NATCHEZ &045; During this weekend’s Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, Bishop Duncan Gray III announced that the council would take the rare step of reconvening in the fall &045; in this case, to decide the diocese’s response to the Windsor Report.

&uot;We’re just scratching the surface of the report. What is it asking us to do? Š We need some time to work on that,&uot; said Gray, adding there’s also a chance the report could amended by the fall.

About the report

In 2003, Gene Robinson was consecrated as the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church (USA). In an October report, a commission of the Anglican Communion of which the Episcopal Church (USA) is a part stated that the American church and the Anglican Church of Canada, among others, had acted after Robinson’s consecration in ways that hurt the &uot;bonds of affection&uot; within the Communion.

While the council was scheduled to vote this weekend on its response to the report, Gray said he believes the state’s Episcopalians must have more time to digest its findings. And

Gray said he wants the church to hone its focus on missions between now and the fall council, then coming back to discuss its response in that context. &uot;God is calling us out of ourselves into the world,&uot; he said.

Leaving with a vision

Meanwhile, what were attendees hoping will come from this weekend’s council?

&uot;More understanding. We each have different positions, different approaches to the issues, and we are facing major issues,&uot; said Ann Siddall of Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez, one of the event’s organizers.

&uot;The church exists for people outside the church, people in need, people who are hurting,&uot; said Diane Livingston, deacon of Resurrection Episcopal Church in Starkville, who called the council &uot;a time of fellowship.&uot;

The theme of missions was echoed by the Rev. Paul Stephens, former chaplain of Trinity Episcopal Day School in Natchez, now serving an Episcopal school on the Gulf Coast.

Stephens said he wants people to come away from the council with &uot;a renewed sense of mission, to step outside (the church’s) four walls and spread the message that Jesus Christ was born and died for our sins.&uot;

Stephens credited Gray’s leadership for spurring the state’s Episcopalians to new heights in serving others. &uot;He’s started a spark inside all of us,&uot; Stephens said.

For his part, Gray credits a higher authority for lighting that spark.

What would Gray himself like attendees to take away from this weekend’s activities? &uot;A sense that this church is centered in the gospel of Jesus, and that we can work in a variety of ways despite our differences&uot; to serve God and others, he said.