I Am Learning To Be a Bishop
Part III
The men who teach the men, who teach the men, who teach the men.
In the next few months two men will be consecrated to our House of
Bishops, both of whom have shown that they are ready for this
awesome task. There were some disappointments before that did not
bear fruit as we expected, but we progress and mature by fault. Thus,
this time around we made sure of two things; that these men are
qualified, not only by their academic standing but by their love of the
church and their call to it, and the work of Christ enhancing the vision of
the ACW.
The task now is thrust upon me to prepare these men to be princes of
the church, but, I continue to learn what it takes and means to be a
Bishop. One of the great lessons learned is not taking so much for
granted, it can come back to do damage to that which you love. Today I
am leery when others claim their loyalty. I have learned by acts of even
little children that such loyalty should be to God and not to the
glorification of man. I have also learned to teach others to not take the
path of following me, to do so they will end up perhaps in Barbados, my
beloved country and not the kingdom of God.
Canon James Dargan has been a priest in the ACW for 6 years, in this
time he has shown a commitment to the work, and to the call of
outreach. His journey in life took him to the far corners of the earth as a
military soldier, back home to a corrections officer within the prison
system, and now a priest- in-charge. Perhaps with Canon James you
could define the word loyalty. Not only is he loyal to the church, but his
commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ is unwavering and it is he who I
have learned much from. As he takes up his new position as Suffragan
Bishop to my office, he will find himself in parts of the world, spreading
the gospel of Christ. It is my estimation that he is ready and worthy of
such, tis there again that I will learn from him.
Canon John Githiga comes from the land of Kenya in Africa. The ACW
pushed into Africa, and African congregations in the USA will be his
charge. Again, I have learned from this brother the road to humility. He
comes from a line of priests, 3 of his brothers are in the priesthood, with
his brother Gideon our fellow Bishop in Kenya. I was afforded a look at
him was on June 20th at the Synod when the deck of the Archdiocese
residence came crashing down. He was hurt more than most from the
mishap, but he was the one that brought us all to order, and calmed the
guest. From him we drew our strength.
He has been a pastor, educator, author, and a true servant of God. The
ACW is blessed to have him in our ranks, and his parish, St. Cyprians in
Texas of which he is the rector (for now). We pray to God that the
humility he shows, the willingness to work and the joys of his words will
resonate to help me to learn more what a Bishop truly is.
So how do I teach the men, that will teach the men, that will teach the
men? By listening, and waking humble as my brother Bishops- Elect do.
There is a great saying that where there is a successful man there is a
woman. Along side these men of God are 2 women that constantly stand
with them. Rev. Katie Dargan is a Deaconess in the ACW and Mary,
John's wife stand fully to support them. In some ways I envy them, but
again, I learn that the battlefield needs more than one soldier to win the
battle. We wish them well as they work with their husbands in their new
tasks.
In learning to be bishop, Sometimes there is need, to fret or pout. For us
the summer may be too hot or the winter may be to cold, there is always
something to annoy you when you least expect. Sometimes people are
happy to see us, sometimes not. If we visit, they would be disappointed
if we do not stay, but then again they might not be sorry to see us leave.
Now as we see the clear vision of our work, we know the fighting is not
over, neither is our work done.
For me each season has its task. If there was a season for gratitude I'd
show it more. But no such comes round, thus in all I do, as I learn, will be
to the glory of God.
In the end you will find only the church have won, It remains forever. It is
like the land itself and it is my duty to help as best as I can to lead others
to Christ and rid then of the evils of the day. We, as priest, are like a
strong wind that scatters the dusk and rids it of locus, blowing over the
land, and passing on.
Next week our mission of outreach is Springfield, Missouri. (Sept. 17th)
Watch how you go this week.
+Hartley
acwarchbishop@aol.com