Convention Theme Letter from Bishop Bennison
Commemoration of William Tyndale
October 6, 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The theme of the 227th Diocesan Convention will be our final promise in the Baptismal Covenant: to “Respect the dignity of every human being.”
The theme is suggested by our gathering on November 6, our Church’s day for the Commemoration of William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury. At the foundation of Temple’s Christian faith and theological writing was the profound conviction that, because in Jesus Christ God dwelt among us, “the personality of every man and woman is sacred.”
The theme is highly appropriate during a time of tension within our diocese, and it addresses a political culture in both church and state that, amid recurrent Islamophobia, homophobia, and anti-immigrant sentiment, now cries out for providential civility and mutual respect on the part of all of us.
In the month between today and November 6 when we come together as clergy and delegates, please use the following intercession in your daily private and common prayer:
O God, in your Word you have given us a vision of that Holy City to which the peoples of the Earth bring their glory: Behold and visit us who will take counsel for the renewal and mission of your Church. Renew the ties of mutual respect which form our diocesan life. Enable us through our different backgrounds, and differing talents, to find with one another the fulfillment of our Baptismal Covenant. Teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I look forward to greeting each and every one of you at Convention.
Faithfully,
Charles E. Bennison, Jr.
