Post-Convention: A Final Thought

In thinking back over the last two weeks, I am aware of the inordinate amount of time that was spent debating the Episcopal Church's response to the Windsor Report. It feels like we spent way too much time gazing inward at our own structure, and not nearly enough time looking outward to a hurting world.

To me, more important than any of the resolutions pertaining to the Windsor Report are those pertaining to mission and ministry, particularly Resolution D022, pertaining to the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) and the "ONE Episcopalian" campaign.

The resolution asks for an additional 0.7% of the national church budget (about $308,000 per year) to support the MDGs and also encourages each diocese, congregation, and parishioner to also commit to 0.7% giving by July 7, 2007 (07/07/07).

The resolution further asks for our endorsement of "The ONE Campaign" by joining the Episcopal Church's "ONE Episcopalian" campaign. "The ONE Campaign" calls for the United States government to annually spend an additional one percent of its budget to combat global poverty.

Please give thought to how you might commit to 0.7% giving to achieve these important goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability, and
8. Create a global partnership for development with a focus on debt, aid, and trade

Surely at least one of these goals will touch your heart. You may choose to give locally, nationally, or internationally. Episcopal Relief and Development has some excellent suggestions.

I often think of the story of the man seen casting starfish stranded on the beach at low tide back into the sea. When it was pointed out to him that he could never save all the starfish on the beach, he picked up one, cast it into the sea and said "I made a difference for that one." Individually and together, we can make a difference!

Convention Day Nine: June 21, 2006

The Presiding Bishop Elect was the preacher at this morning's Eucharist. The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori is an eloquent speaker who began by telling us a story of jogging through the area surrounding the Convention Center. Along the way, she met several people and related how wary they were of one another. She asked if we as a church, unlike those encounters on the street, could meet one another in a place that is not tinged with fear. She went on to say that if we know ourselves as the beloveed of God, we do not need to live in fear; we can see others as also the beloved of God, even those we find hardest to love. Read the full text of her homily at http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/3577_76300_ENG_HTM.htm.

At the end of the service the current Presiding Bishop prefaced the blessing by saying that he realized this was probably the last blessing most of us would receive from him as Presiding Bishop. I had a flashback moment to the day when Steve and I attended his consecration as Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Chicago and received his very first Episcopal blessing.

Following the service, there was a joint session of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. The Presiding Bishop placed before both Houses a new resolution, B033, pertaining to the election and consecration of a bishop "whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." The full text of the Presiding Bishop's address, including the text of the resolution is at http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/3577_76301_ENG_HTM.htm.

The resolution was passed in the House of Bishops. Presiding Bishop Elect Jefferts Shori came to speak to the House of Deputies, telling us that although this was not a perfect resolution, she hoped that it would be enough to keep the Windsor "listening process" open. The House of Deputies passed the resolution--77% of the lay deputations and 75% of the clerical deputations voted in favor.

The final legislative session on Wednesday afternoon was a flurry of activity as the House tried to deal with as many of the truly important resolutions as we could, especially being sure to vote on anything that had passed in the House of Bishops, since a resolution has to pass in both Houses in order to take affect.

The final gavel fell at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21, adjourning the House of Deputies until the next General Convention in July, 2009, in Anaheim, CA.

The Southeast Florida delegation celebrated the ending of an exciting and historical Convention--and the Miami Heat victory--with dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Convention Day Eight: June 20, 2006

We spent most of today in legislative session, breaking only for lunch and dinner, and then finally recessing for the day at about 9:30 in the evening.

It was a very long day, debating some very difficult and emotionally charged legislation. The greatest amount of time was spent debating the resolution dealing with placing a moratorium on the election of a bishop whose style of life would present a challenge to the wider Anglican Communion. It also placed a moratorium on approving Rites for Blessing Same Sex Relationships, and included an apology to those gay and lesbian brothers and sisters who would feel hurt by those actions.

The resolution was defeated in the House of Deputies. There were those unhappy with the ambiguous language, those who wanted a deadline for lifting the moratorium, those who felt that the language of the resolution did no go far enough in responding to the Windsor Report. It was a reslution that left no one happy, and it was interesting that during the debate, those that who have often stood on opposite sides of the issue were both standing in opposition to this resolution.

Another major peice of legislation addressing the Windsor Report concerned the formation of the Angllcan Covenant. This resolution did pass. There are some mixed feelings about this one as well. Some are concerned about giving away our autonomy, others think we need to create a way of cementing our relationship with the Anglican Communion.

Before we left, we were informed that the Presiding Bishop and Presiding Bishop Elect will be coming to speak to special joint session of the HOD and HOB on Wednesday morning. There is speculation that they will be talking about the Windsor Report and how we can best craft our responses on the last couple of resolutions dealing with the Windsor Report so as to give our new Presiding Bishop something positive to work with when she "goes to the table" with the rest of the Anglican Communion.

We still have piles of other legislation to deal with--we will now pay for the time spent in the early days of the legislative sessions when people would debate the tiniest details of punctuation and grammar.

Convention Day Seven: June 19, 2006

I continue to be amazed at the variety of worship music and liturgy that is available and in use in the Episcopal Church. One recent morning the music had a dixie land beat. This morning we were blessed with the ethereal voice of Elisabeth Von Trapp, accompanied on guitar and cello.

Not only has the music had variety, but the liturgy as well. Although the Gospel has been read in English, the Lesson has been read in Spanish, French, several Asian languages, and at least two Native American Languages.

The words of consecration have also been read in more than one language--usually Spanish, but today in German, which delighted me since I studied German in high school and could actually understand what was being said. It was one of those Pentecost moments when you realize God's message is the same in any language.

The reason those words were expressed in German is because this morning's Eucharist celebrated another first for GC. The celebrant for the service was Archbishop Joris Vercammen of the Old Catholic Churches of Utrecht. The service marked the 75th anniversary of the Bonn Agreement, the expression of full communion between the Anglican Communion (AC) and the Old Catholic Churches. It was also the first time an ecumenical visitor to GC presided at a Convention Eucharist.

We are in the midst of debating some of the most difficult resolutions before the GC--those pertaining to our response to the Windsor Report. We passed a resolution expressing regret and apologizing for "straining the bonds of affection" within the AC. This was an amendment to the original resolution which read "breaching the proper constraints of the bonds of affection." Many felt that "breaching" implies that the bonds have been broken, yet there are many Churches within the Anglican Communion who stand in support of the Episcopal Church. Others questioned the definition of "proper constraints" and how could we have breached them if we didn't know what they are.

Tuesday we will continue debate on the resolution placing a moratorium on electing and consecrating gay or lesbian bishops living in committed relationships. This is a tough one--no one likes the resolution, yet it may be the only way to create space at the table for conversation. If you are reading this before 10:45 on Tuesday, June 20, please put this decision being made at GC in your prayers. You can read the resolution (A161) at http://gc2006.org/legislation/.

Also before us on Tuesday will be consenting to the election of the Rev. Barry Biesner as bishop coadjutor of Northern California. This is a troublesome election for some because he has been twice divorced and is currently married for the third time.

We will also discuss and pass the budget for the coming triennium.

Following today's tough day of legislation, the entire delegation of our Diocese relaxed and enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant, hosted by Bishop Frade. Present were the Deputies, the women attending and representing the Diocese at Episcopal Church Women's Triennial Meeting, some of those from our Diocese who were working at booths on the Exibition Hall, and various assorted spouses. There were also some special guests--the Bishop from Cuba and representatives from the Little Roses Orphanage. Our Diocese has been represented in various ways at the this convention by well over forty people!

Please continue to keep the GC in your prayers as we go into the final two days of legislative meetings--we still have much work to do!

Convention Day Six: June 18, 2006

HOW CAN ONE DESCRIBE A DAY LIKE THIS ONE!
EXTRAORDINARY ... EXUBERANT ... ECSTATIC

I wish all of you could have been with us on the floor of the House of Deputies (HOD) when it was announced that the House of Bishops elected the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori as the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

First shock, then wonder, and then sheer joy rippled across the floor. Many had speculated that she was the one with the best leadership qualities, but few believed that the House of Bishops was ready to elect a woman as their leader.

It took five ballots, but it was clear almost from the beginning that she was the one. She led on the first ballot, tied on the second, then slowly pulled ahead to win on the fifth.

During the HOD confirmation debate on the election, a deputy commented that you could hear the glass ceiling shattering as women took another step forward to their rightful place along side men in the leadership of the Church.

You can read more about our new Presiding Bishop at http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/3577_76174_ENG_HTM.htm.

Sadly, not everyone is ecstatic about the election. The HOD must confirm the election. One deputy stated that he was deeply saddened and dismayed by an election that the wider Anglican Communion would likely view as imperialistic. The Diocese of Central Florida called for a vote by orders in the HOD.

Because of the way this type of vote is structured, the "NO" votes have the advantage--Each diocesan deputation polls their clergy and lay deputation seperately by orders. A vote of 3 or 4 yes votes is counted as a yes. A vote of 3 or 4 no votes is counted as a single no. A 2-2 split vote is counted as a no.

When the final vote was counteed the lay deputies voted 94 yes, 8 no, 7 divided. The clergy deputies voted 98 yes, 10 no, 4 divided.

There is a lot of speculation about the dioceses that voted against the election. There were also some bishops who refused to sign the testimonial affirming Jefferts Schori's election. There are still three dioceses in the Episcopal Church that have bishops who refuse to ordain women, in opposition (and disobedience, in my opinion) of the instruction of the Canons of the Church. I have already overheard one of those bishops saying to another that he will miss some of the people, which makes it appear that he is going to walk away.

That saddens me greatly, for I hate to see a brother or sister in Christ turn his/her back and walk away. The Church had many struggles in the first years of its existence, as we read in the New Testament. But the early Christians valued one another so highly that they did not walk away, but stayed on and worked through those differences to bring glory to God. May we follow in their faithful footsteps.

Convention Day Five: June 17, 2006

TheDaysAreBeginningToRunTogetherIntoOneEndlessDay!

We had certainly settled into a routine of comittee meetings, Eucharist, legislative meeting, lunch and committee meetings, legislative meeting, dinner, committee meetings.

But today was just a bit different. Today's Eucharist celebrated the ingathering of the United Thank Offering (UTO) and also the nine years of ministry of Frank T. Griswold as our Presiding Bishop. I was lucky enough to find an aisle seat in the third row--there were thousands of people present.

I wasn't on the center aisle, so I didn't think I'd see much of the procession, but as it turned out, all the bishops processed up the aisle next to me--probably 200 or so, two by two, dressed in nearly identical red vestments. VERY impressive.

Also impressive was the UTO ingathering, as the name of each Diocese was announced and the representative from each Diocese walked across the stage to place the offering from their Diocese in the basket.

Another highlight of the day was the official arrival of the youth delegations from all the Dioceses. I had a special surprise when I turned to see Liz Ryan standing next to me. Liz and her husband Joe were very active with the youth program "Happening" as well as "Cursillo" when they lived in the Diocese of Southeast Florida. They have since moved to the Diocese of Chicago, and, no surprise, they have once again become involved with the youth program. It was fun to see her and catch up on family news--their kids and ours were in Happening around the same time.

We did not accomplish much legislation today in the House of Deputies. The Eucharist lasted till noon, so we only had an afternoon session. The first hour was a joint session with the House of Bishops, whom we welcomed to our floor (The Bishops need special permission to come inside the fenced of area that is the official floor of the HOD.) The purpose of the joint session was to announce the nominations for Presiding Bishop.

Following a short legislative session during which we elected the Rev. Brian Prior of the Diocese of Spokane as vice-president of the HOD, there was a Special Order time set aside to honor the Very Rev. George Werner, retiring president of the HOD.

In the evening, there was a similar tribute to the retiring Presiding Bishop. However, most of our deputaton, including yours truly, chose instead to take the youth from our Diocese out to dinner. (I decided I wanted to focus my attention on the church of the future instead of the church of the past.) We went to a really funky and fun Italian restaurant that serves meals "family style." It was great fun to celebrate as the family of the Diocese of Southeast Florida.

Convention Day Four: June 16, 2006

Each morning, the participants in General Convention and in the Episcopal Church Women's Triennial meeting, as well as the numerous visitors and guests gather for Holy Eucharist.

The music and style of these Eucharists has shown me how great is the variety and diversity of this wonderful entity we call the Episcopal Church. Yes, we have had the very traditional choir and organ. But we also had a very lively Latin band lead us in a rousing rendition of Alabere. The music on Friday morning was a sort of jazz type music. Familiar hymns, such as Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence were sung to the familiar tune but with a different beat. Also during this particular service, the music continued at a low volume during the entire Eucharistic Prayer which was a very interesting effect and really helped me to stay focused and centered in worship.

All registered participants of GC and the Triennial have been assigned to specific tables for the Eucharist--no two people at any table are from the same diocese. Following the reading of scripture and the sermon, we have a ten minute discussion about the readings and how they relate to our daily life. This has become a good chance to get to know one another on a more personal level, and I think has helped to build a greater level of trust and understanding.

Sadly, there are some dioceses who have chosen not to worship with the main body but rather to worship seperately elsewhere. There are empty chairs at every table and I can't help but wonder how we will find the "via media" if we will not even join one another at Jesus' Feast.

You may have noticed the pink flamingo perched atop the Southeast Florida pole in the HOD. It is traditional at GC for deputations to decorate their poles with symbols of their dioceses. Northern California has bunches of grapes; East Texas, a cowboy hat; Louisiana, a pelican; Kentucky, a race horse; Maine, a lobster. It's a lot of fun, and makes it easy to find your table in the sea of tables in the House of Deputies.

I promised to find the online site where you can view the final verions of the resolutions and the results of the various votes of the HOD and HOB. It is: http://gc2006.org/legislation/.

One piece of legislation that passed in both houses and that will affect daily worship in all our churches is that the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) will become the Lectionary of the Episcopal Church, beginning with Advent, 2007. This topic has been under discussion for several conventions, and using the RCL will mean that we will be reading the same scriptures on the same Sundays as many other denominations across the wider church.

I attended the Integrity Eucharist Friday evening at Trinity Cathedral on Capitol Square. The church was packed wall to wall, and additional seating with audio and video feed was made available in the undercroft.

The mood was joyous, loving, upbeat. During the distribution of communion, there were spontaneous outbreaks of song--Amazing Grace and Jesus Loves Me. And the entire congrgation was able to sing in four parts--a massed choir of hundreds. Truly this is what worship should be!

The Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson was the preacher. With his apologies to his straight sisters and brothers, he directed his comments to the GLBT persons in the congregation. The main point of his sermon to my ears was that no matter what resolutions were passed or not passed at this GC, no matter the fall out afterwards, God calls the GLBT to "love them anyway."

What a wonderful, simple statement, and yet how difficult and complex to live into. Jesus calls ALL of us, no matter how much we might disagree with another person, to "Love them anyway.'"

Convention Day Three: June 15, 2006

The voting on resolutions is beginning to be fast and furious now. In some cases, the House of Deputies (HOD) receives the resolution first and then sends notice to the House of Bishops (HOB) of the result of our vote. Some resolutions start in the HOB and come our way. Since there are far less members in the HOB than the HOD, and they are not trying to use this electronic remote control to cast their votes (fondly referred to in the HOD as the do-hickey), they are way ahead of us in dealing with the resolutions. Every legislative session begins with a list of messages from the HOD informing us of their vote on various resolutions.

The deadline for filing resolutions was on Tuesday. We have a total of 332 resolutions to process through Convention. Some of those resolutions will be combined with others in the committee hearings and deliberations--for example, there are numerous resolutions filed by congregations and dioceses to accept the entire Windsor Report as written. Those resolutions will be reviewed by the committee that is reviewing the Report of the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, which deals ith the Episcopal Church's response to the Windsor Report.

The first of the resolutions of the Windsor Report, dealing with our commitment to interdependence in the Anglican Communion (AC), was approved, as amended by committee, yesterday by the HOD after much discussion. If I can find an online connection to the final version of the resolution, I will post it here. This was not a terribly controversial resolution, as most of us do want to stay in the AC. The more difficult resolutions will come later as we begin to look at the costs of what it will mean to stay in the AC.

During the afternoon legislative session, we had a "first" for our Diocese--all four clergy deputies were women. This is possible because deputies are allowed to rotate off the floor if they are replaced by an elected alternate from their diocese. (There must always be four lay and four clergy deputies from each diocese on the floor anytime the HOD is in session). Both Horace Ward and Chip Stokes graciously allowed clergy alternates Jennie Lou Reid and Wilifred Allen-Faiella to have a chance to experience being on the floor of the HOD.

There are two youth from each of the nine provinces that have seat and voice in the HOD, and they were formally introduced to the House this afternoon. One of the representatives for Province IV is our own David Pringle. You can learn more about the youth at GC at the EC Youth Ministries website.

The day ended with the Presiding Bishop's Forum "Toward a Reconciled World." The keynote speaker was former U.S. senator and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the Rev. John Danforth. He is also an ordained Episcopal priest. He called upon the Episcopal Church (EC)to become a source of reconciliation, suggesting that when someone asks us what the EC is about, we should answer that we are all about reconciliation of the world. In order to be believeable, though, we as a church must become reconciled with one another. Sort of "if you are going to talk the talk, you'd better walk the walk."

For more details on the Rev. John Danforth's speech and the presentations of the other speakers at the forum, see From Columbus: Danforth challenges Church to 'higher calling' of reconciliation on the ENS website.

Convention Day Two: June 14, 2006

Hi all: My apologies for not posting last night. Those of you who know me well also know that I occasionally suffer from migraine headaches, and last evening was one of those times. By 9 p.m. all I wanted was to go to bed with an ice pack on my head. Actually, as I become accustomed to the schedule here, morning is a better time to do this, so I will probably do it this way from now on.

Things are starting to heat up and get busy around here. Yesterday the House of Deputies (HOD) elected a new President, Bonnie Anderson, from the diocese of Michigan. She will begin her term at the conclusion of this Convention. She presently is the vice-president of the HOD.

The HOD spent most of the afternoon trying to learn how to use the electronic voting system--a hand held device that looks and works a bit like a TV remote control. We are still working on learning how to use it--Out of 800 ballots cast, 96 had to be declared invalid. Some one made an allusion to hanging chads--but it appears to me that SE Florida is not the only part of the country who has trouble voting!!!

Yesterday evening was the hearing on four of the resolutions concerning the official Episcopal Church (EC) response to the Windsor Report. Before I go into that, let me explain to those who do not know exactly how resolutions are processed at GC.

There are little over 300 resolutions that have have been proposed by Standing Committees of the GC, Bishops, Deputies, Dioceses, and Congregations. These resolutions are assigned to nearly 30 legislative committees, depending on the topic of the resolution. Some of the committees are Constituion and Canons, Structure, World Mission, Education, Ministry, etc.

Each of these committees meet for "hearings" three times a day. Anyone attending GC--visitor, deputy,bishop--can speak to any resolution that is scheduled to be discussed by the committee at one of these meetings--the particular resolutions to be dicscussed at a particular meeting are posted at a central location.

Most of the discussing, amending, and refining of the resolutions is done in these committee sessions. If more than one resolution addresses the same topic, the resolutions will be combined. Sometimes a resolution will be referred to another committee for further refinement. When the committee is satisfied with the resolution, it is sent to the floors of both the HOD and the House of Bishops (HOB) for discussion and action. It may be approved, amended, rejected, or referred back to committee for further study. For a resolution to pass at GC, it must be approved by both houses in exactly the same form. Obviously, the process can be long and there are many checks and balances. Legislation passed at General Convention is not done on whimsy. It is serious business.

Last night's hearing discussed resolutions A160, A161 A162, and A163. The hearing was held in the Grand Ballroom, which was filled to capacity and had a sound feed into the lobby outside for those unable to be accomodated inside the ballroom. Several dozen people signed up ahead of time to be allowed two minutes mike time to address the resolutions.

Why so much interest? These are the resoltions concerning an expression of regret to the Anglican Communion for our actions at GC2003, the exercising of caution in the selection and consecration of bishops whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church, public rites for the blessing of same sex relationships, and delegated Episcopal pastoral oversight. You can read the full text of these resolutions at REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMISSION ON THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION. If there are page numbers in the online version that match what I have in printed version, the resolutions are on page 21 and 22.

I will leave the details of the various statements made at the hearing to the reports posted by the Episcopal News Service--you can read their reports at EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE. Instead, I will just share my experience and reflections.

We as the Episcopal Church are NOT of one mind on any of these amendments. I am not sure that we will be by the end of this convention. There are those who wish us to accept the recommendations of the Windsor Report (see THE WINDSOR REPORT) exactly as presented. There seem to be many more who can not go there and feel to do so would be to compromise what was accomplished at GC2003.

I am hearing through the grapevine so to speak is that the HOB is more willing to backpeddle, but I do not see the HOD moving in that direction. Since all amendments have to pass in like form in both houses, a lot of work will need to be done in committee to bring us together. I am not sure that will happen at this GC. It may be that GC2006 will refer the Windsor Report to further study and conversation. Doing so may extend the current moratorium on the consecration of bishops in the Episcopal Church, creating a dilemma for those dioceses that are in search processes to elect new bishops. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

When asked by the pharisees which commandment is the greatest, Jesus responded "Love God, and love your neighbor." At All Saints, we have added that piece of the Rite One liturgy back into the Rite Two Sunday liturgy, just to remind ourselves how important those words are.

I once read a comment by C.S. Lewis (maybe in "Mere Christianity") that addressed the meaning of "love your neighbor." He said that loving your neighbor doesn't mean you have to like your neighbor, or even agree with your neighbor, but what you must do is pray that your neighbor grows int the full stature of Christ and becomes the person that God intended her/him to be.

If as the Church we place restrictions and barriers in front of people because of race, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, differing physical abilities, etc., that prevent them becoming all that God has intended them to be, how can we possibly say we are following Jesus' response to the Pharisees to love God, and to love our neighbor?

Blessings to all--I am off to attend the daily Eucharist! I will try to post some more pictures later today.

Convention Day One: June 13, 2006

I accomplished two of my goals today: at the end of the Eucharist today, I turned and seated at the next table was my college friend, the Rt. Reverend Jeffrey Steenson. We had the delightful reunion that all old friends would have on seeing each other for the first time after 30+ years. When I later pointed him out to Susan Stokes, spouse of deputy Chip Stokes, she commented that he looked a lot older than me, even though he is only a year older. :-)

I also caught up with Newland Smith, Deputy from Chicago--that was indeed a happy reunion. We have much to catch up on, and I am sure we will sit down together sometime soon to do so. Newland still attends St. David's, Glenview, Ill., and will retire from his work at Seabury Western Seminary next year after 43 years!

One of the high points for me today was the daily Eucharist, attended by 3000+ people. I volunteered to be a chalice bearer and oblation bearer. It was so awesome to walk up the center aisle of this huge room full of my sisters and brothers in Christ and place one of 14 flagons of wine on the altar. I didn't get to be a chalice bearer, though, because as it turned out, they had forgotten to assign someone at our station to administer the gluten free bread, so I was recruited to do so. I've never administered the bread before, but lightning didn't strike, so I guess it was okay with God. The experience was a wonderful blessing.

On a more somber (sp?) note, but just as meaningful, Susan Stokes and I walked down to the gardens in front of the Ohio capitol building to view the exhibit of boots belonging to our fallen soldiers in Iraq--2,497, and not including 2 more added today. It is a field of boots. Each pair of boots was tagged with a name, the state in which the soldier resided, and the age at which she/he died.

Some of the boots had photos, letters from loved ones, obituaries, flowers, etc., attached. Because I gather those names each week for insertion in the All Saints bulletin each week, I felt a personal connection with all those people. I knelt on the ground, offered a prayer for them and their families, and wept for the loss.

In the center of the exhibit are rows of shoes tagged with names representing only a fraction of the estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians--most of them women and children--who have lost their lives in the conflict.

And meanwhile, the Anglican Communion continues to argue about human sexuality issues. When will we move on to that which is really important? Which issue is more important to God?

Since we were there at noon, there was a Muslim man who demonstrated to us the noonday call to prayer. He was joined on the prayer rug by two other Muslims who happened to be viewing the exhibit. As he offered his praises to Allah and acknowledged that Allah as the one, true God, I became acutely aware that he worships the same God, Jahweh, that I worship. There is unity between Christians and Muslims in that worship of God.

General Convention is an awesome experience, and I relly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in this place. Blessings to you all.

Pre-convention: June 12, 2006

Today was a day of getting oriented to the convention center and to my role as a deputy. I now truly understand what they meant by "you will walk a lot." According to my pedometer, I walked just a bit over 4 miles today--our hotel is at one end of the Convention Center and the meeting room for the house of deputies is at the other. I felt like I was walking through an airport that had no airplanes!

Another thing I had heard about convention is that is like a giant family reunion. That is certainly true. Although I have yet to run into Newland or Jeff, I did see SuzeAnne Silla, formerly of DIOSEF, and now in Milwaukee, and a Cursillo friend who moved from Coral Springs up here to the Columbus area and is working as a volunteer in the exhibit hall. Also stopped at the booth for the ECW of the Diocese of Chicago, and chatted with some women who were still acquainted with the women who were on the Diocesan ECW Board with me when I lived in Chicago.

But the highlight today for me was to facilitate the small group discussions among the deputies this afternoon. Each table had 10-12 participants, no two of them from the same diocese. We were to takes turns, one at a time, answering three questions: What is it about the Christian faith that you are most passionate about? What do you really value about the Episcopal Church? Imagine in the future you were telling a friend or family member about this convention; what would you tell them was the most important thing you did or decision you were part of?

The stories people shared of their faith experiences were incredible, touching, sometimes painful. At the end of the table sharing, we were asked to share the things our tables most valued in the Episcopal Church--answers included hope, tradition and the Liturgy, diversity, we don't park our brains at the door--use them!, transformation, mysteryof the Eucharist, willingness to engage in the struggle, inclusiveness. This session gave me real hope for the future of the Episcopal Church. I would say that overall, the mood here is one of optimism and a desire to look forward to the future.

There is a saying that if you want to make God laugh, you just tell him your plans. One of the "plans" for this convention involves the seating of deputies for the daily Eucharist. The "plan" is that each deputy at each table is from a different diocese,so that the likelihood is that no one will know anyone else at the table to start with. However, they forgot that us Floridians have "snowbird" friends. Imagine both our surprised expressions when Peg Lippart, deputy from Northern Michigan, and a former All Saints snowbird, and I found ourselves seated together!

Pre-convention: June 11, 2006

Greetings from Columbus, Ohio. The Deputation from the Diocese of Southeast is gathering with some 8,000 Episcopalians/Anglicans from around the world.

On the plane ride from Atlanta to Columbus, there were a number of fellow Episcopalians. As we were finding our seats aboard the plane, we met the Bishop of Botswana in Central Africa. And I found myself seated next to a Bishop from Brazil. He told me there are eight dioceses in the entire country of Brazil, and when they gather for their equivalent of our General Convention in July, there will only be about 100 people in attendance! A high point for their Convention will be the admission of a ninth diocese (I think he said Amozonia) and the election of a bishop for the new diocese.

Tomorrow, some members of our deputation will be attending the opening meetings of the various committees they have been assigned to. I am not on a committee, but have volunteered to be a facilitator at the opening small group deputy gatherings. So I have a training session to attend for that. Otherwise, I plan to explore and people watch. There are at least two people I am hoping to find. One is Newland Smith, who is a lay deputy from the Diocese of Chicago. Steve and I attended church with him when we lived in the Chicago area. I haven't seen him since we left Chicago 20 years ago.

Another person I will be searching for is the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Steenson, Bishop of Rio Grande. Steve and I attended college with him and his wife more years ago than any of us want to admit and I haven't seen him since he graduated. We all worked on the college newspaper together.

June 9, 2006

I will arrive in Columbus, Ohio, for General Convention on June 11, 2006. Visit this page often from June 11 through June 21 to see photos and read my reflections on the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Email me at char@allsaintsfl.org.