My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In his book, "Courageous Leadership", Bill Hybels tells of how as a college student, he took a required course in New Testament Studies in order to complete his degree - a course so boring that he thought its greatest challenge would be, the challenge of trying to stay awake. But at the end of the first lecture, the professor stepped out from behind the lectern and said,

"Students, there was once a community of believers who were so totally devoted to God, that their life together was charged with the Spirit's power. In that band of Christ followers, believers loved each other with a radical kind of love. They took off their masks and shared their lives with each other. . . .. Those who had more, shared freely with those who had less, until socio-economic barriers melted away. People related together in ways that bridged gender and racial chasms, and celebrated cultural differences. . . . This church offered unbelievers a vision of life that was so beautiful, it took their breath away. . . . And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. "

Hybels goes on to say that those words, which were as much a lament as a dream, seized him so powerfully that he found himself asking, "What if a true community of God could be established in the 20^th century?" And the answer, for him, was that such a church would transform the world. That vision of such a church took hold of him so forcibly, that it changed the direction of his life, led to the birth of the Willow Creek Community Church, and still remains his vision.

In the light of that beginning, it is not surprising, therefore, that he believes that vision is at the very core of leadership. "Vision," he says," . . . is the energy that creates the action. It's the fire that ignites the passion of followers. It's the clear call that sustains focussed effort year after year, decade after decade, as people offer consistent and sacrificial service to God." Small wonder, too, that he believes, "The local church is the hope of the world and its future rests primarily in the hands of its leaders."

And that is why we have spent so much time and energy in seeking to discern and clarify what we believe is God's vision for our Diocese. It is why we spend so much time talking about it and seeking to communicate it. And it is why we have designated this year, "A Year of Implementation."

Vision may be the energy that creates the action, but it can only ignite the passion of followers, if those in positions of leadership, believe that this is God's vision for us and are passionate and enthusiastic about what God is doing in our midst. To be enthusiastic (from the Greek 'en Theos') means to be "filled with God.'' It means to say "Yes" to what God is doing. St Paul tells us that God's word to us in Christ is always "Yes" and that this requires that our response in return is "Yes" - our "Amen" (so be it) to the glory of God (2 Cor 1:17-20).

Richard Rohr, in his book, "Hope Against Darkness," writes:

"You cannot think yourself into a new way of living, but we must live ourself into a new way of thinking. . . . We have to create structures and institutions that think and, therefore, act differently. We have no past evidence to prove that gospel individuals alone can fully exemplify the Reign of God. . . . Until we question our very lifestyle, nothing truly new is going to happen. Or, as Jesus put it in perfect metaphor: put 'new wine into old wineskins' and both will be lost (see Mark 2:22). That's a rather clear statement about the need for gospel structures, to nurse gospel individuals. Up to now, we have largely tried to evangelise individuals, while the structures have remained Roman empire, monarchical and unaccountable. "Put new wine in fresh wineskins, and both are preserved (Matthew 9:17).

"Perhaps that is why Jesus does not directly take on social reform. Instead, he preaches a life of simplicity and non-violence that is simply outside the system of power, money and control. More than directly fighting the system, he ignores it and builds an alternative worldview, where power, prestige and possessions, are not sought or even admired."

That, I believe, is what we are called to do, what we are called to be. And that, I believe, is what God has given us in our Diocesan Vision. This year is a "Year of Implementation." I pray that it will not be a year of saying 'yes' and 'no,' but a year of an unequivocal 'yes.' I pray that we, who unanimously adopted the Vision Statement as a word of God for us at this time, may be filled with enthusiasm and ignited by passion. May God's word to us at this time, find fulfilment in our lives and in our structures, so that God might truly be glorified. Please give the "Year of Implementation" your full support and your best shot.

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