Keynoter: Build Church like a Habitat home

"When people gather to build a Habitat house, there is a strong sense of community," Bishop Kenneth Untener of Saginaw, Mich., said. "The Church needs to catch this same type of community spirit -- of working together towards a finished product."

He will be the keynote speaker at the Albany diocesan Parish Convening, Oct. 25, at LaSalle Institute in Troy. He will speak on "The Church: The Whole Story."

The bishop said that "each person on [a Habitat] project may be doing only one task, but he or she is part of a larger group of workers who, together, complete the house. This enables each of them to feel connected to each other and to the project. Building the reign of God [through collaborative ministry] is the same concept."

From creation

In his talk, Bishop Untener plans to ask parish ministers to "step back and look at the whole story" of creation in order to find the larger picture of what God intends for humans.

"The story really reaches back 15 billion years, to the dawn of creation," he noted. "Today, we have a wider view of creation than ever before. When we look at the vast distances of the universe, we can appreciate, to a small degree, the greatness of God's creation and how awesome it is.

"The vastness of it all is almost impossible to fathom; but if we try, we can begin to better understand the great mystery of God and what the splendor of His kingdom might be."

Jesus' role

Bishop Untener noted that Jesus moved creation forward towards its destiny. Part of that plan is for His followers to continue His work.

One sign he sees of the Church's carrying on Jesus' work is the increasing role of lay ministers.

"Never has there been more involvement by lay ministers in the life of the Church since the first century," he said. "We have proven that the people of God can do ministry and do it well."

(Bishop Kenneth Untener of Saginaw, Mich., will be the keynote speaker at the Albany diocesan Parish Convening, Oct. 25, at LaSalle Institute in Troy. The day includes many workshops under the theme, "Partners in Ministry." The diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning sponsors the event. Registration is required by Oct. 15. Call Patricia Mousaw, 453-6661, to obtain a registration form.)

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