Letter to Episcopal Bishop Diocese of Western Michigan

The Rt. Rev. Whayne M. Hougland

Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan

535 S. Burdick St., Suite 1 

Kalamazoo, MI 49007

March 27, 2015

Dear Bishop:

In the basement of St. Augustine of Canterbury on a bulletin board is a calendar of events for the Diocese of Western Michigan for the year.  It is full of what someone like me might call “in-house” administrative events for the church, meetings galore including leadership, deanery, council, etc.  Oh yeah, you are involved in confirmation, ordination, and other “churchy” stuff.

It appears that one event for the entire year relates to anything to do with outreach and compassion for those who are less fortunate, a diocesan trip to Dominican Republic.   The Diocese’s web site offers little else than token awareness or advocacy of issues related to the poor, mentally ill, immigrants, or other social justice issues. 

Clearly in my mind, this lack of outreach or advocacy or “good deeds” on behalf of the less fortunate in the Diocese of Western Michigan shows that Episcopals in West Michigan are an inwardly focused people.  Perhaps, indifferent would be a more accurate descriptor.

Nothing in the calendar tells me that the church cares about poor children in Benton Harbor, the north side of Kalamazoo, Muskegon Heights, south Grand Rapids or other urban or rural areas such as Lake County where poverty in Michigan is highest.

The people and leaders of the Diocese of Western Michigan apparently care more for Episcopal tradition, ceremony, pomp and circumstance than for the less fortunate in our midst.  Symbolism and not substance.

I will spare you additional verbosity, but will close with a lyric apropos for an April Fool:

“Take this message to my brother
You will find him everywhere
Wherever people live together
Tied in poverty's despair
You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see
Takin' it to the streets”

-  -       Doobie Brothers

Sincerely,

Rob