In March 2006, the House of Bishops issued a letter, “The Sin of Racism: A Call to Covenant,” (letter enclosed) renewing their commitment to the work of dismantling the sin of racism both personally and corporately, as outlined in their 1994 pastoral letter: “The Sin of Racism.”  Both the original letter and the recent letter give us purpose and vision for our work together as well.  The March 2006 letter closes with an invitation which we would like to extend to you as we prepare for our time together:

…we, the bishops of the Episcopal Church, invite all members of our Church to join us in this mission of justice, reconciliation, and unity.  This is an expression of our commitment to the fundamental covenant each of us entered into at the moment of our baptism.  May God give us the will to do this reconciling work, and the power and grace to accomplish it, (House of Bishops Pastoral Letter, March 2006).

May it be so for us as well as we come together for a day to remember, reflect and rekindle our passion for reconciling the world to God through Jesus Christ.