75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church
Daily Reports
News and pictures from General Convention
and the Episcopal Church Women's Triennial
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75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church News and pictures from General Convention |
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| Day 3 | Thursday, June 15 | |||||||||
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House of Deputies Paper ballots were issued so that the deputies could proceed with the election of 12 members of the Church Pension Fund board. Results were announced in the afternoon session. (Only 5 of the over 800 paper ballots were spoiled.) The Rt. Rev. Michael Ingham of the Diocese of New Westminster (Canada), was seated with the deputation from Massachusetts as a visitor to the floor of the house and was greeted by a standing ovation when he was introduced. Resolution C001, titled "Anti-Jewish Prejudice in Liturgical Texts," provides for the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to collect and prepare teaching materials for use in congregations where anti-Semitism develops as a result of exposure to the scriptural or liturgical texts. Deputy Kendall Harmon from South Carolina told the house that he was concerned about the inclusion of texts of Scripture as part of the body of work. The resolution eventually was passed by an impressive majority: 68.3 percent. The commission is to report its progress in 2009. Among several other resolutions considered, the deputies concurred with the the bishops on D015, which leaves unfunded any resolution passed after the adoption of the budget. |
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ECW Triennial The delegates heard from Phoebe Griswold, wife of Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, who spoke about her ministry alongside her husband for the last nine years. Mrs. Griswold's interests include education, the arts as enrichment for everyday life, nutrition and the elimination of hunger, and disaster and poverty relief. UTO President Joy Tway spoke to the Triennial after lunch. The nominees for the ECW national board were introduced and made statements to the delegates. Later in the day a "meet the nominees" reception was held.
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National Altar Guild Meeting
The National Altar Guild Association (NAGA) convention opened Wednesday evening with an opportunity to listen to the co-authors of a delightful book entitled Being Dead is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral. Gayden Metcalf and Charlotte Hays shared some wonderful anecdotes about how the Episcopal and Methodist ladies of this southern Delta area insure that one leaves this world for their everlasting with a fitting send off. If you have not had the opportunity to read this book, pick it up and enjoy these charming stories of the South.
Following registration and orientation, we gathered at Trinity Episcopal Church to celebrate the opening Eucharist and were welcomed to Columbus with a reception in the undercroft of the church. Thursday morning began at the Hyatt on Capitol Square with the keynote address Making Our Witness to Love by the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, retired Bishop of Alaska and current President and Dean of Episcopal Divinity School.
After lunch we migrated back to Trinity Church for two sessions. In the first, a flower workshop, we had the opportunity to learn a number of secrets for flower arranging in holy spaces using both fresh and dried flowers. Jim Bliek, a retired professional florist demonstrated how to decorate the advent wreath and also gave us hints for keeping flowers alive and fresh on our altars for up to two weeks. After a short break, Sister Suzanne Elizabeth of St. John Baptist helped us center ourselves following a busy day with a Prayer Workshop. She shared a number of tools to aid us in our prayer amidst the hustle and bustle and tensions of a hectic convention week. Especially helpful was the quiet prayer time using a lap or finger labyrinth. We left feeling much refreshed and centered on our Lord. |
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Bishop Iker, the diocesan deputation, and the representatives to ECW Triennial and National Altar Guild, along with their spouses (if present), gather at the close of each day's business for Evening Prayer. This is also a time to exchange news from the day's meetings. |
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Day 4 |
Friday, June 16 | |||||||||
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House of Deputies The names of three clerical deputies were placed in nomination for Vice President of the House. The person elected will begin his or her term of office following this General Convention. The nominees were Gay Jennings of the Diocese of Ohio, Brian Prior of the Diocese of Spokane, and Robert Sessum of the Diocese of Lexington. Rules of the House require that the President and Vice President be from different (lay and clerical) orders. Since Bonnie Anderson, the President-elect, is from the lay order, the Vice President must be from the clerical order. The election is expected to take place on Saturday. The day's business was dominated by consideration of resolution A077, which makes the Revised Common Lectionary the new norm for all services beginning on I Advent 2010. The RCL has been in trial use since it was issued in 1992; resolutions to adopt it as a replacement for the current Prayer Book lectionary were introduced in 2000 and 2003; they failed. An amendment and a substitute both were offered almost as soon as A077 was introduced. Both would have had he effect of removing the deadline and requirement for use. Those against A077 argued that the lectionary change would require use of the Prayer Book, a separate lectionary, and an Episcopal supplement to that lectionary in order to say the daily office. Eventually it would require the purchase of new pew prayer books, a hardship for many congregations. Those in favor of the RCL cited the availability of complementary music and teaching resources, the addition of more readings about women's contributions to salvation history, and the opportunity to read through a section of the Old Testament on successive Sundays through the season of Pentecost. Eventually the amendment and substitute were defeated, and he resolution passed. The current Prayer Book lectionary is adapted from the one in use in the Roman Catholic church since Vatican II. The RCL is in use by Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist and even Disciples of Christ congregations, as well as the Church of England. Resolution D013, amended by the House of Bishops, was approved after brief debate. The original resolution proposed amending the constitution so that the Presiding Bishop would be elected by both houses together in joint session. The bishops amended this so that the proposal would be referred to a standing committee for study and a report in 2009. Fort Worth clerical deputy Christopher Cantrell objected to the proposal to change the election process, saying that each house should elect its own president, as is now the case. Louie Crew, lay delegate from the Diocese of Newark, also objected to the proposed change, saying that he did not want to "front an archbishop." Nevertheless, the proposal will go to the committee for study. It has no effect on Sunday's election, which must be conducted according to current rules. A related resolution was passed later in the morning session, If approved by the House of Bishops, resolution D010 would raise the retirement age of the Presiding Bishop from 70 to 72, allowing bishops of up to 63 years of age to be elected and serve a full nine-year term. Age 72 already is the required retirement date for all other clergy. The deputies concurred with the bishops on resolution A021, which generalizes a rule about clergy licensing. Bishops will now be allowed to license "an ordained minister in good standing in a Church with which this Church is in full communion" to serve an Episcopal congregation on a temporary basis. For the present this includes Evangelical Lutheran Church and the United Methodist Church. The deputies voted to refer the proposal of resolution D034 to the Committee on Ministry for study and a subsequent report. The resolution proposes that a communicant in good standing be allowed to serve as a Eucharistic minister or visitor. The Committee on Canons, which suggested the referral, believes that the requirement of Holy Confirmation for LEMs and LEVs makes the matter ministerial and not merely canonical. |
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Resolution A095, "Gay and Lesbian Affirmation," was adopted by the bishops. It calls for protection and expansion of civil rights (family leave, employee benefits, etc.) for gay and lesbian individuals and same-gender couples, and for "the 75th General Convention oppose any state or federal constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex civil marriage or civil unions." Resolution C010, on site choices for future General Conventions, also passed. It suggests (the language was changed from "directs") that the planning committee not propose as a site for any future General Convention any city in a state that "prohibits domestic partnerships" or associated rights. (43 states have passed marriage amendments, including Texas.) Resolution A159 will go back to the deputies with insertions: It declares the Episcopal Church is in communion with the See of Canterbury "with the understanding that decisions by other Provinces and Primates of the Anglican Communion do not affect the legal identity of The Episcopal Church" and "consistent with the historic separate and independent status of the churches comprising the Anglican Communion." The bishops also acted on A165, on the commitment to "Windsor and a Listening Process." It was amended and adopted. Concern for the part the church may have played in the institution of slavery was expressed with the passage of resolution A123, which asks a committee to gather documentation on the subject. If the House of Deputies concurs, some further step could be taken in 2009, depending on the findings. |
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Resolution A153, a controversial proposal that would place all clergy and all laity under the discipline of all bishops, so that anyone in ministry could be brought before an ecclesiastical trial court in another diocese if it were perceived that his or her work were a hindrance to the objectives of the other diocese, appears to have become bogged down in the Canons Committee. It is now expected to be referred to a standing committee without action at this General Convention. Currently lay people are not subject to discipline by bishops, and clergy are subject only to the discipline of their own diocesan bishop. Resolution D058 is expected to come out of the Evangelism committee as "discharged." This would mean that it will not come to a vote in either house. Thus the bishops and deputies will not be required to vote either to uphold or deny the following:
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According to parochial reports submitted for years 2003 and 2004 (the most recent available), the average annual pledge to a parish or mission has increased from $1,796 in 2003 to $1,881 in 2004. |
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A special feature of each Triennial is the Honored Women Presentation, which pays tribute to one woman from each diocese whose contributions and leadership have been exceptional. The Honored Woman from the Diocese of For Worth for his Triennial is Marge Dugan. Marge is he immediate past president of the ECW and a member of All Saints’, Fort Worth. Congratulations, Marge! During the morning plenary the 2006-2009 board was elected, and the United Thank Offering vote for approval of grants was held. Every penny the UTO collects each year is spent on grants to further ministries such as schools, hospitals, and agricultural initiatives in this country and around the world. Two years ago a grant to the Diocese of Fort Worth funded a free dental clinic in Arlington. The next diocesan UTO ingathering will be held a the Women's Congress in October. The quilt square pictured here is part of a large ECW quilt that adorned the east wall of the meeting hall. The quilt has squares for each diocese and several national women's organizations, such as the Daughters of the King, as well. |
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Report by Sue Yarger, Diocesan Altar Guild Directress
Following a noonday prayer and a lunch break we re-assembled for Pat Crane’s Small Linen Workshop. Each of us learned to make a simple purificator. While my eyes are crossed from the close sewing in poor light, it was a great opportunity and I now have a new respect for the value of these linens to our parishes and why the cost is often so great!
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Evening Prayer
ECW Triennial
This morning’s meeting opened with a trip back in time as we had the opportunity to Meet Richard Hooker, a 16th century priest assigned by Queen Elizabeth I to the Templar Church in London. Hooker was a prolific author on the topic of the Anglican Spirit. This was a time when the English people were forced to change from Protestant to Catholic and back with every change of monarch. Hooker helped the new Anglicans begin to understand the centrality of corporate prayer and of the Eucharist. The presenter, Dr. Philip B. Secor, is an author and biographer of the great Hooker who has written his book in such a way as to give 21st-century readers an understanding of these historic documents while not having to work through the archaic writings.