Via Media Episcopalians from 12 dioceses met September 29 - October 1 in Dallas for the annual steering committee and general membership meeting. The theme of the meeting and workshops was Going Forward, Bearing Hope. Among the presenters were:

Pepper Marts, Steve Watson and Yoletta Garcia leading a panel discussion on Effective Press Relations; Joan Gundersen, A Primer of Church History; Creating a Culture of Peace; Christopher Wilkins, Anglicans in the 21^st Century; John Showalter, Successful Organization.

Southwest Florida Via Media Episcopalians were represented by Greg Fry, one of the members of our steering committee. The remainder of this article is drawn from his comments and reflections.

The consensus was that it was time to get off the mark and do something. There are dioceses where the stress on relationships is much greater than in ours, dioceses where property fights are in the courts, and bishops have indicated that they may take leadership in some new alignment of Anglicanism, perhaps under the auspices of the Archbishop of Nigeria as soon as November of this year. For centrist Episcopalians in those diocese, or even in our own where some priests might make the same move, knowledge of the support and solidarity of others is crucial to their survival and well-being. This is no time to be lax. For most at the meeting the sense was that the split is a question of when, not if.

Archbishop Eames, speaking at Virginia Seminary, Oct 4 and 5 (see ENS website, note 1) pointed out that it requires both parties in any dispute to work toward reconciliation. Where one party is preparing for division, there can be no reconciliation. It is that atmosphere of reality which permeated the Via Media meeting in Dallas.

Among the most significant workshops was one that focused on a crucial Via Media task: effective press relations to raise the question in the media from a new perspective. Many of us remember the comments Diana Butler Bass made at our Going Forward Conference in January at the Cathedral, reminding us that the press will pick up on the negative and the dramatic if we don=t give them a chance to see the center.

Historian Joan Gunderson (University of Pittsburgh, Visiting Scholar, Women=s Studies) presented a way of looking at the history of the church to show people that there have always been issues of authority and structure. She included illustrations from the colonial period, the early stage of development of the Episcopal Church USA and the resolution of the Civil War. An educational program could help strengthen the center of the Episcopal Church.

Noting that the House of Bishops has developed a response team of bishops and chancellors to assist in case of property disputes (see ENS website, Note 2), the national Via Media Steering Committee resolved to work closely with them rather than develop a separate task force. The Steering Committee intends to promote awareness in distressed dioceses and parishes to encourage centrist Episcopalians to be proactive in developing the legal support and paper work necessary to work closely with the House of Bishops team.

To promote solidarity and strategy Greg Fry and Central Florida representative Meg Ingalls will work with their groups to form a closer working relationship. They anticipate hosting a meeting in the Tampa area soon. This is the kind of solidarity where those in Southwest Florida may be able to support others who are facing a more difficult situation. It might be possible for us to develop teams so that centrist Episcopalians can be ministered to if a priest or parish abandons the Episcopal Church. To be proactive means we will be there to help rather than wait to see what happens when such events occur.

There was a strong sense at the meeting that now is the time for Via Media Episcopalians to be active in support of national leadership, including those who may become candidates for Presiding Bishop.

Go. Forward. Together. Now.

Notes:

1.  Eames Lectures may be found at the Episcopal News Service website:  http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_68335_ENG_HTM.htm (Lecture 1); http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_68355_ENG_HTM.htm (Lecture 2).