The Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen
Bishop of Maine
October 2003
Message from
Bishop Chilton Knudsen
Amongst the many written reflections which have been circulating since our General Convention, I found these:
We acknowledge a variety of differences among faithful Episcopalians, and we are grateful to be members of a church that not only welcomes but joyfully accommodates such a broad spectrum of perspectives and opinions….
While we pledge ourselves to meaningful study and dialogue about many issues facing the world today, including issues of human sexuality, such study and dialogue will not dominate our life as a church. Following the example of Jesus and inspired by the Holy Spirit, we are continuing our tradition of addressing a variety of concerns, including homelessness, hunger, poverty, education, racism, violence and the stigma of mental illness, to name just a few…[W]e want all people to know what we so deeply and joyfully feel;
that God is at work in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and that those concerns that occasionally divide us are secondary to the deeper fundamentals that unite us.
Chief among those fundamentals, we believe, is the Truth revealed to us in the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus Christ – the unconditional love of God for all people and God’s desire to draw all people to God’s self. Wherever you might be in your spiritual pilgrimage, the Episcopal Church welcomes you.
Statement from the Bishop, Clergy and
Church Leaders
Diocese of West Tennessee
Anglican Communion News Service 3553, 14 August 2003
Amen and amen! Many of you have been in touch with me to express your views about General Convention’s decisions. Strong attendance, heartfelt worship and candid conversation are happening everywhere. Anguished shock and grateful rejoicing, sorrow and celebration — and all manner of feelings in between — are present within our congregations. This is a time to pray, to reflect on the beliefs we hold, to talk with charity and candor, and to minister compassionately to all, whether we agree or disagree on the important issues with which we struggle.
By the time you read this, we will have begun our scheduled Town Meetings at several locations within the diocese. These are times to listen, to explore essential matters of faith, and to pray together. We are committed to cherish one another in the diversity of our convictions, and to faithfully fulfill the ministry of Christ, as these ancient words express it:
Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake.
- The Office of Compline
Book of Common Prayer, page 134
As disciples of Christ, this ministry is our calling and our obligation. The weary, the suffering and the joyous are very much in our midst at this demanding moment of our baptismal lives. They are also in the world outside our church doors, and God’s grace is all-sufficient for the work we have been given to do. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the grace and power of Christ,
+CHILTON