St. Paul's @ General Convention

Provincial pizza

2009-07-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

It takes fuel to keep Nancy Sherwin running at her amazing pace. Here she is at the Province V gathering Tuesday evening, enjoying fellowship and a small snack to keep her going. One night of Convention is set aside for provinces to gather for caucus and dinner.

Province V (the Province of the Midwest) is composed of the 15 dioceses in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Eastern Missouri. The Episcopal Church is divided into 9 geographical provinces, mostly in the U.S., but also including the churches in Europe, the Carribean, South America, and Pacific Islands.

It was great running into Nancy around the convention, and everywhere I went, folks who had spent any time with the ECW knew Nancy and knew St. Paul's, Cleveland Heights!

Lisa+

House of Bishops

2009-07-17T18:34:00.001-07:00

You will find numerous accounts in news outlets regarding the actions of our House of Bishops. Here you can see their meeting space (much smaller than that of the House of Deputies.) In the foreground of this photo, you can see the booth at which translators provide simultaneous translation to the bishops for whom English is not the first language.

Also pictured is our bishop, Mark Hollingsworth, here speaking with a visitor from the gallery (the space from which we listen in on the bishops' deliberations)

Church stands with workers

2009-07-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, Episcopalians at General Convention were invited to join with Disney hotel workers as they demonstrated in front of Disneyland, protesting Disney's decision to effectively eliminate their health care (while enjoying healthy profits this past year)

Here you will see the demonstrators with a cheerful fellow (dancing to La Bamba), about a dozen Episcopal bishops, and some of the convention attendees who elected to join in the march. Local organizers did a good job of providing an opportunity for members of the church to witness to their convictions regarding economic justice for the working poor.

Lisa+

Pulled in Many Directions

2009-07-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

It was hard to know where to be yesterday because there was so much going on at the same time. I began by testifying at the Education Committee at 7:30 am about the need to continue the work of the Children's Charter for the Church, particularly regarding the need to lift up stories of the ministry of children to transform the church. There was not debate about the merits of the resolution, but rather whether to put it forward with a request for additional funds, when we are looking at a $14 million deficit. The committee thought it would, knowing that raising awareness about the issue might be just as important as any additional funding. I've tried to make available copies of the budget for the next triennium for areas of the evangelism and congregational life that deal with children, youth and adult formation. The money available for children's ministries is really minuscule.

After some time listening to deliberation in the House of Deputies, it was time to staff the NAECED booth (National Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors) and greet folks walking through the exhibit hall. Many good connections can be made by simply greeting people and offering them literature, buttons (and candy!) as they walk by. I got to spend some time chatting with Prior Aelred from St. Gregory's Abbey in Three Rivers, MI, which was a true delight.

The afternoon legislative sessions were moving - both in the House of Deputies and in the House of Bishops. The piece that hit the news was the passing of D025 (see Lisa's post), but many other pieces of legislation caused prayerful consideration as well. The House of Deputies had to deal with the consent to the election of the Bishop of Ecuador and could clearly sense deep pain and conflict even within the deputation from there. But in the end, they passed consent, with prayer before and after for all involved.

There were several receptions to attend in the early evening, including one for Young Adults that included a multi-media Eucharist, one with Michael Battle signing his book on Ubuntu, and one with international guests. Then it was back to the convention center at 8 pm for the last part of the Public Narrative project. Bungee Bynum, the Executive Director of Reading Camp in Kentucky, was the first to offer his story. He spoke movingly about how his childhood and recent time in South Africa has helped to shape his own sense of mission and how the same can happen for us. By 10 pm most of us were ready to have some food and drink together and I enjoyed the company of many young adults who have worked on the public narrative project in Boston and across the country.

Perhaps most fascinating is to watch how all the different threads seem to weave their way together - making new friends and greeting long time colleagues, prayerfully discerning the best course of action in difficult circumstances, telling our stories and sharing our faith and values, inspiring each other in ministry, celebrating our unity and our diversity, strengthening bonds of friendship and common mission, facing the realities of difficult times and choices. It makes me glad to be in this work with so many faithful fellow Episcopalians.

truth and love

2009-07-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

[Written 7/12; Posted 7/13]

I am sitting in the visitors’ gallery at the rear of the Plenary space for the House of Deputies. For the past hour and a half, the Deputies have been engaged in a legislative session regarding Resolution D025- the proposed way forward for the Episcopal Church from the pause it agreed to take in 2006 with the last minute passage of the compromise resolution B033(which instituted moratoria on election and consecration of LGBT bishops and the development of rites for same-gender blessings.)

This Convention, the World Mission legislative committee had the task of pulling together all of the resolutions that came forward to address the next steps for our church. After gathering testimony and prayerful consideration, the committee has brought this resolution to the floor of the House of Deputies. It holds together three basic premises: The Episcopal Church desires to maintain a vigorous commitment to its relationships with member churches of the Anglican Communion. It also finds that the Episcopal Church is not of one mind when it comes to its own stance on full inclusion of LGBT members in the sacramental life of the church, and finally commits to being truthful about the realities on the ground in the Episcopal Church (namely our church’s witness to the presence of faithful same-gender relationships and ministry of LGBT persons in all orders of the church).

Just before the vote was taken (they are tabulating the votes as I write), the President of the House invited the Chaplain of the House forward and prayer was offered before voting. He opened his prayer by recounting that it has been said that “Love without truth is superficiality. And truth without love is brutality” He went on to ask God’s help to this church as it endeavors to bring truth and love together.

Truthfulness as a theme has echoed through convention testimony following the address by Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. In his remarks he described our current crisis in the global economy as, at its root, a crisis of truthfulness. For a fuller summary of his remarks, see:http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112163_ENG_HTM.htm

The vote just came in. The House of Deputies has passed the resolution.

For more detailed description of Resolution D025, follow this link: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112451_ENG_HTM.htm

Now D025 goes to the House of Bishops for their consideration.

Lisa+

off the floor

2009-07-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

So as a person new to General Convention, I found myself a bit skeptical about the notion of the Church gathering around a legislative construct (i.e., wondering if Jesus really called us to gather together to legislate) And yet despite my ambivalence about that, the first posts I sent were details re:the formal legislative mechanics. I think perhaps because the sheer complexity and enormity of the organizational task is so vast, it would be easy to write back to you only about that.

However, plenty else goes on at General Convention away from the legislative sessions. For instance, in simply following the threads of anti-racism work here, I have attended legislative committee meetings, diocesan presentations, and a film screening- all of which provided networking opportunities and all of which stand on their own as encounters with the topic, but which at the same time inform the final versions of legislation that is eventually brought to the floor.

Pictured here: Constance Perry giving testimony before the Social and Urban Affairs Committee; The Rev. Brian Wilbert (from OBerlin, OH) speaking at the evening meeting considering the ongoing work of dioceses in addressing the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112441_ENG_HTM.htm ; and finally at a screeening of a new film Reairing the Breach, Deputy Ed Rodman Katrina Browne, maker of 2006 documentary Traces of the Trade. )

On the floor

2009-07-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

This is the space where the House of Deputies meets for their legislative sessions. It is the body of (approx.1000) elected representatives from all dioceses, both lay and ordained but not including bishops (who convene in the House of Bishops.) These photos were taken before convention got started. Since the deputies have begun their work, the space has attained more of a "lived-in" look. e.g. all the deptutations are invited to lash a mascot of some sort to their name post. Given our proximity to Disney Land there are more than a few Magic Kingdom characters presiding over the work of the HoD. I believe Ohio has adopted Minnie... Pictured here also is the table at which our deptuation sits. For more information on the Ohio deputation follow this link:http://www.dohio.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2731&Itemid=1 They also maintain a blog including posts from our own Nancy Sherwin as she reports on behalf of ECW(Episcopal Church Women):http://ohiodeputies.blogspot.com/

Lisa+

The Board

2009-07-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

In the main gathering space at the Convention Center, you will find in the lobby "The Board." --the place where meeting times of legislative committees are posted. Folks who are tracking particular resolutions come here at least once a day to find out where and when their resolutions are being worked on in committee.

I have attended hearings on canons, liturgy, and am heading down to the convention floor now to sit in on a session where all of the deputies are participating in a "committee of the whole" conversation regarding the multiple resolutions brought forward this Convention in response to last Convention's B033 (the resolution urging restraint in episcopal elections and same-gender blessings.)

You can track the progress of all proposed resolutions at http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/

More soon,

Lisa+

A day of Legislation and Public Narrative

2009-07-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I have survived my first full day of General Convention 09 and am making my way through day #2. Yesterday including hearing with the Education Committee about the Charter for Life-long Christian Formation and support for summer camp staff training.I spent some time at the NAECED booth (National Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors, of which I am their current president) and was pleased to see so many friends and make so many new ones. Some of our deputation from Ohio stopped by and took pictures; I hope to see those soon. The evening presentation with Archbishop Rowan Williams and others was fascinating, then I had a chance to speak at a reception for Trinity Institute, describing how valuable it is to be a partner site for their January Conferences (which are webcast; we have served as a partner site for 2 years and will again this January 2010). Discussion with other educators about the budget priorities for ministry with children, youth and adults took us late into the night, as we prepared to speak at Program and Budget hearings this evening.
This morning I went to a hearing (at 6:30 am!) to speak to the resolution recommending a Denominational Health Plan, with parity between clergy and lay employees working 30 hours or more per week. The Church Pension Group staff was very knowledgeable about the specifics and helped to clear up the many questions about the resolutions. Time will tell how this will play out on the floor of convention.

Now it is off to hear more about the Public Narrative project and to celebrate Eucharist with hundred of others. Many thanks for your prayers and interest!
in peace,
Kate Gillooly

2009-07-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hello folks back at St. Paul's, Cleveland Heights! Just back from the Opening Eucharist in a cavernous space in the Anaheim Hilton. There I had my first installment of ubuntu -- which roughly translates as "I am because you are." Not exactly sure how this chosen theme for the General Convention will work itself out in the proceedings over the next week or so- but I will keep you posted as/if it becomes any clearer to me!

Meanwhile, I wanted to alert those who like to follow things live that Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams will make a keynote presentation this evening (Weds., July 8) addressing the global economic crisis. It will include a panel discussion and stream live beginning at 6:00pm Pacific Time (9pm in Cleveland). You can link to the feed for this (and throughout Convention for up to the minute communications) at: www.episcopalchurch.org/gchub

Whatever one's views on ++RW's role in the excitements between the Episcopal Church and the broader Anglican Communion, his addresses are not to be missed. As a theologian, he brings together an orthodox faith and an unflinching honesty regarding the complexities of our modern world -- all resulting in (for me) a compelling account of God's action in the world and Chrisitanity's power to communicate it.

More soon,
Lisa+

Welcome to the St. Paul's @ General Convention Blog! Please Stand By...

2009-06-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

When the Episcopal Church meets together as the General Convention in Anaheim in the Diocese of Los Angeles, California, from July 8 – July 17, it will be the 76th time the church has gathered to be guided by the Holy Spirit in setting the direction of the church’s mission and ministry.

Lisa Hackney, Kate Gillooly and Nancy Sherwin will attend from our parish and will be blogging about their experiences!

You can follow Lisa and Kate right here.

Follow Nancy and others from the Diocese of Ohio here.