"It was a lot of hard work over the years to get to this point--but we are now seeing the fruit of those labors," said Bishop Charles Keyser, suffragan for the Armed Forces, referring to a contentious meeting at the General Convention in 1991 that led to the Kanuga meetings.

"We are different because of the presiding bishop's determination that we shape a community," said Bishop Jane Dixon of Washington during interviews at the conclusion of the week-long meeting at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina.

In his opening remarks, Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning set the tone when he spoke of community as God's gift and said that it "requires enormous self-discipline and a radical obedience to how God has acted in our lives. It requires a conversion and a breaking open of our hearts."

In a letter issued March 13, the bishops said, "The call to enter into full communion with another church is a call to conversion and an opening of the heart" because the Concordat of Agreement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) "offers both of our churches an opportunity for conversion to a deeper living of the Gospel and greater transparency in fulfilling Christ's continuing ministry of reconciliation and making all things new."

After what Bishop Craig Anderson of the General Theological Seminary in New York called "two days of solid theological reflection," many bishops expressed excitement over the possibilities for mission. "The clarity was exceptional," Anderson added, "and we have the opportunity to send a message to the Lutherans."

Many bishops said that the presentation by Prof. Walter Bouman of Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, had a tremendous impact on the bishops and "we responded with unanimous support for him and for the Concordat," according to Anderson. At the end of his presentation, Bouman received a standing ovation.

A HISTORIC POSSIBILITY

Browning seemed to speak for many bishops when he said that "there was more energy in those two days than at any time I can remember at a House of Bishops meeting." A panel dealt "honestly and candidly" with some of the difficult issues posed by the Concordat, he said, but "overwhelming consensus" developed quickly.
The bishops saw the "historic possibility" in the proposals for full communion, and "a sense that this is the leading of the Holy Spirit, consistent with everything we have dreamed about and talked about in our search for unity," said Bishop Richard Shimpfky of El Camino Real. He said that the whole meeting was "astonishing," and that it "contained elements of a Pentecost."

Full communion would open a wide range of cooperation in ministry between the two churches, including interchangeability of clergy and joint consecrations of bishops. Both churches will vote on the proposals at meetings in the summer of 1997.

Keyser said, "Many of us had the feeling that we had been in the presence of the holy...it was a moment of grace."

Some bishops warned about the wider implications of the decision. "If it is turned down, it could be an ecumenical disaster," said Bishop Alden Hathaway of Pittsburgh. "If we don't take this step into the future we would lose something that would be difficult to regain."

A DIFFERENT FOCUS

When asked why this particular meeting seemed so positive, several bishops said one of the reasons is a change of focus, what Bishop Christopher Epting of Iowa called an "outward-focus." The 128 bishops who participated were able to develop "energy and passion around issues that we live with all the time, rather than dwelling on issues that divide us." This Kanuga meeting made it clear that "community grows out of mission," Shimpfky added, and that many of the recent controversies have "distracted us from our mission."
"The House of Bishops meeting in Portland last fall was a clear sign that we are ready to move on," Epting said. Bishop Chester Talton of Los Angeles contended that much of the energy at Kanuga was the direct result of the "breakthrough" in Portland.

Not everyone would agree that the Portland meeting was that kind of breakthrough. Six bishops wrote to Browning to say that they would not attend the Kanuga meeting to protest the action of the bishops in Portland to endorse enforcement of the canon on the ordination of women in all dioceses. "Some of our brothers have chosen not to come," Browning said in his opening remarks. "Some who have made that decision have done so because they are hurting and do not feel they have a place here," he said. "They do have a place here," he contended, adding that it was "healthy" to acknowledge "a breach in our community and pray about it."

The bishops opened the Kanuga meeting with a discussion of why some colleagues had chosen not to come, expressing a variety of feelings. Keyser said that the bishops "felt diminished by their absence" but Dixon, "We made a choice that community was shaped by who came to Kanuga."

"The conveners of the table groups dealt with those who were not present and concluded that we had to claim the community that was present," said Bishop Jack McKelvey of Newark.

Shimpfky stressed that it would be "a big mistake," and a "sick conclusion," to suggest that the success of this Kanuga meeting had anything to do with a boycott by conservative bishops. "Those who weren't here will get the message" that the bishops have moved beyond treating each other "like enemies."

Bishop Alden Hathaway of Pittsburgh agreed that "this house moved light years in this single week" but admitted that he is worried about "bringing on board those who weren't present."

The bishops committed themselves to personal contacts with those who weren't present to interpret what happened.

RACISM DISCUSSION MOVES TO DEEPER LEVEL

As part of its six-year commitment to work together in a fight against the sin of racism, the bishops were led in a day-long workshop by the Rev. Ed Rodman of Massachusetts and Dr. Peggy McIntosh of Wellesley College.
"The Color of Fear," a video exploration of racism in the lives of a racially diverse group of men in California, was used as the basis of reflections in the small groups.

While acknowledging that the emphasis on racism had sometimes been a struggle, Bishop Sam Hulsey of Northwest Texas said that "this was the very best effort of all--a very special time." Anderson said that the video and the presentation by the two leaders took the discussions to "a new depth."

"We must follow up on the insights, especially regarding the insidious nature of white privilege," said Bishop Robert Ihloff of Maryland. Bishop Charlie McNutt added that the timing seemed right for both the Concordat and the discussion on racism.

Keyser said that the "deeper sense of community," developed since the confrontation in 1991, "allowed us to enter into both issues." Whitaker agreed, adding that the bishops "found a liberation in being able to address these issues, with an enormous amount of energy and good resources."

Many of the bishops interviewed said that "miniversities" that pulled together groups of bishops around some very practical topics added a great deal to the overall success of the meeting.

"It was exciting to hear what is happening--and what is possible," said Bishop Russell Jacobus of Fond du Lac. "They helped us see that there are so many wonderful things happening around the church--and they helped raise the energy level," added Epting. "We all went home with lots of names and resources which we can use in the future," said McKelvey.

The topics of the miniversities were congregational development, youth, models for ministry, vision, and public witness.