75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church

Daily Reports

News and pictures from General Convention
and the Episcopal Church Women's Triennial

The House of Bishops • The House of Deputies

meeting in joint session
for the purpose of nominating candidates for

26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church

Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and President George Werner presided jointly over he session, which was held in the House of Deputies. Bishops joined the members of their deputations on the floor. The session opened with prayer and the introduction of the joint nominating committee, which presented a slate of four candidates earlier in the spring. Their nominations were accepted as the report of the committee. They are:

J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta	Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., Bishop of Kentucky	Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of Nevada	Henry N. Parsley Jr., Bishop of Alabama

Immediately following, three bishops rose to microphones around the room to place in nomination the names of three other bishops.

Francisco Duque-Gomez, Bishop of Colombia	Charles E. Jenkins III , Bishop of Louisiana	Stacy F. Sauls, Bishop of Lexington

Nominations were immediately closed by Bishop Griswold. He then adjourned the joint session. Sunday morning the bishops will board shuttles to Trinity Episcopal Church, where the election will take place in closed session. The bishops plan to take two ballots before noon EDT.

The bishops returned to their house to conduct business, and the deputies reconvened to return to the backlog of legislation waiting on their calendar.

House of Deputies

The session began with the introductions of several bishops-elect whose selections have received the consents of the House of Bishops. Once approved, it is customary for the bishop-elect to be escorted to the House of Deputies by the diocesan deputation for an introduction. Consents announced Saturday were:

William Love, Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Albany;
David M. Reed, Bishop-elect of the Diocese of West Texas;
Marc H. Andrus, Bishop-elect of the Diocese of California*;
Dena Harrison, Suffragan Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Texas; and
Todd Ousley, Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Eastern Michigan.

*Bishop Andrus did not make an appearance in the House.

The deputies then moved through more than a dozen resolutions; most had received the prior approval of the House of Bishops. Among these was A001, which offers four suggestions for he location of the next General Convention, in 2009. They are: Charlotte, N.C.; New Orleans; Indianapolis; and Kansas City.

Resolution A101, which passed with a grammatical correction, would encourage each deputy and bishop at the convention to ask the forgiveness of someone else at the convention from whom he or she has "become separated." The resolution goes to the House of Bishops for further consideration.

The result of a vote by orders held late on Friday afternoon was announced. Resolution A059 passed in both the lay and the clerical order, allowing five names to be added permanently to Lesser Feasts and Fasts, following three years of trial use: Philander Chase, Clive Staples Lewis, Florence Li Tim-Oi, Janani Luwum, and William Temple.

Those joining the trial use process (which also includes a vetting of the nominee) through adoption at this General Convention include Joan of Arc, the Dorchester Chaplains, the Martyrs of Sudan, and the late Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall. Marshall's acceptance would require an exception to the rule that a person must be dead at least 50 years in order o be considered.

The Rev Brian Prior, deputy from the Diocese of Spokane, was elected Vice President of the House of Deputies on the third electronic ballot.

Following the close of business deputies stayed in the house for a reception honoring President George Werner, who has served as a deputy for 36 years.

House of Bishops

Resolution C020, which would make baptism the only requirement for full inclusion in the church, was referred to the bishops' Theology Committee. If passed, a person baptized in infancy, for instance, would be considered eligible to hold positions of leadership without confirmation. Speaking for the motion to refer the measure, Bishop Keith Ackerman of Quincy said, “We are talking about a universal sacrament from a provincial perspective.” He called for advice in the matter from a multi-national panel of theologians, Christian educators, and liturgists.

Resolution D014 reaffirms the expectation of financial support for seminaries. Each congregation would be asked to set aside 1 percent of its net disposable income for contribution to a seminary. Also it would add a line to the Parochial Report for the recording of the 1 percent gift.

At 8 p.m. a special Eucharist was held in honor of Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold. The service featured a new mass setting commissioned for the occasion.