"Love is Going to the Next Level"

“Love is going to the next level.” Those were the words printed on the small strip of paper recognizable to all who have ever cracked open a fortune cookie or popped a Christmas cracker. This particular fortune was held up to the screen for all to see by the Most Reverend Melissa Skelton as she began her remarks during the February 11, 2021 Farewell Party honouring her seven years of servant-leadership in the Diocese of New Westminster. “Love is going to the next level” she read, and then explained that on the morning of the 2020 Episcopal Election, October 3, after dressing in a navy blue suit that she had not worn for some time, she put her hand in a jacket pocket and found the fortune, placed there and forgotten following a restaurant dinner some time before. On October 3 she was moved by those potentially prophetic words and how they fit into what would be taking place that day… an Episcopal Election to find her successor.

Archbishop Skelton went on to examine that phrase and how it relates to the love, gratitude and appreciation that she was experiencing through the fond good-byes and tributes received from hundreds of people via Zoom. A “next level” of love.

An hour or so before her address on Thursday, February 11, the party started, at just after 7pm facilitated by SJS tech volunteers, Bruce and Patrick Gregg and co-hosted by Charlotte French, ODNW and the Venerable Louie Engnan, Archdeacon of Fraser; Vicar of St. Michael’s, Surrey; Vicar of Christ the Redeemer, Cloverdale.  Charlotte and Fr. Louie had also led a small group organizing the event. Registration was open to everyone. It was a great turnout with participant totals throughout the 90 minute party staying pretty much around the 300 mark. If watching in “Gallery” view there were many pages of faces, some couples, mostly singles all gathered to say “farewell” and “thank-you”. There were also dozens of guests gathered via cell phone.

Off the top, Charlotte and Fr. Louie welcomed the “crowd” and let them know that there were some special guests in attendance, including: Archbishop Skelton’s husband, the Reverend Eric Stroo; her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren;  brother and sister-in-law; one of her two sisters with her husband, a close friend from the US and the Right Reverend John Stephens, Coadjutor Bishop of the diocese and soon to be installed as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster on February 28.

The majority of the program consisted of video offerings assembled by the six regional archdeaconries and Diocesan Council, skillfully edited into a watchable program by Bruce and Patrick Gregg. Most included still photos and brief video messages with a focus on the region and the parishes of that archdeaconry. There was a wide range of messaging, everything from thank-you greetings, to compelling personal stories of what Archbishop Skelton’s ministry has meant to our diocese and to the speaker personally. There was an on location history of the Gateway neighbourhood of Surrey presented by the Reverend Stephen Laskey which segued into a mock shampoo commercial with the Reverend Paul Woerhle peaking out from a shower stall and praising the qualities of Anglican Shampoo, a nod to Archbishop Skelton’s former career as a brand manager in the shampoo division of Procter and Gamble. A particularly clever piece was a time-shifted video of young people at St. Alban’s, Burnaby putting up their farewell message on the church’s exterior signage.

The Diocesan Council presentation assembled by Sharon Grove, ODNW consisted of a number of written testimonials displayed on the screen and narrated on the audio track. Chancellor, George Cadman, QC, ODNW and Treasurer, Bob Hardy, ODNW were included in the presentation. The Chancellor and Treasurer have been in diocesan leadership with Archbishop Skelton for all seven years of her episcopacy.

The Reverend Eric Stroo is well-known for his song parodies, and for this particular offering, a tribute to his spouse, he chose the Neil Diamond 1966 classic made famous by The Monkees, “I’m a Believer”.  The song was performed by Randy Murray, and the video assembled and edited by Cliff Caprani using stills from diocesan communications’ archives and footage from his own archives.

Here is the text:

I thought parish growth was just a fairy tale

Meant for someone else like Joel Osteen.

Everything upset me, everywhere I went

Congregations folding like a tent


Then I saw Her Grace, now I'm a believer


Not a trace of doubt in my mind.


God above,

I'm a believer!
 She’s an achiever, I’m satisfied.

 

I thought church was nothing but a sinking ship,


Destined to go down to Davy Jones.


We were losing courage, 
Going under fast,

Every year was harder than the last.



Then I saw Her Grace, now I'm a believer


Not a trace of doubt in my mind.


God above,

I'm a believer!
 She’s an achiever, I’m satisfied.

The final presentation of the evening was from the folks at St. Michael’s, Broadway (aka St. Michael’s, Vancouver, aka St. Michael’s, Multicultural, aka St. Mike’s). This is the parish where Deacon, the Reverend Eric Stroo has served for the past five years. Members of St. Mike’s Filipino community offered a video of a gong dance in tribute to Archbishop Skelton. It was an emotional few minutes as the Archbishop watched this cultural gift in her honour take place on the screen.  It was a memorable moment encapsulating some of the key accomplishments of her episcopacy, development of parishes and the focus on one of our diocese’s greatest attributes and resources, our diversity.

When it was time to conclude the party, the mics of hundreds of devices muted for the previous 90 minutes were turned on and a chorus rang out, dozens of voices thanking Archbishop Skelton for her time with us and sending prayers and many blessings as she returns to the Episcopal Church and her life with Eric in Seattle.

IMAGES

• The sign at St. Alban's, Burnaby
• The "Fortune"
• The co-hosts, Charlotte French, ODNW and the Venerable Louie Engnan with Her Grace
  
• One of the dozens of screens in “Gallery” view. 
• Receiving greetings and thanks from the Archdeacon of Burrard, the Venerable Fr. Kevin Hunt
• The Reverend Carole Nielsen and the Venerable Richard Leggett offer their tribute from the parish hall at Holy Trinity Cathedral, New Westminster
• The first frame of the Diocesan Council presentation.
• The Gong Dance.