Coffee and questions at Trinity, Reno

As our bus rolled down the mountain and headed towards Reno it quickly became apparent that we were heading toward the city again. Forests and fields gave way to Costcos and shopping centers, and traffic thickened noticeably along highway 395. Soon we were in Reno and made a quick stop at the northern diocesan office located in St. Stephen's and said hello to Jim McGrew, who manages diocesan affairs there. After a brief tour it was time to move on to Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Reno, one of the two largest congregations in Nevada.

Trinity might be one of our "churchiest" churches, a neo-Gothic and stained-glass affair on the banks of the Truckee River. We were greeted by interim rector John Goddard and members of the vestry, who had arranged a delicious dinner for us. The Reverend Reporter is beginning to fear what the scale will say when I return home on Saturday, but the hospitality along our route has been tremendous and it is safe to say that all of us are grateful.

After a panel presentation the crowd retired to their assigned rooms to ask questions of the candidates. Most of the questions that were asked in the room I was in have already been highlighted in previous postings, but there was one fairly unique one:

How would you as bishop help people make the connection between what goes on on Sunday morning and what happens in our life the rest of the week:

Susan Burns first wants to learn what it means to be a bishop so that she can apply that connection in her own life and work. She believes that it's critical to examine the role of faith in the workplace and to encourage others to examine what it is about their jobs that makes their work a ministry. Susan cited her own work as a Legal Aid attorney as an example of ministry and outreach to those who didn't have the resources to defend themselves. She also believes that the connection between what we do on Sunday and the rest of the week is inseparable. Al Keeney substantially agreed with Susan's observations and believes that it is critical to educate everyone in the church about the connection between their daily life and their faith.

Dan Edwards is convinced that the teaching and preaching that happens on Sunday mornings must address people in their real life. He sees a need for the bishop be out there with people the other 6 days of the week, to be involved with people in the workplace, and to develop workplace ministries. Cathy Deats would find ways to help people to envision their daily work as their vocation and to hold that up as a model of ministry. The bishop should model this by being involved in the daily life of people in the community, knowing what their issues or struggles are. The office of bishop, especially in Nevada, is a working position, is not one where the bishop is separate from the clergy and people.

Eric Funston also holds up the model of the working bishop involved with the life of the people in the church, and he holds up the diaconate as a model of integrated daily work and ministry. To raise up the diaconate in this way is to use another teaching tool that models the servanthood of all people in the Church in our life and work.

After questions had been asked and answered everyone gathered in the church for evening prayer. It was then time for some rest, and The Reverend Reporter went back home for the night.

Next stop: Sparks, Wadsworth, Nixon, and Fallon.

Blessings,
RR+