. Timothy’s in Brookings, Good Shepherd in Prospect, and St. Luke’s in Grants Pass offer a few examples of faithfulness and dedication to worship and community amid challenging local economies. Indeed, so many of our churches are experiencing some form of significant renewal and transformation as many others are preparing and working toward realizing them in a significant way.

In general terms across the board our rate of increase in terms of membership has stabilized with a gradual trend upward, however, there is much more work to be done here. In terms of financial commitment we have shown a general increase in congregational support to our churches, although the challenging part of this picture remains the fact that costs associated with organizing ourselves as churches are rising faster than the income available. Indeed, in the area of stewardship, there is much more work to be done, especially as it relates to our Christian understanding of the concept of tithing and our responsibility for supporting the ministries of Christ’s church in this day and age.

One significant blessing that we have realized is the gift of our first Missioner to Youth, Young Adults, and colleges and universities throughout our state. We are blessed to have Catherine Healy among us and look forward to her service in working with congregations and communities throughout our diocese. I am also thankful to another colleague, Canon George Hemingway, who has also been actively traveling throughout the diocese to help congregation use demographic tools in the preparation of their own mission plans.

Challenges:

As a national Church we have had many challenging moments and continue to experience some fragmentation and division over a variety of concerns.
As you may know, The Archbishop of Canterbury, members of the Anglican Consultative Council, and certain Primates of the Anglican Communion joined the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church at its regularly scheduled meeting for a time of common prayer, mutual sharing, and careful reflection on topics related to Anglican theology, ecclesiology, and polity. Considerable time was spent in responding to some of the questions and concerns raised by Anglican Communion partners around the world who are at odds with the actions of some dioceses of the Episcopal Church around interpretation of scripture, certain aspects of ecclesiology, issues of human sexuality and other issues on which there is a lack of common consensus or shared understanding.

In general, I felt that the meeting was a positive one with many opportunities for candid sharing and reflection. On many occasions it was stressed that as The Episcopal Church, we live in the context of community and that we would commit ourselves to finding new ways to strengthen our own Christian witness and relationships as a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican communion of Churches.

As a diocese we have also had to deal with many challenges that reflect the financial realities of our time. A special task force worked with the Board of Trustees for well over a year and was engaged in intensive study and fact-finding to carefully assess our camping facility at Triangle Lake. This broadly representative group from many parts of our diocese came to understand that camping ministries should continue to be a priority in our diocese; however, our current facility at Triangle Lake would not be the most appropriate means of realizing this because of financial considerations. At the same time, a very fruitful conversation with ecumenical partners, most notably the United Methodist Church, emerged. In this regard, a plan had been proposed and approved by the Triangle Lake Task Force, The Finance Committee, The Trustees, Standing Committee, and The Bishop to broaden camping opportunities with the United Methodist Church at multiple locations throughout our state while concurrently proceeding toward the sale of our existing facility which now and for a long time in the past, has lacked the necessary income to insure effective operations. More will be shared about this by the members of the task force.

Our global landscape has also experienced many challenges. The global credit crisis has created considerable stress in the housing market and related industries. Rising costs and lack of access to affordable medical care is increasingly reaching crisis proportions in many segments of our society, most notably the working poor. War and civil conflict in many regions throughout the world pose significant challenges to national sovereignty and issues related to national security. Indeed, as a nation we are increasingly becoming a more diverse and complex society and people. Despite our shortcomings and faults, we are blessed to part of a community that affirms democratic principles and those inalienable human rights that affirm the dignity of every human being. Recent political events in the near and far east have contributed to heightened anxiety about the direction of our foreign and military policy initiatives. The pursuit of peace in light of national security concerns has never offered easy answers or solutions.

During this season of remembrance, may we be intentional in praying for our country, our President, the Congress, and all those in positions of public trust, that their efforts to guide the public policies of this land may be informed by God’s wisdom and grace. In our defense and pursuit of national self interest, may we also be guided by those principles that ensure international peace and security and focus on realizing the public good. And in our defense of freedom, may we more fully embrace the responsibilities associated with this gift of freedom, to be an agent for good in the public and private realms of lives as a nation.

As we are ever mindful of those who have died in service to our country in recent years, may we resolve to do our part in sacrificing the best of our life and labor to our Lord and to the communities in which we live and work. As we enjoy the blessings of liberty in this land, may we hold in prayer those whose sacrifices embolden us to be agents of Christ’s redeeming love.

As I have noted on many previous occasions, it is my hope and prayer that the overall theme of Renewal and Transformation will be the goal that defines our common life together in this diocese and that more specifically we will seek to realize these goals through a concerted commitment to three fundamental principles: Christian Discipleship, Mission, and Evangelism. These themes have a deep biblical and Christo-centric context, and should be before us in our prayers, petitions, and plans for ministry in our local and diocesan settings. These themes, should offer us the lens through which we can better identify needs and channel our energy and resources.

As mentioned before, Christian Discipleship demands that we commit our lives to being followers of Jesus Christ. Christian Discipleship involves developing a personal and corporate rule of life and identifying a philosophy of life that governs our behavior. Christian discipleship requires that we model our life in ways that draw new disciples to Jesus.

The Mission of the Church is to recognize the Christ in others and to make Christ known to all people. Bringing the presence of Christ into the world has internal and external, local and global components. All components coexist in balance and none exists mutually without the other. As a missionary people we are called to share the joy of Christ within us with others in search of life with true meaning through deeds of sacrificial and self-less service to others.

Evangelism involves an intentional means through which we share our Christian faith with others, especially with those who may have no faith tradition at all. Evangelism involves equipping Christians with tools to share their own personal stories and experiences. It teaches Christians about faith formation through acts and offerings of Christian commitment. It promotes a climate of joy and enthusiasm in living as a disciple of Jesus and finding ways to share this joy with others in a proactive way.

Companion Diocese

Thanks to the Leadership of a very capable and hardworking Companion Diocese committee, our diocese continues to maintain a very fruitful relationship with the Diocese of Madhya Kerala in the Church of South India. The Bishop and clergy of that diocese have on many occasions expressed their joy and appreciation for our visits and conversations. Plans are underway to explore mutually supportive witnessing relationship between some schools and health care institutions of both dioceses. I am especially thankful for the efforts of our leadership team co-chairs, Dean Bill Lupfer and Mrs. Anne McCollom for their hard work in these areas. Later in the convention, some members of this committee will be sharing news of some ongoing efforts.

Visioning Process

As you well know, for the past few years our diocese has been engaged in a visioning process that brings together the mandate from the Great Commission of Jesus, themes around Christian Discipleship, Mission, and Evangelism, and the unique missional opportunities and challenges in the Diocese of Oregon. I am very thankful to the many people throughout our diocese who have contributed to this important work, and especially for the leadership of Deacon Janis Hansen and so many others who will be sharing this information later in our convention program. This work represents a direction and opportunity for moving forward to accomplish the work of God in this
portion of our Lord’s Vineyard.

Children’s Advocacy Day at Pioneer Square

This past year has been filled with many wonderful and invigorating surprises. Earlier this spring the Diocese of Oregon and the Oregon Synod of the ELCA took over Pioneer Square in Portland, for a day of focusing on the health care and social needs of children and young adults. Our Children’s Advocacy Day in represented a wonderful opportunity for evangelism and ecumenical Christian witness, and I am so thankful to our staff colleague Barbara Ross, and Leslie Sackett our co-chair of the Peace and Justice Committee for their very important leadership along with so many others throughout our diocese in making this truly remarkable event possible.

Thanks to God our Diocese has been blessed with a number of people who are truly committed to respond to a variety of human needs and humanitarian crises all around the world. I am so very thankful to all of our churches and their leadership in supporting the important humanitarian relief efforts of Episcopal Relief and Development and Church World Service, most notably in their response to recent humanitarian crises that have developed in our own country and in different places around the world. The Health and Hygiene kits represent an important way of responding to some very practical and real human needs. The water bottles filled with coins and currency represent the commitment of CWS and ERD in providing leadership on the protection and preservation of water as an important natural resource that sustains all of life. Several groups in our diocese including our Peace & Justice, Environmental, Christian Education, and Youth Ministries are working together to raise awareness of the need for clean water. Our goal is for our 2007 convention to collect $2,250, which is enough to bring clean water to three communities of the world—wells in Asia, one in Africa, and one in Latin America.

Call for Missional Catechists

One of the hopes and dreams that I hope that we may accomplish in our diocese is the creation of missional catechists who would work with lay and clergy leaders in various churches throughout our diocese to be more effective heralds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Commission on Ministry and most notably the Committee for Baptismal Ministry Development has been working hard to explore ways in which missional catechists can be employed to support ministries in a variety of settings where clergy leadership may not be readily available. Missional catechists are commonly used in many provinces throughout the Anglican Communion to foster church growth and Christian discipleship.

Essentially, missional catechists would be Lay teachers with a missional intent and vision who are passionate about discipleship and evangelism, and capable of encouraging this in others; They would be servant teachers who are ready to become an integral part with the social group to which they are called; They would be called to be relatively mobile teachers ready to be assigned to do catechesis outside their own parish; They would also equipped to become lay theologians who are theologically sound and effective communicators of our Anglican/Episcopal tradition in our 21st Century post-modern context. I am especially thankful for the leadership of Prof. Dale Cannon and Canon George Hemingway in their leadership of these efforts.

Diocesan Partnerships in Ministry

As a diocese we are blessed to have as part of our family a wonderful network of educational, health care, and social service institutions that enable us to fulfill our Christian witness to a much broader community.

Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center

As the flagship of the five-hospital network comprising Samaritan Health Services, Good Samaritan continues to play a vital role in our service area of Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties. As one of Oregon’s three Level 2 trauma centers, Good Samaritan cares for among the most critically ill and injured in our region, and that growing presence is placing increasing strain on our facilities and equipment. Several projects are planned or currently underway to address those needs:

• A major expansion to Good Samaritan’s Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit will be underway this fall. The changes will double the size of both areas, with larger and more private treatment rooms and more comfortable public space.
• Also at Good Sam, groundbreaking has taken place on a two-story professional building to house an ambulatory surgery center and additional medical offices. In nearby north Albany, a three-story medical office building opened this summer that also houses the region’s first open MRI technology as well as an expanded Women’s Imaging Center and cancer resource center.
• As part of our commitment to address ongoing workforce development needs, in June we began a partnership with the Pomona-based Western University of Health Sciences to help train physicians. Currently, 12 third-year osteopathic medicine students are completing one-year clinical rotations in our three Valley-area communities. Within the next two years, the partnership is expected to expand to include residency training, which we anticipate will result in more physicians choosing to settle in our area.

Plans are underway to double the size of Samaritan Regional Cancer Center and enhance support services including the addition of clinical trials.

• Samaritan continues to invest in its local community through its Social Accountability Budget, which allocates up to 10 percent of annual revenues to support local health initiatives. In 2007-08, more than $500,000 (half of which was for the Corvallis/Benton County area) will be given to efforts including the Healthy Start program for newborns and parents, and to support local free clinics and medical safety net services.
• Gifts and grants continue to provide generous support throughout the region. In 2006, gifts totaled nearly $3.3 million.

Legacy Health System

The Hospital Chaplains of Good Samaritan, Portland, include three Episcopal priests in the Diocese of Oregon. They have worked this year to improve materials and approaches to the Hospital's bereavement care ... the care of families and close friends of those who have died; they have provided a monthly memorial service for all families who lost a loved one at Good Sam in the month prior to the service; they have worked to improve and fully participate in the palliative and comfort care of those who are dying both at Good Samaritan as well as Legacy's hospice Hopewell House; and they have continued to support 24/7 patients and their families from all faiths and walks of life in addressing the spiritual concerns around their health or health crisis. Moreover, the department of Spiritual Care looks after all 1,600 employees of the hospitals, many who must face challenging personal problems.

Oregon Episcopal School

The 2006-2007 school year was a time of transition for OES as the Board conducted a nationwide search for a new head of school. The search proved fruitful with the selection of Matthew H. Hanly to lead OES into the future. Matthew came from the University Liggett School in Michigan, where he served as head of school for 14 years. The school also found a new head chaplain for the coming year, the Rev. Phillip Craig, who came to OES from the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

While the administration was in transition, students continued to excel in every aspect of their educations, from academics to athletics and the art. Students received accolades for their fine science research and for their performance on Advanced Placement tests. Musical groups brought home awards from several competitions, and the school received a grant to purchase a concert grand harp, for which St. John the Baptist parish generously provided a practice room. Athletic teams won state championships in boys soccer, Middle School boys basketball, and boys tennis.

During the Christmas season, students collected and wrapped 500 gifts for families of students at Vose Elementary School, a predominantly Hispanic public school in Beaverton. For nine years, OES students have partnered with students at Vose to learn about each other’s culture and perspectives on the world. Last year 45 Upper School students volunteered as tutors for 55 Vose students, giving over 1,100 hours during which they developed important mentoring relationships and helped the Vose students grow academically.

Trinity Cathedral

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral has had a vigorous ministry this year. The Cathedral has reconnected with its mission ministry in Honduras, sending 25 youth and adults for eight days of latrine and school building. The Center for Spiritual Development has led two pilgrimages this year, one to Ireland and another one to Turkey. The Cathedral family has fed 15,000 hungry people in the neighborhood. It has also hosted many musical events. As it looks to the future to more effectively reach out to younger families, it is also actively discerning how it can partner with our Hispanic friends in the diocese.

William Temple House

During the last 12 months, William Temple House has served 2,395 people through our mental health counseling program and 12,763 people through our emergency social services program—a total of 15,158 primary clients.

Because its services are aimed at helping working poor families, its counseling, food, clothing, health and hygiene services impact 28,042 family members in the course of one year.

Highlights of the past year include: (1) partnering with Saints Peter and Paul in East Portland on a family dentistry program; (2) building a partnership with Saint John the Evangelist in Milwaukie to open a children’s clothing closet; (3) completing its third year of social services at William Temple House West, a partnership with All Saints Episcopal Church in Hillsboro; (4) completing its fifth year of social services in North Portland, in partnership with Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church; (5) exploring a possible partnership with Saint Barnabas in McMinnville; and (6) staging its fourth successful croquet and wine benefit at the Close, called Wickets & Wine.

Holy Family Fellowship

The Holy Family Fellowship is a new area of ministry that many people in our diocese have prayerfully considered and encouraged. Given the fact that our state has among the highest proportion of persons with little or no religious affiliation, this represents a wonderful missionary opportunity. First beginning with a church potluck and worship service in a home on Sunday evenings three to four Sundays a month, this prayer fellowship has become more focused in its desire to organize itself as a worshipping community that responds to the spiritual needs of the growing neighborhoods in Happy Valley in Clackamas County. Under the facilitation of the Rev. Julie Smith, Missioner for Church Development, together they have discerned through prayer and study a call to common mission with Creator Lutheran Church in Clackamas. Steps are now underway to formalize this mission between our diocese and Lutheran synod representatives. A collaborative ‘family friendly’ Sunday evening service is held monthly at Creator Lutheran with a plan to expand to every Sunday in 2008.

Thanksgiving to Colleagues in Ministry

None of our ministries are offered in a vacuum. They are supported and made possible through the dedicated efforts of hardworking persons. I am especially thankful for the faithful and dedicated service of my staff colleagues at the Bishop’s Close who have so faithfully labored with the particulars of this convention gathering and so many other details of our common life. Their efforts are not often noticed, recognized, or fully appreciated, but I know I that I join with you in sharing my profound gratitude for their dedication and commitment to serving the many churches and organizations that comprise our diocese. I am especially thankful for the leadership of Canon Weldon and Lanny and Barbara Collins with a variety of complex administrative and financial responsibilities. I am very thankful to our planning team members with the leadership of Mark Olsen who has worked so very hard to organize the details and particulars of this convention. I am also most appreciative for the work of the deans of our diocese for their stellar leadership in encouraging our churches and communities to be even more active heralds of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are especially blessed to have Bishop Brauer-Rieke of Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who kindly graced us with his presence as our speaker. May I also share my thanks and appreciation for good wishes and greetings of Bishop Robert Hoshibata, of the United Methodist Churches whose leadership has been a special blessing to our diocesan family as we explore new opportunities for ecumenical engagement and the support of common ministries.

Opportunities for the Future:

In the times to come we will have many new opportunities to consider the mission of God in our local, regional, national, and global settings. As we continue to prepare for the future, I ask that we continually redirect our energies to more fully realizing the Great of Commission of Jesus and our common focus on Christian Discipleship, Mission, and Evangelism. In this regard, the following outline can be used for our common reflection:

Preparing for the Future:

Christian Discipleship: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?
Mission: What is the mission of the Church?
Evangelism: How do we share the Good News?

• We are called to be catalysts for Transformation
• We are One Diocese with multiple mission outposts
• We are called to thinking of ourselves as a missionary people

New Opportunities:

• Continue to encourage Holy Family Episcopal Fellowship in Happy Valley
• Examine Opportunities for new plants in Sherwood, Keizer, White City, and elsewhere

Areas of Focus: Mission, Congregational Relations, Resource Development

Mission

• Teaching and creating a missionary mindset
• Teaching catechumenate
• Teaching evangelism
• Strengthening relations with institutions and structures which further the work of the church locally and beyond
• Fostering ecumenical relationships in ministry
• Teaching Multiculturalism – what does it mean and how do we realize this in the context of mission?

Congregational Relations

• How to become a stronger community of Prayer
• Development of a common identity
• DPA as a mechanism of aligning resources to mission and common objectives
• What does congregational renewal and transformation require? What has happened, is happening, or needs to happen?
• Multiculturalism – planting and supporting multi-cultural congregations

Resource Development

• Prayerful support, education, and technical assistance to congregations
• Supporting and encouraging structures to do mission
• Alignment with General Convention Goals: Come and Grow
• Development

As a diocese we need to create a new culture in mission and ministry. Creating a new culture and mindset is perhaps one of the most challenging tasks before us. We must be willing to think and relate to one another differently, always placing the mind and spirit of Jesus Christ before us. We must create a culture that affirms our unity as a single faith community whose members worship in a variety of mission fields throughout Western Oregon. We need to identify ourselves as a missionary community that commits ourselves to building community, creating new disciples, and creating both personal and systemic transformations.

In the midst of so many pressing demands on our time, our talents, and our treasure, I pray that the mind of Jesus Christ will continue to direct all our conversations and our doings. We should always let the gift of gracious and generous Spirit direct our common life as a community of God’s people, here in the Diocese of Oregon.

May Almighty God continue to abundantly bless us all.

Let us pray:

Collect for the Mission of the Church

“O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you, bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (BCP p257)

The Right Reverend Johncy Itty, D.D., Ph.D
IXth Bishop of Oregon