The Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, the twenty-sixth Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, announced, in her Sermon at General Convention’s Opening Eucharist, that the Episcopal Church in the Philippines “will present a gift to our church in gratitude for our continuing covenant relationship, as a sign of the strong and growing heart in that Church, eager to reach out to others in love. It is a sacrificial gift, and it will bring abundant life to both donor and recipient.”
The ECP gift was a small amount of $5,000.00 composed of contributions from various local congregations given as a token of friendship and solidarity with The Episcopal Church in the face of the present global economic recession. Thus was the ECP transformed from being a missionary church to an autonomous province; from being a receiving church to a giving church. Towards the closing of General Convention, Resolution A190 was passed commending the ECP for its faithful and sacrificial accomplishment of financial and missional autonomy and directing the TEC’s Executive Council to work with the Joint Committee on the Philippine Covenant in developing a charter for future cooperation between the two fully autonomous Provinces of the Anglican Communion for the sake of their common heritage and history.
Thus should Vision 2018 inspire us day by day as we seek to attain that desired status of being a “Dynamic and Vibrant Church of Caring, Witnessing and Mission-Oriented Parishes”. The adjectives preceding the word “parishes” describe the spirituality and the values that self-supporting congregations should embrace. Our being caring, witnessing and mission-oriented parishes should take us beyond the confines of our communities, as it commands us to reach out not only to those within the church but perhaps more especially to those who require spiritual nurture, community empowerment, companionship in many forms, and perhaps other services that we may capable of providing. So shall be go forth: caring, witnessing and doing God’s mission with truth, honesty and integrity. As the opportunity arises, there should we respond.
22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful (2Timothy2:22-24)
Transforming TEC-ECP relations from "COVENANT" TO "COMPANIONSHIP"
On the eve of its autonomy in May 1990, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines entered into a Covenant with The Episcopal Church [TEC], then known as ECUSA or the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. The Covenant, approved by both churches in 1988, defined the relationship between the two churches after the ECP achieves autonomy and until such time that it becomes financially self-supporting. On December 31, 2007, the annual grant subsidy of TEC to the ECP finally ended and so the Covenant was also deemed concluded.
At a joint meeting of the Commissions of the ECP held April 2009, the bishops and other representatives of the dioceses resolved to collectively offer prayers and to designate one Sunday plate offerings as a gift to The Episcopal Church [TEC] as it meets for its 76th General Convention in July 2009. This action of the national Church followed an earlier resolution of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Philippines at its Convention held April 2009, calling for the same offering. Consequently, the various local churches held their respective prayerful celebrations in thanksgiving for TEC’s nurturance of the ECP for more than a hundred years and collected a total sum of $5,000 (in Philippine peso) from offerings.
Companionship as Living Together in Shared Faith and Hope
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Despite the cheerless impressions of that rainy afternoon, the neglected, attic-like confusion of my quarters, the lack of ordinary conveniences, the bath-tub unattached to any pipe and propped on four blocks high enough so that could be drained with a pail, despite having to anchor my socks out of reach of rats, I knew, even while the rain dripped at the windows, that I was home.”
