Bishop Scruton’s Reflections on the General Convention

Jesus told his disciples, “I am with you always”, so it is not surprising that Jesus was alive and at work with the people gathered in Anaheim for General Convention this past week. As a person passionately committed to Christ and his call to reconciliation and mission, I found this to be the healthiest and most mission focused of the five General Conventions I have attended.

As always, worship was the central unifying focus of each day. At our daily Eucharist, we had excellent preachers and a wide variety of inspiring types of music. Prayer was woven through all the committee meetings and legislative gatherings. The theme of the Convention was Ubuntu, reflecting the theme of Christ dwelling in us and we in him. When we seek to follow Christ, we are drawn into community (or Ubuntu) with others who are seeking to follow Christ. That was the thread flowing through our life and work.

God’s call to a mission way of life was constantly expressed in our worship and deliberations. We were reminded of our call to evangelism (respectful, relational evangelism). We committed ourselves to starting new churches across the country, including a specific plan for reaching Hispanic/Latino people God has brought to live among us. At the same time we are called to work for justice and peace in a violent world, called to work and pray to bring health to our threatened ecology on this planet and called to love our neighbors through supporting the Millennium Development Goals both in our country (our church includes dioceses in 16 nations) and around the world.

There were about thirty international visitors from across the Anglican Communion sharing this Convention with us so that they could learn how we discern God’s guidance as a General Convention. In much of the Anglican Communion, laity are not given as much input to decision making as they are in The Episcopal Church and our General Convention. It was my delight to welcome both Bishop Sarfo and his wife Mary from the Diocese of Kumasi in Ghana (who were with us at our Diocesan Convention last October and have become our Companion Diocese) and Bishop Hart with his wife Frances, from the Diocese of Liberia. Bishop Hart also visited in our diocese last year and we continue to share a friendship with his diocese. Through these two bishops and our connection with their dioceses, we live out our relationships with the Anglican Communion in a tangible way.

I was privileged to serve on the Ecumenical and Inter-religious Committee. We presented resolutions that were adopted, establishing a Full Communion Agreement with the Moravian Church in this country. (There are not many Moravians in New England, so we are not likely to see the same fruits in our diocese that we have seen through our Full Communion Agreement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.) We agreed to continue developing our relationship with the United Methodist Church and with the historic African American Methodist Churches. While we will probably never achieve Full Communion with the Presbyterian Church, since we differ so profoundly about the matter of bishops, we did adopt principles by which we can work together in worship and mission. We spent the most time working on a statement that articulates the foundation from which Episcopalians will enter into dialog with other religions. This document outlines what we believe as Episcopalians and what we bring to our conversations and our common work with people of other religions. I believe this will be an important document for adult study groups in our congregations. It integrates the evangelical, catholic and social justice streams of theology and practice that make up The Episcopal Church and opens the way for mutually respectful conversation and shared work for justice and peace with people of other religions.

We voted to expand (for trial use) the number of Holy Women and Holy Men for whom we give thanks in our weekly liturgical cycle. Again we affirmed our commitment to tithing as the minimum standard of giving in our church by signing our names, indicating our personal commitment to tithing or moving steadily toward tithing.

At this Convention, there were delegations from the four dioceses where the former bishop and many of the congregations have left the Episcopal Church, while others in those dioceses have chosen to remain as part of our Church. There continues to be much pain in those dioceses, yet there was also much enthusiasm among the people who are continuing as members of our church. All parties in those dioceses need our prayers.

Recognizing the impact the economic downturn has had on congregations and dioceses, the budget for our church was cut over the next three years and the asking from dioceses will be declining over the next three years. There was deep concern for the thirty people who will loose their jobs as a result of these cuts. There was also a commitment to move forward in mission, focusing more on the local level. We are inspired by the example of our Anglican Communion partners who remind us that money must not inhibit us from moving forward in the mission to which Christ calls us.

We continued our process of reflection and discernment about same gender relationships in our church. What was different at this Convention was the mutual respect and engagement of conservatives, moderates and progressives. People spoke with clarity about their convictions, listened with respect to those from different perspectives and all worked to express as honestly as possible the different convictions that make up our church. When bishops with conservative convictions expressed their minority position at the end of the Convention, they also expressed their appreciation for the respect with which they were received in all the deliberations. The broad center was strengthened in this Convention. We have moved to a place where The Episcopal Church is again intentionally valuing the conservative, moderate and progressive perspectives. We are recovering our vocation as a church of both/and instead of either/or.

Attached (below and the end of this message) you will find (links to) the two same-gender resolutions and the interpretation of those resolutions sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury by the President of the House of Bishops and the President of the House of Deputies. In this diocese we will continue our pastoral response to married same-gender couples by encouraging services of commitment and thanksgiving. Since our church’s Constitution and Prayer Book stipulate that marriage is between a man and a woman, and since the Anglican Communion has requested us to exercise restraint in moving forward with Blessings, we will continue our practice of not allowing Blessings in this diocese. Since a resolution of this Convention encouraged the development of theological and liturgical documents around same-gender relationships, I will appoint a committee to work on this topic in our diocese and send their reflections to the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music.

One sad note: during this Convention, Bishop Robert Hatch, 4th Bishop of Western Massachusetts and the senior bishop in the Episcopal Church, died at age 99. He was a godly gentleman who prayed for this diocese daily. We commended him to God’s love and mercy at Convention.

One of the great joys of this Convention for me was to talk with the five other former clergy from our diocese who are now (or are about to become) bishops in our Church. This is a tribute to the work of God in the clergy and people of Western Massachusetts. George Councell (former Canon to the Ordinary, now Bishop of New Jersey), Mark Beckwith (former rector of All Saint’s, Worcester, now Bishop of Newark), John Bauerschmidt (former curate at All Saint’s, Worcester, now Bishop of Tennessee), Larry Provenzano (former rector of St Andrew’s, Longmeadow, soon to Consecrated Bishop of Long Island) and John Tarrant (former assistant in Westfield and Holyoke and rector in Gardner and Stockbridge, soon to be Consecrated Bishop of South Dakota) all send you their love and greetings.

“Glory to God, whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, forever and ever.” (Eph 3:20,21)

Attachment 1: Letter to Archbishop Williams from Presiding Bishop Schori

Attachment 2: Resolution C056 Substitute – Liturgies for Blessings

Final Day Report from Rev. DeVine – July 17

St. Paul advises us that we will “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” That could be an apt description of the work of our Convention. We all know that our church was organized at the same time that our country was organized; and that our church’s constitution was written by many of the same people who wrote our country’s constitution. Thus there are many similarities between the governance of our country and our church. However, some history buffs may recall that there was the “Articles of Confederation” before the Constitution of the US. If you look carefully, our church is organized more in tune with the “Articles” than the Constitution in that the Episcopal Church does not have a strong central authority, but is compromised as an association of local entities, (Dioceses,) in which most authority lies.

Paul’s admonition and our structure explains a lot about how our National Church operates and the actions of the General Convention. Two of the more controversial actions – one dealing with our intentions regarding ordinations and our relationship with the Anglican Communion, and the other dealing with the blessing of same sex relationships – were approved in ways that moved away from national norms or rules. Instead, the local control and authority of Bishops and their Dioceses was reaffirmed, for better or worse. The statement, “We are not of one mind,” was a statement of where we are as a whole, but did not demand that we should become “of one mind.” Definitive national policy is not easy for us!

Also, a practical approach of “working out our own salvation” came from the news of severe cuts in the budget for the National church. Programs and the staff to carry out those programs were eliminated or severely curtailed – anti-racism and women’s ministries among them. A new initiative for Hispanic ministry received only 10% of what was sought. Nevertheless, it was stated that the expectation is that these programs will be more efficiently carried out on the local (Diocesan) level, and in no way reflects a lessening of commitment to these ministries. Likewise, there was a resolution condemning torture, but which also included a statement of support for those Episcopalians who will suffer consequences if they refuse to participate in torture. Also, a resolution condemning domestic violence contained recommendations that local clergy receive training on how to deal with this too common problem. Always, local solutions are sought for problems that may have wide-spread incidences.

Paul’s statement, our history, and current managerial practice of “subsidiarity” all point to the same thing: most of the best ministry is done at the local level – one on one, person to person. Failure of our church to speak clearly and powerfully as one voice on a multitude of issues is not a weakness, but is at the core of our very identity. Anglicanism expressed in the Episcopal church is not just the embracing of various points of view, it is the dispersal of authority and responsibility into the church on the local level. We have ofaten been accused of being Congregationalists at heart, and there is some truth to that.

The result of all of the above is that we, the parishes who form the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, have more responsibility to carry out the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church in this place. We will have to enter into a dialogue with our Bishop regarding our response to the legalization of marriage in Massachusetts. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church will not solve that issue for us. We will need to address the issues of racism, domestic violence, and injustice in our neighborhoods – 815 will not send someone to lead us. We will need to organize the resources we already have to reach out to our neighbors with the Good News of God in Christ – and find new ways to build our church.

The founders of our country thought that we needed a strong, central authority to govern us, and so rejected the Articles of Confederation in favor of the Constitution. The Episcopal Church does not have a strong central authority in the National Church Office at 815 2nd Ave. in NY, nor in the General Convention. However, the actions of General Convention can lead us to rely on a closer powerful central authority that will actually give us power to do the work we are called to do… our living and loving Lord who is near to us, helping us to successfully “work out our salvation, with fear and trembling.”

The Rev. Michael DeVine, Christ Church Cathedral

Final ECW Report from Anaheim

The 46th Triennial Meeting had its final celebration on Thursday afternoon, July 16th, the 76th General Convention closed on July 17th, and the several thousand Episcopalians who formed a small city in Anaheim for nearly two week have gone home.

Deputies and delegates spend much of their day in meetings debating resolutions and voting, but I have heard it said that Episcopalians pray and sing their way through differences, and there was also a tremendous amount of prayer, song, worship, inspirational sermons, and….networking.

In the Spirit of Ubuntu every Eucharist had an Ubuntu choir. The choir was open to all under the direction of Julia Huttar Bailey and Dent Davidson. Each day had different “leaders of song”, and I know members of our deputation joined the choir. It is quite amazing to see several thousand people break from the “stuff” of meetings to daily worship God, pray, sing and celebrate the Eucharist together.

The Triennial Meeting had its own musicians, David Stankey and Nancy Beach, who lead us in song each day; and our chaplain, The Rev. Ellen Sloan, wove prayer throughout the business. Elizabeth Von Trapp was the guest performer for the ECW event, and all donations went to benefit the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative. I joined other ECW members on a “Prayer Walk” through the convention center praying and blessing the principle rooms being used for meetings, and the ECW led Morning Prayer in the prayer chapel each morning.

The Triennial Meeting’s key note speakers were Phyllis Tickle, frequently quoted author and founding editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly, and The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, assistant bishop of California and provost of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco; both spoke on the topic “Grow in Grace”, the theme of the Triennial Meeting. Phyllis said Grace was a tough subject to talk on, and not only for her, but for theologians as well. She likened grace to beauty, and she said neither could be earned.

Bishop Charleston said, “Listen: Grace is NOT “holy luck”. He said he has come to know Grace through Mary, the mother of Jesus, “our lady of Grace”, and she is a “porthole” to Grace. “Listen: if you want to understand Grace, find Mary; not the icon Mary, but the real honest, genuine human, a woman who was not perfect, but had courage and dignity, from who Jesus learned his values…Grace is Love at work.”

One of the moving moments in the Triennial meeting was the Honored Woman ceremony. Marilyn Berthelette, escorted by the Rev. Canon Michael Devine, represented our Honored Woman, Eleanor “Andy” Parke. We will honor Andy personally at a ceremony at Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday, July 26th.

One of the most inspiring moments at Convention was the United Thank Offering dinner address given by The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, Bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina. He focused on John Chapter 20, where Jesus tells Mary Magdalene, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” Bishop Curry said his message was ONE WORD…GO. “From Genesis to Revelation the message is, the father has sent me and I send you, and he breathed on them.” Bishop Curry asked us to continue to spread the good news of Jesus and GO…. continue the UTO and ECW “mission of witness.” …GO and spread His justice…Go UTO…. GO ECW…..GO!

And finally in the closing Eucharist Presiding Bishop Katharine preached on words, the Word, the Word made flesh, and concluding with John 21:15-17 she asked, “how does Word become hope, how does it fill stomachs as well as hearts, how can it strengthen the heartbeat of this Church?” And she gave us a mission: “We’re going out there to be that nourishing word. Speak a word of peace and healing to a world desperately in need of it. Become what you eat here today, and feed the world, tend the flock, feed all of God’s sheep.”

And now Father, send out to do the work you have given us to do……

In Christ,

Susan Howland, ECW Triennial Delegate

Convention Report from Archdeacon Coyne – Thursday July 16

A General Convention Deputy’s reflections

Today we heard some challenging words from author and evangelist  Brian McLaren in the sermon at the daily convention Eucharist: “From my outsider’s perspective, your most urgent issue of institutional rigidity is related to the complex ways candidates are accepted and trained into ordained ministry. To put it bluntly: For all your system does well, it is perfectly designed to scare away from Episcopal leadership almost everyone with the spiritual gift of evangelism.” I believe he is on to something – we need to find better ways to give permission for mission-minded folk to creatively present the Gospel in the 21st century.

It was a good reminder as we have completed nine of the ten legislative days. Most of our work has been balancing ‘internal’ arrangements of the Episcopal household – canons, elections, a budget etc with ‘external’ focus on mission, mission, mission.

I served on the Evangelism Committee and we shepherded through both Houses (Deputies and Bishops) a number of resolutions calling us to engage the fundamental and essential mission of evangelism.

The Joint Session when the Bishop and Deputies met together.

Handheld device used for voting at the Convention

A sample:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 76th General Convention recognize that new church development is a high missional priority and an effective tool to present the Gospel, to incorporate the seeker and to welcome the lost home; and be it further

Resolved, That the Program officer, Church Planting & Ministry Re-Development of the Episcopal Church’s Evangelism and Congregational Life Center collaborate with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and others to develop resources for starting new congregations; and be it further

Resolved, That these resources include case studies, best practices, approaches to be avoided and effective action plans for starting and sustaining new faith communities; and be it further

Resolved, That this resource be published and presented to the Executive Council and to the House of Bishops at their first meeting in 2011.

General Convention has hundreds of resolutions to consider (we like to weigh in on a lot of things) and today adopted a leaner budget for the next three years so that a few more mission dollars can be put to work at the local level of congregation and diocese. Basically, the formula for the Apportionment from the 110 dioceses has been reduced – something I urged the Program, Budget and Finance Committee to do at this Convention as well as in 2006. A Committee member assured me that I had been heard – which is gratifying.

So we wrap up by 6pm (PDT) Friday and most of your WMA deputation returns home on Saturday and probably at worship in one of our 67 congregations on Sunday. That’s where the heartbeat of mission is faithfully lived out week by week.

Archdeacon Bill Coyne

Report from Susan Howland – ECW News – Thursday July 17

Greetings from the Triennial Meeting of the Episcopal Church Women often referred to as the third house of General Convention, along with the House of Bishop’s and the House of Deputies.

Marilyn Berthelette, our diocesan ECW treasurer, and I, as ECW President, have the privilege of representing the woman of the diocese of Western Massachusetts as delegates to the 46th Triennial Meeting from July 8th through July 17th. We wanted to write you about some of the highlights of this meeting and tell you how we have been spending our days.

The Convention opened with a Eucharist on Wednesday morning July 8th where Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori reminded us that the heart of this “Body” is Mission, and she likened the sound of the word “Mission” to the “whooshing” sound of a beating heart.

On Wednesday afternoon the Triennial meeting opened with Presiding Bishop Katharine blessing and distributing our Triennial crosses. There are 296 delegates representing 92 dioceses and all 9 provinces at the Triennial Meeting, including representation from Province IX dioceses of Central Ecuador, Litoral, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba.

Convention Choir

Province 1 UTO Coordinators

ECW Triennial Cross

During the week we were visited by many people including the president of the House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson, Bishops Jenkins of New Orleans, Gray of Mississippi, Bruno of Los Angeles, and the Dean of the Washington National Cathedral to give thanks for the mission of the ECW. On Thursday, July 9th Ms. Hellen Wangusa, of the Anglican UN Observer and the Arch Bishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, brought greetings and thanks. The Arch Bishop said, “Sharing your prayers, care and experience engenders togetherness and is the life blood of the church.” He closed by saying, “Thank you for the support of the transformational work you do for the disadvantaged and marginalized.”

The stories of mission continued to pour out from the women of the church for the rest of the week.

Some of the social justice and action missions the ECW supported this triennium are: the Jericho Road Housing Initiative, where over $75,000 has been raised to build a house in New Orleans; the Woman to Woman Program, where grass roots needs are identified by local women and made possible with ECW grant money; a poultry farm in the diocese of Liu Sudan, Sewing machines to the Bethlehem Training Center in Southern Sudan, “Blanketing Navajoland” providing sewing machines, and funding for a Community Arts Collaborative in Haiti. For each Triennial Meeting the National ECW board chooses a local “community connection gift”; Project Dignity of Garden Grove, CA was chosen. This grassroots organization addresses the needs of homeless families and children living in motels. Our combined cash offering was $1,201, and a jar full of gift cards, hygiene products, children’s books and other items were collected. Our diocesan ECW has contributed to all these mission projects, including financial help to bring delegates who could otherwise not afford to attend

The Convention worship space was filled with approximately 7,000 people for the Eucharist on Sunday July 13th. During the service the United Thank Offering was ingathered with representatives from every diocese bringing their triennial offering, which totaled 6.7 million dollars. The Convention Eucharist offering of $28,168.92 was added to that total for 2009 UTO grants. Our diocese of Western Massachusetts UTO triennial offering was $49,342.47, and St. John’s Episcopal Church, Northampton received a $12,000 UTO grant to convert an existing lavatory into a handicapped accessible lavatory.

The General Convention closes tomorrow and we will have a final reflection after the closing. Please keep us all in your prayers.

In Christ, Susan Howland

Wednesday Report from Mick Kalber

July 15, 2009

News from General Convention in Anaheim … where the Holy Spirit is strong, the bishops are all good-looking, and the deputies are above average. However, I haven’t yet spotted Pastor Inqvist …

The eighth legislative day has come to a close, except for L.A. Night, a liturgy for transformational living, and myriad other after-hours activities available during these waning hours of our 76th General Convention. What a terrific experience! As Meghan mentioned earlier, a first time deputy cannot prepare for General Convention, he has to just experience it!

Last evening Beth, Deborah and I attended a showing of Traces of the Trade, a story from the Deep North, which is a disturbing journey of discovery into the history of slavery in New England. It was hosted by Dain Perry, a descendant of Anthony DeWolf, the first slaver in the family.

Before I relate today’s activities, I thought I would attempt to describe the setting here at General Convention. Many experienced deputies expressed the opinion that Anaheim provides an ideal venue for General Convention; it was last held here in 1985. The Anaheim Convention Center, covering 53 acres, is the heart of the Convention. The Marriott and Hilton Hotels are just across a palm tree-lined courtyard. The House of Deputies, the Worship Center and the Exhibition Hall are on the ground floor. The Church offices and committee rooms are on the second floor and the House of Bishops and ECW Deputies gather on the top floor. The many committees meet in the hotel conference and banquet rooms, and multiple receptions and dinners occur in the hotels also. Everthing is very convenient and accessible.

Today began with breakfast in the hotel, followed by a walk over to the Convention Center to establish credentials for entry into the House of Deputies for today’s legislative sessions. (As an alternate deputy, I replaced a deputy today.)

Mike and I attended an 8 o’clock morning prayer service led by a member of the E.C.W. Triennial in the prayer chapel in the Convention Center.

At 9:30 our first legislative session of the day was called to order. Resolution A177, The Denominational Health Plan, was voted. It benefits all domestic dioceses, parishes, missions and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject to the authority of this church, for clergy and other lay employees who are scheduled to work a minimum of 1,500 hours annually. It will be administered by the Trustees and officers of The Church Pension Fund and will provide benefits that are comparable in coverage to those benefits currently provided by the domestic dioceses and parishes of this church, with projected savings of $134 million over the first six years.

The Holy Eucharist was held at 11:30, and today’s preacher was Bishop Steven Charleston, Asst. Bishop of California and Provost of Grace Cathedral. He described his task today as “ten minutes to save the earth.” He challenged us with the following two simple questions: 1. Can human beings abide in peace when they disagree, and 2. Can we make the changes necessary to live together in this earthly existence? The clock is ticking …

Alleluia! This was the first paperless event of General Convention! The program was projected on screens.

Also, I was privileged to assist as a Eucharistic Minister during this service.

The Deputation: not on the floor for this joint session were Deputy Beth Washburn or Alternate Mike DeVine

The Deputation from Western Massachusetts on the Convention Floor

After lunch with the deputation, I attended the afternoon legislative session which began at 2 o’clock. The House of Deputies passed its second major resolution of the day – that the Church establish a mandatory lay employee pension system for employees who work a minimum of 1,000 hours annually.

Following that vote, the House of Bishops joined the House of Deputies for a joint session, receiving the proposed Triennium (2010-2012) budget. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori described the budget as “painful.” The Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance responded to requests to reduce the diocesan Asking in two ways: 1. to increase the standard exemption from $100,000 to $120,000 across the triennium, and 2. to reduce the percentage of asking to 20% in 2011 and to 19% in 2012.

The Church can no longer sustain a 10-day General Convention, and PB&F proposes a substantially reduced budget for the 77th Convention. It is recommended that the next General Convention be reduced by at least two days, and that it be as paperless as possible.

The budget will be voted by each House separately on Thursday, July 16.

Finally, three friends of our diocese send along their very best regards – Bishop George Councell of New Jersey, Bishop Mark Beckwith of Newark and Bishop-Elect Larry Provenzano of Long Island.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve God and our diocese.

Best wishes,

Mick Kalber
Alternate Lay Deputy
Holy Trinity, Southbridge

Clergy from WM Diocese now serving in the House of Bishops

Clergy from The Diocese of Western Massachusetts who are now part of the House of Bishops. left to right: John Tarrant (Bishop-elect of South Dakota), Lawrence Provenzano (Bishop-elect of Long Island), John Bauerschmidt (Bishop of Tennessee), Gordon Scruton (Bishop of Western Massachusetts), Mark Beckwith (Bishop of Newark) and George Councell (Bishop of New Jersey) Photo by: Deputy Lynn A. Collins, Diocese of Long Island.

(Click on photo for full size view)

Tuesday Report from Rev. Meredyth Wessman Ward

Greetings from Anaheim!

General Convention is an amazing experience. When I first went to Convention in 2006, one of the experienced deputies described it as “one part legislature, one part state fair, and one part family reunion.” I’ve had a taste of all three today.

Since we’re more and more aware of how short a time remains, we’re spending lots of time in legislative session. Today we spent time on a series of resolutions concerning “Holy Women, Holy Men”–a group of additions to our church calendar. Some were proposed in 2006, and were ratified as permanent additions, and a much larger group were proposed for trial use. Over the next three years we are encouraged to use the commemorations and then report back our experiences to convention in 2012.

We also voted on changes to the voting rules in the House of Bishops (All bishops have seat and voice, but only bishops in active ministry have a vote—somethng which the bishops themselves requested) voted in favor of the Bishops’ slight revision of D025, did the umpteenth ballots for representatives to the CPG, and, for the very first time, voted for lay and clergy represtatives for the Court for the Trial of a Bishop.

During our time in Legislative Session we have interruptions from time to time. Sometimes, it’s a point of order from a deputy, sometimes it’s a time to stretch and sing a hymn (today we sang “All things bright and beautiful”), and sometimes it is a moment of prayer. Our chaplain offers a meditation at the start of each day, intercessions during the course of the day (Deputies are encouraged to leave written intercessions on a clipboard near the front of the hall). Sometimes we welcome special visitors. Today we welcomed a parade of ecumenical and interfaith visitors, and received a special sung blessing from representatives of the three Abrahamic traditions. A Cantor began in Hebrew, as he stepped back, an Immam stepped forward and continued seamlessly in Arabic, and as he finished, the rector of a church in this diocese continued in English. Then the three sang togather—three languages, three musical traditions, one three-fold blessing on all of us. The hair on my arms lifted as I listened, others around me had tears streaming down their faces, and all of us breathed “amen” at the end.

The “State Fair” part of Convention is the exhibit area. There are exhibits with vestments, books, fair trade coffee, beautiful crafts, silver jewelry, curriculum materials, and t-shirts and hats and all sorts of other things. There are booths devoted to different advocacy groups, most of which have something to “lure” you in. Debbie told me today that the CPG booth has already gone through 50 POUNDS of m&ms. Across the hall the CREDO booth is giving out pedometers—we’ll all need to do more walking to make up for the chocolate! I’m tempted by some of the scarves panted by women in Haiti, and I found myself wondering if I could avoid doing more laundry in the sink of my hotel room if I bought a t-shirt.

One of the great joys of the convention is the family reunion aspect. We see people who used to be in our Diocese, but have moved away, people we may have met at another convention or church meeting, people from our former parishes, and, in my case, people I met in Seminary. Since I did a year at CDSP, in Berkeley, I know a lot of folks from the West Coast. Many of them are here as visitors or volunteers, as well as deputies and alternates. i had dinner tonight with a CDSP classmate, and have run into countless others.

My husband, Matt, and son Andrew were here for a long weekend. I brought Andrew to the Integrity Eucharist on Friday night, and loved watching his reaction to the preaching of Bishop Barbara Harris. My favorite moment, though, came on Sunday morning, after the Eucharist. I spotted a friend who had picked up Andrew after school each Thursday during our year at CDSP, so that I could sing in the Seminary Choir. The last time Jeanne saw Andrew, he was five. Now he’s 14 and over six feet tall. They stared, grinned and hugged. “She used to buy me bagels on the way home!” he said happily. NOW I know why he never ate dinner on thursdays…

Convention is a wonderful collection of sights and sounds. There are members of religious orders in full habits, priests in colorful adaptations of clergy shirts (plaid, anyone?), and folks of all ages with buttons and badges and crosses galore. But no matter what we wear, what language we speak, or our facility with Robert’s Rules, we are the body of Christ, gathered together in hope and love.

Meredyth Wesman Ward
Clergy Deputy

Convention Report from Rev. Moss- Monday

First, continued greetings from Anaheim — the deputation greatly appreciates your prayers! We’re more than half way through the time, but far from half way through the work! The pace is picking up, the hours are long, and nerves will get frayed by Robert’s Rule, I am sure!

One testy matter we concluded was consent to the election of the Bishop of Ecuador Central. (Did you even know that Ecuador is part of The Episcopal Church? In fact there are TWO dioceses from that country.) The diocese there is conflicted and the election process was messy. It ended up getting referred to the House of Bishops of the whole Episcopal Church, and because of the timing, to the House of Deputies for our concurrence. We spent a while in debate, not least because some deputies from that diocese wanted us not to consent, but in the end we consented overwhelmingly. For my part, I think it’s because we saw it as the best way forward for them, toward healing and reconciliation. But sad.

We also passed a thorough revision of the canons called Title IV, which deals with procedures for responding to clergy misconduct. Our chancellors (lawyers) have said we need this and that it greatly improves what we have, so I am pleased we passed it.

We passed many resolutions concerning evangelism and some on education (including education to prevent sexual misconduct). Around then we completed the Day 3 legislative calendar (physically we’re in Day 6, so you can see the problem!). We needed a break so we sang “Joyful, joyful, we adore thee!”.

We’ve been working on elections of Pension Fund trustees and also of members to serve on the Trial Court of a Bishop. The election is tedious and has required many rounds because each person elected must gain a majority. We completed a number of resolutions on National and International Concerns.

We also completed debate, and voted, on a measure that would insure equal access to ministry and ordination irrespective of “gender identity and expression”. (Gender identity = the gender we feel inside ourselves, which for some does not match their chromosomes or physical body (hence the desire by some for transgender surgery, etc.); gender expression = how we present our gender to others. Neither is the same as sexual orientation, which has to do with the gender of those we love.) The point is to avoid discrimination against transgender people. The vote was by orders, which is complex and since we were at the very end of the day, we don’t have the results back.

MEANWHILE! The House of Bishops passed a slightly modified form of D025, which essentially repudiates 2006-B033 and says that we will follow our Constitution and Canons in our discernment and ordination procedures. (Yesterday the House of Deputies passed it, and then the Archbishop of Canterbury commented that he was disappointed by our action. I suspect he’s even MORE disappointed by the action of the bishops.) This will become formal when the House of Deputies concurs with the bishops’ slight change, which I expect we will do.

After the legislative session was over, the deputation attended a reception, graciously hosted by the Diocese of Long Island, to celebrate the seating of their Bishop-elect, the Rev. Larry Provenzano, in the House of Bishops. He has seat and voice, and gains vote upon consecration, scheduled for September 19th. We’re sad to lose Larry from our diocese (and our deputation!) but happy for LI.

Minister Ken at the deputation table in the House of Deputies (Minister Ken is a cardboard cutout doll with FIVE sets of liturgical vestments for a wide range of occasions, courtesy of my family, a gift upon my ordination as a priest)

Members of the deputation sharing lunch in the exhibit hall

Rev Larry Provenzano at the Long Island reception (with his bishop’s badge, but not a purple shirt — cognitive dissonance!)

(Click on photos for full-sized version.)

To conclude, here’s a chronology of my day, for your entertainment:

0545: wake up, get ready, answer email, eat breakfast

0650: walk to meeting room

0730: attend meeting of Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy, and Church Music

0930: Legislative Session

1130: Community Eucharist (includes bishops and ECW Triennial, etc.)

1230: grab some lunch

1300: Mission Conversation coaches training

1400: Legislative Session

1815: Session ends

1830: Long Island reception

1900: Attend meeting of the PB, L, & CM committee

2000: Socialize with committee members

2200: Return to hotel to blog for you all

The Rev. J. Eliot B. Moss
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ashfield

Sunday Report from the Convention

After rising daily early enough to get breakfast and make it to either a 7:00 am or 7:30 am Legislative Committee meeting, I deeply appreciated the Sabbath, the day of worship, reflection and most of all rest. Today (Sunday) is officially the half-way point of General Convention, celebrated by a glorious Eucharist celebrating many of the cultures represented in the this church.

If you planned ahead or were lucky enough to arrive early you were treated to symphony of hymns such as: “I’m Going to Eat at the Welcome Table,” Come Ye That Love the Lord,” “We Have Come Into This House,” “We’ve Come This Far by Faith” and “Total Praise” (African American); “The Blue Green Hills of Earth” and “In the Morning” sung and/or written by Elizabeth Von Trapp all of which put you in the mood to worship. Hansori Drummers (Korean) announced the entrance procession resplendent with rainbow colored streamers and flags wafting and waving in the air. Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Shori co-presided with former Presiding Bishops Frank Griswold and Edmund Browning. House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson offered Intercessions. The cavernous convention hall was transformed into a holy place by the utter simplicity of the decorations and total focus on the larger than life crosses projected behind the altar.

Presiding Bishop Shori’s message effective juxtaposed the Gospel lesson of “carry no bag, no purse, no sandals…” into the preparations of those attending the General Convention whose motto more accurately reflects the Boy Scouts’ “be prepared” and take something for every possible encounter. She reminded us that just as “Jesus appointed the seventy others and sent them ahead of him,” we are appointed to go ahead of, not follow behind to spread the gospel.

The Eucharist continued with people easily speaking in the language they were most comfortable with. Surprisingly this was not a cacophony, but a sweet symphony of sound. At communion I felt linked through Christ to the 5000 or so convened in this space to worship, pray and praise the Lord and thought this must have been to be in the multitude feed by the two fish and five loaves. Someone from every place on this planet was there. We were all spiritually fed today. The mass ended and the postlude of “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” was easily picked up by the crowd leaving the worship space spilling out into the Convention Center loggia and then in the street.

After the mass people drifted into small groups for lunch or visited to exhibit hall for the endless choice of liturgical implements and garb, books, advertisements for seminaries, handcrafts, exotic fabrics and jewelry before convening for the afternoon legislative session. Only a few pieces of pieces of legislation were dealt with, but they were significant. After considerable legislative “hip-hop” taking 90 minutes D025 Commitment and Witness to the Anglican Communion was passed with a comfortable margin. (The full text of all resolutions should be available on the National Church’s website. Check the link in the right hand column of this blog.)

With almost no opposition D038 Strategic Vision of Reaching Latinos/Hispanics passed. A089 Liturgy: Daily Prayer addressing the development of additional liturgical materials, defining Christian anti-Judaism, revising the Book of Occasional Services, continue to collect World music to enhance our worship and gather data from churches to determine our music needs. All of these resolutions must be passed by the House of Bishops to become the practice of this church.

One of the bonuses of this trek is getting to know my roommate, Beth Washburn. First off, Beth is a PK (priest’s kid) and loves this church. She has been a deputy before, but because of diocesan finances we had to “double up” on this trip. It’s almost like youth camp for adults. Beth has a real dry wit and if you are not listening closely, you will miss the punch line. Beth’s easy going nature masks her keen sense of observation. No pretense here. She makes me pause and look at things through another lens. This is good.

It was a long, exhausting, yet good day. This is my Church, sometimes frustrating. Like Beth, I love it. Thanks be to God!

Deborah Harmon Hines, Deputy