In its first in-person assembly since September of 2019, The Episcopal Church House of Bishops gathered March 15-21, 2022, at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas, for its traditional spring retreat. In addition to their primary activities of fellowship, study, prayer, and Sabbath, the 133 bishops and bishops-elect present held a business meeting the morning of March 19 that included the passage of pastoral statements/resolutions on the war in Ukraine and anti-trans legislation in various states.
Statement by the bishops on the war against Ukraine
The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, introduced the statement on Ukraine on behalf of the Rt. Rev. Mark Edington, bishop in charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, whose arrival at the gathering was delayed due to supporting churches in the region serving an influx of Ukrainian refugees.
The statement follows an Executive Council resolution from January 2022 expressing grave concern about escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia and speaks to the current moment, identifying “a direct link between our baptismal covenant to respect the dignity of all people in Christ and the demand to respect the will of nations to determine their own destiny—the rule of jus cogens, in international law—when expressed freely in the ballot box.”
The bishops denounced Russian attacks on civilians, including “civilian residences, medical facilities, even agreed corridors for the humanitarian withdrawal of civilians in areas of combat,” and described these actions as a flagrant breach of international norms.
Anti-transgender response of the bishops
Turning to other recent events, the bishops acknowledged, in a pastoral statement/resolution, the context of meeting in Texas three weeks after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called upon citizens to report parents pursuing gender-affirming medical care for their transgender children. The Rt. Rev. Kai Ryan, bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, introduced the statement, and the bishops debated at some length whether to name specific states proposing anti-trans legislation or to cast broadly in anticipation of likely future bills.
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Doyle, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, urged the group to consider the importance of naming specific instances of bigotry and mentioned the support he personally felt in recent weeks knowing The Episcopal Church stands up for the protection and inclusion of transgender people.
The bishops unanimously affirmed this perspective in their resolution, which further states:
[We] voice love and continued support for all persons who identify as transgender or non-binary and their families. We decry legislative initiatives and governmental actions targeting trans children and their families. We urge all in our church to create safe spaces and shield all people from harassment based on gender identity.
Resolution adopted by the House of Bishops
Several bishops spoke as parents and grandparents of trans and non-binary children in affirming their support for the statement.
80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church
Heading into The Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention in July 2022, the House of Bishops will include 39 new voting members since the 79th General Convention in 2018, and the bishops were introduced to a legislation-tracking spreadsheet tool to assist in their committee processes.
The Rt. Rev. John Taylor, bishop of Los Angeles, introduced a pastoral letter in response to B003—a 2018 resolution on Jerusalem—that focuses on the hope of the holy city as well as possible new coalitions and partnerships in the region with whom the church may continue to work for peace and reconciliation.
Other actions by the bishops
The House of Bishops Committee on Resignations also presented and passed a proposal to re-admit the Rt. Rev. Whayne Hougland, former bishop of the dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan, as a non-voting member of the house. The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, bishop for pastoral development, praised this moment of reconciliation as an example of “living into the highest ideals of our Title IV process.”
On Sunday, March 20, the House of Bishops changed gears from originally planned programming when guest speaker Pádraig Ó Tuama was unable to attend due to a personal emergency. Five bishops from the dioceses of Olympia, Maryland, Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, Colombia, and South Carolina offered a variety of stories from their dioceses of the difficult, painful—but essential—work of truth and reconciliation.
Lambeth Conference, a once-a-decade gathering of bishops from across the Anglican Communion, will be held July 26 to August 8, 2022, in Canterbury, England. The Episcopal bishops discussed their anticipated involvement Monday, March 21, with particular attention to logistics and some discussion of objectives.
House of Bishops
The second house, along with the House of Deputies, of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. The House of Bishops is composed of all bishops, active and retired, of the church. It meets concurrently with the House of Deputies during General Convention. The House of Bishops also holds yearly meetings between conventions.
From House of Bishops.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6210 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
