Bishop Attends Annual LARC Conference

By Steve Neill
Special to the HERALD
(From the issue of 12/5/02)

The six witnesses who shared their own faith journeys at the annual Virginia LARC Conference all spoke of the initiation rite of baptism and the call to life-long conversion in following Christ as similarities which bind them together.

It's a journey that never ends until one's earthly life is over, said Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde, one of the six witnesses.

The LARC (Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic) Conference, held last weekend at Roanoke College in Salem, drew approximately 200 participants. Those gathered on the Lutheran college campus divided into small groups to listen to the witnesses and then reflect on how they could better seek Christian unity.

Christians should see that being formed in the faith is a process which begins at baptism and then continues into young adulthood and adulthood.

"Being formed in the faith never stops until we achieve the goal of faith which means seeing God face to face," Bishop Loverde said.

The Arlington bishop recalled good memories of his parents and the parish in which he grew up as part of his initial formation. He considers baptism "the gateway" into Christian faith.
"To sum up my formation, it's still continuing at 62," Bishop Loverde said. "I hope it will continue until the day I die."

He urged each one in their specific faith tradition to "know your faith and live it with fire," adding "there's nothing like a living witness."

Bishop Loverde emphasized the need for prayer and conversion. And while he would like to see Christian unity, he feels that one must know the teachings of his or her tradition.
"Truth matters so I think that we as Roman Catholics must announce what we believe is clear," he said. "If we fudge things, it's worse."

Other bishops who gave witness to their faith journeys were Bishop Neff Powell of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia and Bishop Theodore Schneider of the Metropolitan-D.C. Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Three college students shared their stories of faith from a Lutheran, Episcopal and Catholic perspective.

"Within all our traditions, baptism is the initiation rite which brings us all into the family of God," said Bishop Schneider.

"My parents, Ted and Grace Schneider, on Nov. 14, 1934, brought me to the baptismal font at the entrance of First Lutheran Church in Portsmouth as an act of obedience and an act of faith," he said.

"We were among the family of the baptized believers. That family or congregation embraced me. As I grew up, the pastor knew me personally, he was a close friend," he continued.
"It was in the fellowship of the Sunday Church School and the teachers I had that I first learned about the faith."

Bishop Schneider received confirmation, a rite in which he feels he affirmed his infant baptism. After graduating from high school, entered Roanoke College.

As a Lutheran, he experienced Catholic worship when he went to a Catholic church before the Second Vatican Council to play the organ for Mass. He says he noticed a different piety which he admired.

Suffragan Bishop David Jones of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, like the other two bishops, spoke of the initiation rite of baptism. But he gave it a personal twist when he described how he felt about the sacrament when he baptized his grandson, Harrison, at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Burke.

"I almost got choked up as I saw his whole life laid out before him," Bishop Jones said. "I could imagine him as a lamb at the Christmas pageant. As I look at his life now, I see targeted programs for youth like youth retreats, a ski trip, and the church choir.

"The significant work is carried out by the Sunday School teachers, the pastor and leaders of mission trips."

Bishop Jones said he remembers as a child going to a pre-school at a Catholic convent.
"I know the seed of faith was planted in me when I was a little body," he said, explaining that he recalls a nun telling every day that she loved him and that Jesus loved him.

Church members must not overlook how individuals have experienced hurt and pain in their journey. With this recognition, they must reach out to people who have been alienated by a church experience.

"Because we’ve been hurt in one denomination, we walk away and feel rejected," a participant said in a sharing group. "Others need to acknowledge this and try to reach out. They must say 'Yes, you've been hurt, but please come back home. You're wanted and you're welcome.' If we did that, our walls would not hold them all."

Richmond Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, who has attended all but one of the statewide LARC conferences since they began more than 20 years ago, was honored for his commitment to ecumenism in the closing prayer service Saturday afternoon in the Roanoke College chapel.
"We have benefited from your vision of Christian unity which flows from our Lord’s Prayer in John's Gospel: 'That they all may be one,'" said Rev. Eric Moering, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Richmond, in making a presentation of a framed plaque.

"The episcopal motto which you chose at the time of your ordination echoes your vision: 'To Unite All in Christ.'

"Your witness to ecumenism in your years as Bishop has been strong and inspiring," Pastor Moering said. "Our three faith traditions treasure the state LARC Covenant and signature on it. It reminds us of our journey through these years of LARC Conferences, projecting us into more visible unity as you and our bishops issued 'A Call into Covenant' in 1990.

"Lutherans, Episcopalians and Roman Catholics now stand as one in their baptismal consecration and yearn for the one Bread and the One Cup, ever seeking that deeper communion which ever proclaiming the one Word Eternal."

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