Friday, April 19, 2013

My Last Annual Convention


The EDWM’s 139th Convention is upon us – my last annual convention as your bishop.

When you know you’re leaving, you begin to note all the events that are last events. As I look around me at these last events, I see so many friendly and supportive faces – people I will miss. Believe it or not, I will actually miss additional conventions.

At the same time, I’m looking forward to the lasts, because there’s something calling me for the future.

On Saturday at convention, I will elaborate a little bit about what the diocese has done for me, how it has changed me, and how it has been a part of my formation and development.

Even though these are the final months of my episcopacy, they are greeted with expectation and hope for the future, not just for me, but for the diocese.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend, and hearing Margaret Marcuson’s presentation. Like me, she was a student of the great Edwin Friedman. She speaks and writes on leadership and works with faith leaders across the nation. She is both the leading Diocesan Formation Day at the Dominican Conference Center on Friday, and is our keynote speaker at the convention on Saturday. She is the author of Leaders Who Last: Sustaining Yourself and Your Ministry.

With the business of the 139th convention behind us by the end of the day Saturday, I, like many of you, look toward the Special Electing Convention to follow on May 18th, where a choice about the future of the diocese will be in the hands of the delegates elected by all the parishes in the diocese.

My hope is that it will be a spiritual event, with careful discernment about selecting your new leader, your new bishop, based on needs rather than wants, thinking and praying about how the church in western Michigan can move solidly into future mission.

I think we are on a solid ground to be able to do that.

The schedule for that day will begin with a Mass of the Holy Spirit in which our prayers and hymns will focus on awareness of the Holy Spirit within us and among us
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The electing convention will be structured in such a way that we will continue in both silent and public prayer, calling upon the Holy Spirit to help us select the person God would want as bishop in this diocese.
We will trust the decision we are making is the decision prompted by the Holy Spirit.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit will include a confession by the bishop and absolution from the people, and a confession by the people with absolution from the bishop.

The end of the Mass of the Holy Spirit will include a symbolic and liturgical ending of my episcopacy (even though I am fully aware that I have Episcopal duties that need to continue). I really want the focus of the electing convention to be on welcoming your bishop-elect, not additional good-byes to me.

The night before electing convention is a retirement celebration with hors d’oeuvres where Anne and I will greet people at 7:00 p.m. at Grace Church in Grand Rapids. In lieu of gifts, we have requested that donations be made to the Michigan tri-diocesan Dominican mission project, for the building of San Simon church and school.

The Rt. Rev. Robert R. Gepert, VIII, Western Michigan

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