Disciple: A Time of Transitions

By The Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple, Canon Catherine Massey, the Most Rev. Michael Curry

CAN I GET A WITNESS?

- By the Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple

The past 15-plus years have been a quite a ride for the Diocese of North Carolina. We have witnessed the rise of a remarkable Christian leader in our beloved diocesan Bishop Curry. Now Michael Bruce Curry has been called to go forth and proclaim the Good News in other parts of God’s holy vineyard. He has been called to go and share his witness to the plains, the mountains, the valleys and the streets across our country and throughout the world.

But what about us? What about those who are feeling slightly left behind? What about Galilee and radical welcome and the missionary Diocese of North Carolina?

We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t admit just a little bit of worry, a touch of anxiety, maybe even a deep-down note of fear. What if things all fall apart?

As St. Paul once said, “God forbid!” As Jesus has promised, “I will not leave you comfortless.” As Julian of Norwich reminded us, “All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

Diocese of North Carolina: we are going to be just fine! We are blessed with a great abundance of gifts – first and foremost in the faith, creativity and energy of our people. One of the great achievements of the last 15 years is the collaborative approach your diocesan staff takes to mission and ministry. We are well prepared to move through the upcoming transition and carry on with the missionary spirit of Galilee. Because of our team structure and regional deployment, we are able to adapt to each challenge in a variety of ways, deploying various staff members according to the particular reasons and seasons. Transition is a season to give witness to the faith that is within us, as well as the faith Bishop Curry has in us. This is our time to demonstrate that the Diocese of North Carolina is in the vanguard of the “Jesus Movement” Bishop Curry is extolling the whole world to hear, see and join.

Because Bishop Curry would tell us it has never been about him; it has always been about following Jesus.

For the next 18 months or so, until we elect and consecrate a new bishop diocesan, I will serve as the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese of North Carolina. This is a role the bishop suffragan is allowed to assume under the canons — or laws — of our diocese. This means while we don’t have a bishop diocesan, we do have someone responsible for the episcopal duties described in our Constitution and Canons. I will have the title Bishop Pro Tem, a way of saying bishop for a temporary period. Since I have tenure as a bishop suffragan, I will return to that role when we elect a new bishop diocesan. The call of a bishop suffragan is a willingness to step up when necessary and step back when needed. I am ready and willing to do so.

We will shortly be announcing the addition of an assisting bishop to our staff for the interim period. [Read the announcement.] This will be a bishop who has retired from duties as a bishop diocesan in another part of The Episcopal Church. This bishop will bring a wealth of experience as well as fresh perspective to help us chart the way ahead. We are still going to Galilee. We have started many new endeavors as well as renewed the energy of our current congregations. This is no time to stop, though it is a time to be quite judicious in the balance between starting new ministries and strengthening the existing ones.

I, like many of you, was not surprised that Bishop Curry asked the Rev. Canon Michael Buerkel Hunn to join him as a canon to the Presiding Bishop. This makes all the sense in the world, yet also opens up another tender spot of grief and loss. Michael Hunn is a disciple of enormous faith and gifts. The degree to which your diocesan staff has become more available to the churches of our diocese is due in no small part to his tireless dedication to team building, innovation and responsiveness to emerging issues in the diocese and the wider church.

Despite the fact Canon Hunn will be greatly missed, we have another staff person ready and willing to step up. For the last three years Canon Hunn has been joined in his work by Catherine Massey in her role as deputy transition officer. As many of you know, Catherine is a wealth of knowledge and “get it done” energy. Her organizational skills are outstanding. During our interim period, Catherine will become the Canon for Transition and Pastoral Ministries.

To our great good fortune, our Canon for Administration, Marlene Weigert, will continue to lead our outstanding administrative staff. Canon Weigert continues to adeptly navigate the complexities of insurance, finance, human resources, property management and so much more. The phrase“administrative staff” just doesn’t capture the passion and commitment and wisdom our employees bring to the work of keeping us dynamic and effective agents of ministry. The entire diocesan staff, regional canons, missioners for youth and young adults, and the communications team will continue their outstanding contributions to the vitality of this diocese. The Standing Committee, Diocesan Council and the Trustees, as well as our numerous commissions and committees, will make sure that we remain focused upon serving God, loving our neighbors and shining with the light of Christ.

Things are changing. They will not be the same. Some exhilarating times are now part of history, and it is time for us to look to the needs of the present and the promise of the future. The earliest apostles and disciples knew a great deal about bidding one another farewell as they embarked upon various paths. Some stayed close to Jerusalem, others were called to great distances. They remained faithful in the prayers and the breaking of bread. They remained constant in learning and discerning the Word of God that all might clearly hear and faithfully follow Jesus. All were called to take courage and go forth to love and serve the Lord. So these are really not entirely new times. This is our time to go, and do likewise.

A CREATIVE AND GRACIOUS LEADER

After serving the Diocese of North Carolina for more than nine years, the Rev. Canon Michael Buerkel Hunn, Canon to the Ordinary for Programs and Pastoral Ministry, is answering another call as he joins Presiding Bishop Curry’s staff as Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Ministry Within The Episcopal Church. In this new role, Hunn will be responsible for supporting the ministry of the Presiding Bishop among Episcopalians. This includes supporting the Presiding Bishop’s role as president of the House of Bishops, chief pastor to the Church’s 108 dioceses and the areas of special jurisdiction for the Presiding Bishop, and chief theological educator and evangelist.

Catherine Massey, who served with Hunn in recent years as deputy transition officer, shared thoughts on her friend and colleague as he prepared to depart the diocese.

Anyone who knows me is quite aware I am a terrible typist. I regularly and incorrectly type “church” and “discernment” and “transition.” When I was approached to work with Canon Hunn, I was clear that while I was intrigued by the work, and he could rest assured that in the end I’d get it right, he should never look at the first draft of anything I did. He smiled and told me he was a rotten speller and that our working relationship would be one where we were colleagues and not boss/assistant.

So began more than five years ago what I’d call the best job I’ve had so far.

Canon Hunn is a creative and gracious leader; he’s a teacher and lifelong learner who can talk about chickens and permaculture in one breath and listen with his whole heart about what God is calling one to do in the next. From him, I’ve learned to relax and allow the Holy Sprit to guide this important work we do together, to pray when I’m anxious and to be open to what God is calling me to do daily. From crisis management, to call, to conflicts, this colleague I’m proud to call my friend has shown many of us here in the diocese and the wider Church how to be better leaders and better Christians, and to walk more clearly and joyfully with Jesus.

Many who have seen us work note we truly enjoy working together and find real joy and engagement with each meeting or process. And we laugh. A lot.

I’d like to think I’ve taught Canon Hunn a few things: some slick technological tricks, the wisdom of Brene Brown, and how to make a meeting or conference run super smooth. Ask him about that book he’s finished… and the next one in his head. There is no doubt in my mind I’ve received far more than I’ve given (that’s the real magic of this work, you know) and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

In light of Hunn’s appointment to serve the new Presiding Bishop, Bishop Curry and Bishop Hodges-Copple asked Catherine Massey to become the Canon for Transition and Pastoral Ministries. Massey, who has served as deputy transition officer since April 2013, will continue much of the work previously done in partnership with Hunn.

In her new role, she will serve congregations and clergy in transition and be the Bishop Pro Tem’s link to the Discipline Board, the Pastoral Response Team, the Safe Church training program and the Commission on Ministry for the Priesthood. She will support interim ministry in the diocese and continue as a facilitator of Fresh Start. Two members of the clergy will be named to assist Massey in working with clergy and congregations in transition, as well as pastoral care for clergy and their families. [Read about the appointments.]

AN EPISCOPALIAN'S EPISCOPALIAN

Margo Acomb, longtime executive assistant to the bishop, announced her retirement after 17 years of service. Acomb joined the diocesan staff in 1998 under the leadership of the Rt. Rev. Robert Johnson and has been in the position of executive assistant to the bishops since Bishop Curry’s consecration in 2000. Between her time with the Diocese and her prior work as a parish administrator, Margo has served The Episcopal Church for more than 30 years. She will remain on staff through the end of the year, guiding her successor in her new role and assisting with special projects.

Bishop Curry reflected on his partnership with Margo.

I have been truly blessed to serve these 15 years as your bishop. The blessings for me have been the people of this diocese and the staff who serve them. Maybe the greatest example of that for me has been the deep privilege and real joy of serving with Eve Marguerite Acomb, known to us all as Margo.

I often have a lot of nice things said about me and get credit for even more. But if truth be known, I probably get the credit for a lot of things Margo has actually either done or made sure got done. Margo does more behind the scenes than will ever be known; because of her skills and focus, she’s kept me organized, on schedule, on track, and – perhaps the greatest gift to me – free to be fully present with the people of the diocese.

She has also adapted as the diocese and the world grew and changed. There have been a lot of changes over the years – staff, offices, and, a great example, the tools we use to do business. When we first started working together, email was in its infancy and my calendar was kept on paper! Margo will be the first to tell you she’s not “techie,” but she learned every new technological innovation that became part of our life. Whether it was the journey from paper calendars to online versions or filing cabinets to Dropbox, she learned it all, embracing the new.

But with all of her adapting, the never-changing rock on which she stood was her love of our Lord and this Church. Margo and I were once talking, and I asked her if she remembered the bishop who confirmed her. She recalled she was 12 or 13 years old at the time, and the service was in Doncaster, England. She paused and said, “It was Bishop Ramsey.”

“As in Archbishop Michael Ramsey?” I said. “The Archbishop of Canterbury?”

“Yes,” she said, never missing a beat. “But he was just a bishop at the time.”

Margo is truly a well-rounded person. She is an avid tennis player, golfer, bell ringer, chorister and a devoted person known as "GoGo” to her grandchildren.

Margo Acomb is an Anglican’s Anglican and an Episcopalian’s Episcopalian. She is the real deal. And when she answers the phone, you know you’ve reached The Episcopal Church. As it says in the Bible, well done thou good and faithful servant. God bless you, and keep the faith.

Your brother,
+Michael

Elizabeth Dawkins, former program support coordinator at Good Shepherd, Raleigh, joined the diocesan staff on October 12 as Margo Acomb’s successor. Dawkins served with Good Shepherd for more than 15 years and possesses both the strong skills and proven dedication that will suit her dynamic new multi-faceted role.

“Elizabeth has been a valued and trusted staff member of Good Shepherd for a long time, and we have every confidence she will thrive in her new role at Diocesan House,” said Bishop Hodges-Copple.