Disciple: Bishop Anne Goes to College

By The Rt. Rev. Anne E. Hodges-Copple

Living Our Vows (LOV), an offering of the College for Bishops, is a three-year program to help new bishops grow into their roles as spiritual leaders for their respective dioceses. It is sometimes affectionately referred to as “Baby Bishop School.” LOV convenes for one week each year over a three-year period, usually in the late spring or early summer. I attended my first LOV conference at the end of June at the Roslyn Episcopal Conference Center outside Richmond, Virginia.

MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014

Finally. A little more than a year after my ordination to the episcopate, I arrived for my first week of Living Our Vows, where I hoped to learn some of the closely kept secrets of being a bishop in The Episcopal Church. I’ve learned a great deal already, but admittedly there is still much about which I feel unclear: attire and episcopal etiquette on Sunday visitation; how to manage multiple levels of responsibility and accountability; duties within the councils of the church beyond the Diocese; dealing with the press; how to appreciate the home-cooked Southern meals at church dinners without gaining another 10 pounds!

In addition to my hope for LOV, I harbored a reluctant fear: what if LOV, with all its good intentions, is more about learning to “fiddle” while the Episcopal Church is failing to “burn” with the fire of Pentecost? Would I see the connections between the mission of the church and the various components that connect vision with execution?

Happily, I faced neither these questions or fears alone. Among the Class of 2014 are fellow North Carolinians the Rt. Rev. Whayne Hougland, formerly of St. Luke’s, Salisbury, and now Bishop of Western Michigan; and the Rt. Rev. Mark Bourlakas, formerly of St. Alban’s, Davidson, now Bishop of Southwestern Virginia.

TUESDAY, JUNE 24

Every morning after breakfast we began with Morning Prayer and a Bible study. The Chapel at Roslyn is striking in its simplicity and beauty. The soaring roofline and floor-to-ceiling windows look out over acres of rolling hills and the James River. As part of Morning Prayer, we broke into groups to reflect upon the morning readings. It’s a perfect way to start the day.

After worship, we broke into small groups for an exercise called “Critical Incidents,” in which each bishop presented a case study. We described the challenge of the situation, the characters, the context and our response. The hope was to present the situation in such a way as to be as honest as possible about our role in the situation and then listen as the other participants talk amongst themselves, sharing their impressions of what went well, what didn’t and what alternatives might have been considered. Hearing feedback on my own case study and listening about the conflicts and problems faced by these new bishops in other parts of the continent taught me a great deal and made me even more appreciative of serving in the Diocese of North Carolina.

Tuesday evening we were treated to a talk by the Rt. Rev. Thomas Breidenthal, Bishop of Southern Ohio. Among his many contributions to the church over the years is his book, Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness, one of my favorite texts for exploring ethics, human intimacy and living in Christian community. He makes a compelling and provocative case for making room for the Holy Spirit to drive or “expel” us out into mission, much the way the people of Israel were forced to cross the Red Sea and Jesus, after baptism, was driven into the wilderness. He speaks of how this image of expulsion applies to birth and therefore, to baptism. He pointed out that too often we think of mission as a task that belongs to us or to the church, rather than first and foremost to God. Especially challenging to someone of my eager and impatient temperament, he spoke of the need to practice a holiness of waiting and discerning the Holy Spirit. I left the evening sated by this feast of theology and conversation.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25

Wednesday was full of the practical insights I hoped to find, along with plenty of food for thought to go with them. The morning was spent at a presentation on system-centered analysis, a way of understanding organizational behavior, by the Rev. Meigs Ross, a priest and licensed psychotherapist. It was fascinating but just an appetizer. I’m looking forward to sharing it with the canons of the Diocese to hear their thoughts and experiences with this approach to creating healthier systems for adapting to change and handling conflict.

And then we had the first of two sessions with the Rt. Rev. Neil Alexander, former Bishop of Atlanta and the current Dean of The School of Theology, Sewanee. It was what I’d been waiting for: how to dress for success. The Rt. Rev. Willlliam Gregg, blessed be his name, gave me a crash course in episcopal vestments before my consecration in the spring of 2013. I should have taken better notes; I learned early that haberdashery mistakes can be hotbutton issues.

But thanks to Bishop Alexander, I now have his definitive guide to the history, controversies, origins and evolutions of the ways we do the things we do. I joke about dressing for success, but the truth is it’s not just about the vestments; it’s about what we do, how we move, and the liturgical and spiritual meaning behind it all. How can a bishop not want to get that right?

The Incarnation of the Divine teaches us that what we do to and with our bodies matters. In worship, at homes, in secret, in public: Our own bodies and the bodies of all others are vessels of the sacred worth. Liturgical life creates in us the spiritual muscle memory to be the Body of Christ at all times, in all places.

THURSDAY, JUNE 26

Thursday was a really fun day. Awkward and embarrassing, but fun. We worked with Macky Alston, a Durham native, award-winning film producer and media expert from Auburn Seminary. To practice dealing with the press in all kinds of situations, he made each of us actually go on camera anddo a mock interview. Yikes!

In the evening, our now quite tight band of brothers and sisters shared a closing Eucharist. The preacher was excellent; I think he’s a real rising star. His name? Oh, right. The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, Bishop of North Carolina! In addition to all of the support he gives me, Bishop Curry has served on the faculty for LOV for years. Since at home we normally and deliberately move in different geographical directions while always working hard to move in the same direction of shared vision and execution, it was a double delight to have this extra time with my beloved brother bishop.

As a whole, the week was relaxing, inspiring and rejuvenating. The hardest part of it was taking leave of such a gifted community of fellow learners. I continue to marvel at this extraordinary call to serve God by serving the world as a bishop of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.

The Rt. Rev. Anne Elliott Hodges-Copple was elected the sixth Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina in 2012. Contact her at [email protected].