Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!porthos.rutgers.edu!christian From: lcrew@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Louie Crew) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: draft of Identity Task Force statement Message-ID: Date: 2 Nov 90 09:05:44 GMT Sender: hedrick@porthos.rutgers.edu Lines: 107 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu I am on an Identity Task Force of the Diocese of Newark and have agreed to write a draft of the portion of our Identity statement that deals with our own mission. This will follow a much longer section in which we try to define the Church, and specifically "the Episcopal Church," as we understand them. This is still rough and obviously subject to the enlarging visions of others on the Task Force. I would welcome any suggestions you might share with me of ways to make this better. Thank you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Louie Crew's Draft of the "Diocese of Newark" portion of our Task Force Document: Understanding our community as called to love the world radically, we define ourselves not as monument-makers but as tent-dwellers, focused on a new Jerusalem, a holy city, in Newark's fair and pleasant land. We on this Task Force call upon our Diocese steadfastly to commit ourselves--our time, our talents, and our dollars--to ministries of justice and compassion, not just towards other Episcopalians and not just towards other Christians, but toward the full human community for whom Christ died. We take seriously the bidding to let God's countenance be seen in our own. We worship neither a dead Jesus nor a dead book but the Word Made Flesh. We believe in the Holy Spirit, continuing God's ministry with us and through us. As did Jesus, we must not only feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and visit those who are alone, neglected, sick or in prison, but must also vigorously advocate systemic changes. Why should we in New Jersey and the United States allow so many to be homeless and hungry? How can we reverse patterns of greed and violence in our society? Our society says to many young people in Newark: Either sweep at a fast-food outlet, or take out a dealership in crack cocaine. Genera- tion of Vipers! We call upon our leaders to provide better choices. Hour by hour, minute by minute, we greedily use up our natural resources and prodigally pollute the earth, air and water. We must repent lest we perish. How can we unite rich and poor? We must promote more dialogue, more sharing, a more equitable distribution of our own resources, cultural as well as economic. It is ridiculous to dream of living in heaven with people whom we avoid on earth. As the Diocese of Newark has built schools, hospitals, hospices, AIDS ministries, oases for lesbians and gays, we call upon it to continue to manifest itself as a radical lover of the world in fresh ways: Create a Task Force of Prophecy, charged with monitoring social justice issues within the diocese. The Task Force will coordinate responses at the parochial, convocational, and diocesan levels. The Task Force will plan and coordinate at least two major public forums annually to bring together citi- zens, elected officials, civil servants, economists, and other advisors to dialogue about issues of social justice. At least one of these events will be set in the community of the poor. The Task Force will also develop a human resources list of persons in the diocese willing to witness for Diocesan concerns in various secular forums. Assign an officer of the diocese to bring together in one place for dialogue and mutual building up of the community, people from parishes diverse economically and culturally. We urge that each parish plan joint services and other types of gather- ings with another unlike parish at least quarterly. We urge clergy to swap pulpits across cultural and economic lines at regular intervals. Assign an officer of the diocese or a task force to review all the Diocese of Newark's responsibilities towards the environ- ment. This person or task force would network parishes and persons to other Christians working for the same goals; would advise parishes of policies that would make them better stew- ards; would draft official environmental policies for the Dio cese. Create an appropriate body or designate a current officer specifically to address the Diocese's role in education in general and in education specifically designed to lead our society towards a more just social order and a right use of creation. This group would look at strengthening our ties to existing educational institutions as well as recommend ties to additional institutions. E.g., Should we not establish a full- time chaplaincy to the 35,000+ students attending the three post-secondary institutions in downtown Newark? All campus ministries might develop new models more directly to engage the talents of students and faculty towards addressing social issues in addition to, or maybe instead of, serving as surrogate parishes. ============================================================================ ===== Louie Crew: lcrew@andromeda.rutgers.edu ==== ===== CompuServe No. 73517,147. FAX 201-648-5700 Attn. Conklin #156 ==== ===== Rutgers/Newark, NJ 07102 201-485-4503 h; 201-648-5434 o ==== ===== or ==== ===== Box 30, Newark, NJ 07101 ==== ============================================================================