TBTG! :-D

JC Fisher

I just found myself doing some stereotyping that I don't like to see in myself: WV was the last place I expected this to happen.
But it is wonderful! I hope to see Ohio [and the rest of the dioceses] to follow their example.

And the rest of the story:
"The final decision rests with the diocese's bishop, the Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer, who responded with a prepared statement when contacted by the Gazette on Tuesday.

"Thank you for your interest, but I wonder where your interest was when wonderful things have happened in the past in the Episcopal Church? And try as you like to make us one, we are not a one issue church," he said in the statement. He would not comment further, and calls to St. John's were not returned Tuesday afternoon."

Guess he missed the HoB training on press relations LOL

The Bishop and clergy leadership asked me to come to WV earlier this year to do a workshop on Scripture and sexuality. Copies of my book were given to all the clergy -- and I even autographed a few! I found both the bishop and most of the clergy who attended to be engaged with the discussion and willing to "wrestle with angels" if need be.

The press is not often an angel. Or even angelic. Like a famous pope, they are more interested in "angles" (though of a different kind!)

I understand with the bishop is experiencing, and share the frustration. The answer is to move on, let various chips fall where they may. As someone once said, Do justice!

I think the bishop's response was extremely ill-advised, and believe it would be disastrous if other church leaders followed his lead.

Jim, Ann is right -- he needs a good press officer! I agree that venting the frustration is not helpful, but I understand it, in that I know the church is so much more than "teh gay issue." The problem is how to get past that, and engage the press, without merely sounding impatient -- even when one is impatient!

But this does raise another issue, in light of events in England... why do bishops (even of Rome) seem so ill equipped to engage the press? Is it all their fault, or does the press share in the blame?

Tobias, I don't have any feel for what the bishop's gripe is, so I can't speak to its legitimacy. But it's really never okay to say what he said. The leaders of all other types of institutions in our society know this and act accordingly.

The media covers you when you make news. I don't know if the diocese has made a lot of news that has been ignored or if the diocese is misinformed about what constitutes news in the media's eyes. That said, in asking for same-sex blessings, the diocese did, in fact, make news. The reporter asked for a comment on the news the diocese had made, and the bishop responded as badly as I have seen a situation like this handled in a long time.

I don't care so much that he insulted the newspaper reporter, as that he failed miserably to spread Good News among the GLBT community and others in West Virginia.

Who would want the blessing of a church like his? Same-sex couples in WV can go to DC and get married for real, without being insulted by Mr. Snide in the purple shirt.

Jim, I think, as Ann said, that the Bishop doesn't understand the press, but just resents it. In my experience, getting the press to cover the Good News is not as easy as it is for them to pick up on scandal, tension, disagreement, hot topics, whatever. To put it in the old journalism jargon I was raised with, "Priest Pets Dog" will not bring much attention from the press without releases, photo ops, and something about St Francis.

As far as this instance, however, I think you see as well the Bishop's wish this would not become so visible -- he likely would rather this had not been covered, at least until he'd made up his mind as to how he plans to proceed. Of course, you cannot control such a story once it is loose, and I agree he handled this badly.

And yes, Josh, this was a lost moment for something positive and forward moving. The good news is the diocese has moved forward, even if the bishop is not completely at ease with that movement. I give thanks that although we are an "Episcopal" church we are not a church that relies solely on bishops to spread the Good News.