c. 1997 Religion News Service

NEW YORK _ When Bishop Edmond L. Browning of Hawaii was elected in 1985 to head the Episcopal Church for a dozen years, he found a denomination that would test his ability to keep intact a house rooted in tradition but embracing the realities of modern times.

Today, as he prepares to step down and retire to Hood River, Ore., for a new life of pottery, woodworking, harvesting blueberries and writing, he says he got that challenge and more.

Beginning with a still roiling controversy over women’s ordination, Browning faced in turn the angry pressures over whether or not to ordain non-celibate homosexuals that led to highly publicized and divisive heresy charges; a multimillion embezzlement by the church’s former treasurer; a sometimes seemingly out-of-control church bureaucracy; and a grassroots rebellion against the church.

Today, his denomination is stretching its tradition of tolerance to the breaking point.

As the 2.5 million-member church approaches its General Assembly July 16-25 in Philadelphia, Browning acknowledges the air is thick with tension.”Whether the church can hold together is one of the reasons we go to General Convention,”he said in a recent interview in his office at the Episcopal Church Center in New York.

Yet Browning, who tested his priesthood in the mission fields of Japan, Okinawa and Europe, says he believes the church still has a great future _ in its ministry across the nation; in its ecumenical work, especially with Lutherans; and in its involvement of the laity in the life of the church.

Browning, who is on the mend from a near-fatal diabetic coma suffered during a visit to Japan this spring, said he has been reflecting on his career since struck by the illness. When he was brought back from Japan, his staff and doctor sent him home to the penthouse apartment he shares with his wife Patti atop the 11-story church center on Manhattan’s bustling Second Avenue.

Now fit, on a diabetic’s diet and free of medication, the 68-year-old Browning said he believes his church, which sometimes acts like a dysfunctional family, can withstand the divisive saber-rattling from the right and left and continue to be a place for the middle.”For those who feel they are being pushed out, I say their gifts are needed in the life of the church,”he said.”I tried for 12 years to keep this church together and to prevent what could be a fracture or a tear in the tent,”he added.

Relaxing in his office, Browning said the Episcopal Church proved its ability to withstand differences several years ago.

It came during the church’s 1991 convention in Arizona, held there despite church anger against the state for not acknowledging the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. King, the slain civil rights leader, is on the church’s calendar of saints.

Browning said the decision to meet in Phoenix _ a guarantee of thousands of dollars for the local economy _ was made despite pressure to move it elsewhere. Phoenix was selected, he said, to be”in allegiance to the churches there that fought for King Day.” But the Phoenix convention was also one in which bishops attacked one another viciously and personally over the issue of homosexuality. Browning closed the doors to public view.”I wondered at that point whether there was really a center left in the church to absorb the kind of tolerance we needed. But, we came away from there knowing there was a strong center,”he said.

Six months later, after a session in which bishops changed the way in which they meet and deal with issues, the prelates calmed down.

The solution, according to Browning, was to have the hundreds of bishops sit in small groups, discuss issues, then vote. This kind of close contact among bishops, Browning said, resulted in more understanding between disparate groups.

Browning said both he and Pamela Chinnis, president of the clergy-lay House of Deputies, agreed the tent can hold many views.”We must be open to all for a spirit of reconciliation to exist,”she said.

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As the Browning era comes to an end, the presiding bishop looked back on the church’s failures and accomplishments during his watch.”I was disappointed in seeing so much need _ spiritually and physically – and not being able to have the church respond to handle it all.” The Presiding Bishops Fund _ the appeal for the needy that goes above the diocesan assessments and quotas for day-to-day denominational operations _ was generously supported, Browning said. But it was never enough to meet the needs.

While Browning says the grassroots church is taking the gospel to heart, it must not lose sight of the more global needs that can only be met by working together on a national scale.”A lot of nit-picking and internal strife have taken away from the ministries of this church. Too often we’re tied up in our own internal differences, we can’t see the meaning of our spiritual response,”he said.

Browning said one example of the church’s deep-seated divisions is its response to the gay issue, which parallels the divisions expressed at the time the denomination sought to respond to the civil rights movement in the 1960s.”It’s similar to the question of racism. There are deep, deep feelings there learned by historical dogmas. If you’re locked into that, it’s very hard to be open.” But Browning said he is hopeful the tolerance and openness of Episcopalians will resolve the differences.

During his watch, he said, the church _ like the Roman Catholic Church and virtually every Protestant denomination, evangelical and mainline _ confronted the issue of sexual exploitation of parishioners or staff members by some priests.”We’ve been up front with this (issue) and we made each bishop aware of it,”he said. As a result, the national church drew up training plans and materials on the sensitive issue for use by each diocese. Many dioceses made attendance at training sessions mandatory for priests.

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Looking ahead, Browning said his successor’s job will not be an easy one.

The presiding bishop, he said, is pulled constantly from different directions and takes the heat of those angry with the church.

He suggests the next presiding bishop will do well if he:

_ Trusts in God.

_ Stays”clearly focused on a real concern for his own spiritual well-being”through prayer, reading Scripture and relying on a personal spiritual director.

_ Remembers his family.”That’s his highest priority.” _ Keeps church politics out of the job.”He should remember he is the presiding bishop for the whole church and not just a part of it.” _ Relies on others.”He cannot do it alone. He needs good assistance.” _ Maintains a sense of humor.

_ Keeps his job in perspective.”Remember, he cannot do everything asked of him.” _ Finds a place to get away from it all.

MJP END BRIGGS