From: Steve Williamson
Date: March 23, 2022 at 11:21 AM CDT
To: H. Keuning
Subject: Helen K's Resignation from UMD's Bishop's Council

Dear Helen,

I am very saddened by your departure from Bishop's Council! You have been an important voice and leader through much of this crazy season and it is truly a loss. Please know that you have my prayers and continued friendship. I appreciate your willingness to challenge our perspective and fight for care of the most vulnerable. I also appreciate your attempt to hold the tensions that have been inherent to this dynamic. I respect your need to care for yourself and your family, and I pray your voice will still be heard as we move forward.

I want to clarify one thing from your letter that I think is important, although it might seem small:

Under #1 you state that "Bishop Stewart reached out to the BC via Steve Williamson, etc." I want to clarify that +Stewart never sought to make an attempt to reach out to the Bishop's Council through me. What happened was that he sat down with me and shared his experience. I then reached out to Alec Smith and sought further clarity. Alec then got permission for me to read the documents they were sending to the ACNA. Upon reading them, I made the decision to try and bring this information to the Bishop's Council. I first approached Michael+ and Barbara and they encouraged me to make a request to the Acting Deans to have Alec come and speak on +Stewart's behalf. So I would say the more accurate assessment is that "Steve Williamson made a request to the Acting Deans to have Alec Smith speak to the Council. The Acting Deans then extended an invitation to Alec Smith to come and speak to the council on +Stewart's behalf."

I think this is an important distinction. I think your description unnecessarily portrays +Stewart as either encouraging or manipulating council members to make something happen on the council in this case. If you think the content of Alec's presentation should not have come before the council or put us in a difficult position, I think it should at least be clarified that it was I who instigated that meeting and should bear any responsibility.

I will provide this same clarification to the Acting Deans and Bishop John, but wanted to come to you directly as well.

May the Lord bless you with deep rest in the days ahead!

In Christ,
Steve+

From: H. Keuning
Date: March 29, 2022 at 12:09:59 PM CDT
To: Steve Williamson
Subject: Re: Helen K's Resignation from UMD's Bishop's Council

Dear Steve,

Thank you so very much for your personal message below. I know that you should rightly be on your sabbatical right now . . . or soon? My youngest daughter just went back to school today (post spring break) so I am finally responding to a few emails that I did not get to before now.

I appreciate your patience with me . . . and your continued faith in me, despite my continued small — but significant — errors in understanding the nuances of what happened. You have always treated me with utmost kindness and respect. I am grateful.

I do agree with you that the distinction you make below is an important one.

I am sorry that I conflated those two events: (1). +Stewart reaching out to you and (2) You making the decision to bring Alec Smith and the letters before the BC.

I do hope that you can clarify this — with the entire BC — so that I don’t lead anyone astray with my erroneous conclusions.

You are right in that my difficulty with that original meeting was that it SEEMED to me that + Stewart (via Alec Smith and his arguments) were encouraging the council members to stand-up to the ACNA leadership and demand +Stewart’s return by Easter time.

Regardless, though, I think the vehemence with which +Stewart argued his position with +Alan & Archbishop Foley (in his letter) shook my faith in our bishop’s humble and patient waiting. It seems to me that there is much talk about submission to authority . . . until one actually has to do it . . . and under difficult, demanding, demeaning circumstances.

Yet, this is the exact position that women in general — not only victims or survivors — find themselves in with the church. How does one submit to authority that one feels neither has her best interests at heart or is even aware of his own callousness?

There is a double-bind of us being told to “submit” in general to men (our husbands, our fathers, etc) and, specifically, in the church to priests, bishops, and archbishops. And, I wonder if raising questions or concerns or even expressing feelings of hurt/vulnerability are often taken to be forms of nonsubmission? Anyway, while I don’t accuse anyone specifically of sexism and I don’t support the ordination of women to priests, I do wonder about the systemic structures that keep women in their place in the ACNA/UMD and I do wonder how these underpinnings allow females/children to be vulnerable to various types of abuse in our churches?

I bring this up only because you have the incredible honor and responsibility of leading the Cathedral. And, I thank you for paying attention to my perspectives, even when they have been in error or have been different from your own. You have given me the grace of listening.

I see a soft heart and a humble spirit in you, Steve. One that would rather worship God than circle-the-wagons or play political games. So, please know that I am praying for you — and all those at REZ — who are helping to steer the “cruise ship” into healthier channels.

With deep gratitude for you, Helen