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Bishop Mathes, unplugged Five Years; Five Questions


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wo thousand and ten marks the fifth year the Rt. Rev. James R. Mathes has served


as our bishop. What does he think about those five years? What does he hope for in the next five years? Find out!


What has been the highlight of your first five years as bishop?


I would say that the high point was participating in the investiture of the 26th Presiding Bishop and receiving her blessing after the service. The positive energy and sense of hope from that day have sustained me. There were, of course, other great moments—the Lambeth Conference, meeting Desmond Tutu, my first ordinations in each order—but that day in the cathedral was a genuine Holy Spirit moment.


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What is the biggest challenge we face as a diocese now?


I remember the advice that I received from a parishioner in my last parish when we were in the midst of long-range planning. He quoted his own mother’s mantra, “Make no small plans.” I think that we have, too often in our diocese, and in the wider church, failed to follow this advice. The biggest challenge that we face is a failure of imagination and vision. If we really believe in the promises of God,


we will spend our energies living into those promises rather than wishing for the church of yesterday.


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Where do you see our diocese in five years’ time?


I think Paul had it right when he described the church as the Body of Christ and continually used this image of the body as a teaching tool. Our future is to be found in building a healthy body in our diocese. This will happen when we have concern for the whole body, and yet, appreciation for the parts. In five years, I pray that we will be healthy as a body and using that health as our gift in kingdom building.


4 5 By Canon Howard F. Smith, director of development


all means stewardship -- the time of year when the church invites us to complete


What’s your favorite part of being a bishop?


My Sunday visitations to churches around the diocese are the best part of being bishop. It is where I feel most alive and where I feel the church most alive. I am constantly astonished by our congregations—by the people and the ministry they accomplished, and by their faithfulness.


How would you describe the profession of bishop?


In my first years as bishop, I probably would


A new bishop: Bishop Mathes celebrates the Eucharist during his ordination service at the Town and Country Resort in 2005.


have pointed to the ordination service and talked about being chief pastor. And while I endeavor to do all those things that I am called to do in the ordinal, the clearest part of my calling and how I try to exercise it is as a Christian among Christians and priest among priests. I am more mindful than ever of the need to exercise strong leadership as a bishop with humility and gentleness. X


and return a pledge card, right? Maybe not. What if stewardship season was year-round? Since stewardship is all we do with all we have, it affects every day of our lives, whether we are aware of it or not.


God entrusts us with everything from our bodies to our stock portfolios. Stewardship encompasses those things and everything in between. Faithful stewardship is not just about giving money to the Church; it is about faithful living every single day. As we live into this season of fall stewardship, a time when the church commonly talks about money and plans budgets for the coming year, we keep in mind the total stewardship of our time, talent and treasure.


Faithful stewardship does involve our material wealth. By entering the material world, Jesus sanctified and restored matter to its original purpose as a means to glorify God. Therefore all matter, even money, is called to be used in ways that give glory to God and fulfill the mission of Christ’s body, the Church.


In our modern age, notions of entitlement prevail; indeed, advertising bombards us with the message that we are entitled to all that we have, and more. This makes it difficult to live joyfully, appreciating what we have, not complaining about what we think we lack.


Our culture tells us that things bring happiness; debt is expected and unavoidable; and that just a little more money would solve all our problems. We confuse our self worth with our net worth. Yet Jesus’ teachings fly in the face of these cultural myths.


In the


Stewardship as a Response to God’s Generosity F


Sermon on the Mount, he cautions us not to be anxious, saying, “Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Do not worry about tomorrow,” (Matthew 6:25-34).


It is trust in God that causes St. Paul to claim, “I have learned to be content with whatever I have.” This contentment is grounded in the confidence that we not only will be provided for, but that we already are provided for. We have enough right now to be the people God wants us to be and to have the lives God wants us to have.


The Bible encourages us to view our material possessions as gifts from above and to be thankful for them. God gives us all things, including our minds, bodies and health so we may earn a living. Our employment can be a vocation from God; ideally it is something we do in order to make a worthy contribution in this world. We can all be faithful stewards by pursuing occupations that involve us in useful, worthwhile and ethical activities.


Once we have established careers that allow us to provide for ourselves and our families, we must prayerfully consider our money management. For many of us, faithful stewardship begins with a basic commitment to get our finances under control. Faithful stewardship might mean altering our spending habits, developing a budget or learning to save and invest our money wisely.


Gratitude to God for all the blessings of this life can be expressed through monetary


Welcome Home, St. Anne’s: On July 4, people of the diocese gathered in Oceanside to celebrate the return of the historic church on West Street. Caring for church property is one example of faithful stewardship, the importance of which is clearly evident to the congregation of St. Anne’s.


donations to the Church, one of the few places in our culture that encourages us to truly see ourselves for who we are – loved and adored children of God.


In response to that awesome truth, how will you be generous with the many ways God has been generous with you? X


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