I am writing earlier today than usual because I have a break for a short while so that I may report on today's activities. We have just gotten out of a legislative session (which ended at 6:30 p.m.). I will be going into a Structure Committee meeting at 7:30, and it is scheduled to end at 9:30 tonight. Perhaps I will be a bit more clear-headed by writing earlier.
The big news in the Mississippi deputation is the election, on the first ballot, of Canon Kathryn McCormick as a Trustee of the Church Pension Fund. She was one of 26 nominees in the election for one of the most important positions in the church. She was elected along with 11 other trustees to oversee the functioning of the comprehensive agency which provides pension services, disability coverage, life and health insurance, property and casualty coverage, publishing resources, and many other services to the Episcopal Church. Her election is a testimony to the broad respect for her in the church and is a compliment to the Diocese of Mississippi.
We hope that our other Mississippi deputy nominated for church-wide office -- Dr. Anita P. George of Resurrection, Starkville -- will be elected to her office, which is the the Episcopal Church's Executive Council, the vestry of the "national" church. That election comes in a few days.
I am primarily able to report on what has been happening in my committee and how that is being received in the House of Deputies. I had shared earlier our recommendation that the Episcopal Church Center at 815 Second Avenue in New York had been approved by the House of Deputies. That was the initial sign that convention is potentially receptive to a significant reorganization of the Episcopal Church.
A second sign was evident today. Again, based on a recommendation from the Structure Committee, the House of Deputies today approved a canonical change that would eliminate the requirement that the next Presiding Bishop (to be elected in 2015) has to resign her or his jurisdiction. That change, if approved by the House of Bishops, would mean that the next Presiding Bishop would continue to serve as diocesan bishop whereever he or she is currently posted. This, of course, would require a radical redefinition of the role and duties of the Presiding Bishop. The interesting thing is, of course, that this was the manner in which the Presiding Bishop functioned until 1947. "Back to the future," I guess.
Our committee meets in half an hour to look at the first draft of "omnibus" church reorganization legislation. A drafting group has been working to bring something to the committee's consideration. I am looking forward to hearing what they have to say. This could mean good things for the future of the church, in terms of administration and governance. I will report tomorrow on what those proposals offer.
Although I will be unable to attend, the Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music is holding a hearing tonight on the issue of blessing of same sex unions. I suspect that committee, chaired by former Mississippian Lowell Grisham, rector of St. Paul's Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas, will propose some form of blessings for implementation and use in those dioceses in which they are either legally allowed or permitted by the bishop of that diocese.
The hearing on same gender unions will likely be the largest hearing of this convention. However, I would say that the subject has not been much on the forefront at this convention. More attention has been focused on structure and the wider church's budget.
We also expect committee action on the Anglican Covenant. Many observers expect the recommendation from that committee to be acceptance of the Preamble and first three sections while demurring on the fourth section (which deals with discipline). Some of the air was released from this balloon by the English church's refusal to embrace the proposed covenant.
I will look forward to reporting tomorrow. Please keep us in your prayers.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Today was the second legislative day of the 77th General Convention. Like a locomotive gaining speed, the mechanism of General Convention is beginning to pick up momentum. While we have -- as a House of Deputies -- dealt with some issues, nearly all of the significant ones are yet to come. I cannot speak for the House of Bishops. I get to see very little of Bishop Gray, but I will share a bit of what I have learned from his perceptions in a moment.
I took a day off from "the floor" today, and the Reverend Betsy Baumgarten, one of alternates, sat in for me. I focused my attention on my committee work. The Structure Committee actually met three times today -- 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. We are attemtping to dispatch more than 80 resolutions which have come before, and on which we must have hearings and act before the adjournment of General Convention.
Two bits of news from the Structure Committee (which is one of the most focused-on committees this year): (1) A special drafting committee has been named to devise a comprehensive, omnibus approach to reorganization of the Episcopal Church (especially the administrative and governance structures of the "national" church); and (2) the Structure Committee approved a resolution today instructing the Executive Council (the "national" church's "vestry") to sell the Episcopal Church Center, located at 815 Second Avenue in New York. The resolution mandated that the sale take place before the 78th General Convention in 2015. On the floor, the deadline was eliminated, but the requirement to sell the headquarters was approved. It now goes to the House of Bishops.
The action to require the sale of Episcopal Church Center seems to me to be a "shot across the bow," indicating that the Structure Committee and the House of Deputies are interested in doing things differently. I am suspecting that the seriousness of that intention is going to be punctuated by additional actions by the Structure Committee and the House of Deputies in the coming days.
The House of Bishops, for their part, is sending some significant signals, as well. Bishop Gray says that his house is defeating funding resolutions which indicate "business as usual", and are also defeating certain appropriations and instructions to various Standing Commissions of the Church. This seems to be an indication, on the Bishop's part, that they mean business, too.
There appears to be a developing consensus that restructuring is moving forward. But, as my grandfather said many years ago, "Many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip." We shall see; I am hopeful.
Our committee is also considering resolutions requiring that General Convention become a unicameral (one house) legislative body, and mandating that the next Presiding Bishop (to be elected in 2015) would retain jurisdiction, thereby continuing as the Bishop of the diocese he or she serves at the time of election. Those may not be approved, but they are indications of the sentiments here.
Some of the more contentious matters are yet to be discussed. The blessing of same gender unions will be the subject of a hearing tomorrow evening. That matter, along with other significant issues, will be subject of debate on the floors of the two houses next week.
Please keep us in your prayers.
I took a day off from "the floor" today, and the Reverend Betsy Baumgarten, one of alternates, sat in for me. I focused my attention on my committee work. The Structure Committee actually met three times today -- 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. We are attemtping to dispatch more than 80 resolutions which have come before, and on which we must have hearings and act before the adjournment of General Convention.
Two bits of news from the Structure Committee (which is one of the most focused-on committees this year): (1) A special drafting committee has been named to devise a comprehensive, omnibus approach to reorganization of the Episcopal Church (especially the administrative and governance structures of the "national" church); and (2) the Structure Committee approved a resolution today instructing the Executive Council (the "national" church's "vestry") to sell the Episcopal Church Center, located at 815 Second Avenue in New York. The resolution mandated that the sale take place before the 78th General Convention in 2015. On the floor, the deadline was eliminated, but the requirement to sell the headquarters was approved. It now goes to the House of Bishops.
The action to require the sale of Episcopal Church Center seems to me to be a "shot across the bow," indicating that the Structure Committee and the House of Deputies are interested in doing things differently. I am suspecting that the seriousness of that intention is going to be punctuated by additional actions by the Structure Committee and the House of Deputies in the coming days.
The House of Bishops, for their part, is sending some significant signals, as well. Bishop Gray says that his house is defeating funding resolutions which indicate "business as usual", and are also defeating certain appropriations and instructions to various Standing Commissions of the Church. This seems to be an indication, on the Bishop's part, that they mean business, too.
There appears to be a developing consensus that restructuring is moving forward. But, as my grandfather said many years ago, "Many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip." We shall see; I am hopeful.
Our committee is also considering resolutions requiring that General Convention become a unicameral (one house) legislative body, and mandating that the next Presiding Bishop (to be elected in 2015) would retain jurisdiction, thereby continuing as the Bishop of the diocese he or she serves at the time of election. Those may not be approved, but they are indications of the sentiments here.
Some of the more contentious matters are yet to be discussed. The blessing of same gender unions will be the subject of a hearing tomorrow evening. That matter, along with other significant issues, will be subject of debate on the floors of the two houses next week.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
I will be brief this evening because we have had a very full day and it is now 11:00 p.m., having just gotten a light bite of supper with other members of the Mississippi deputation after a large hearing on church structure this evening.
We began this morning with our first official legislative session of the House of Deputies. It was all pretty formal -- doing the various things we have to do in order to get Convention officially started. On the floor today for our deputation were, in the laity, Kathryn McCormick, Anita George, Margaret McLarty, and Ed Sisson; and clergy, myself, Marian Fortner, David Knight, and Margaret Ayers. The opening legislative session ran from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
At 9:30, we had the opening Eucharist of convention. The Presiding Bishop was the preacher and celebrant. The propers were for the commemoration of Walter Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden and Jacob Riis, 19th and early 20th century Christian social activists. It was a wonderful service with outstanding music. The Presiding Bishop preached an excellent service.
It is a bracing and wonderful experience to be in a service with 2,000 fellow Episcopalians.
Later, we had two rounds of committee meetings. Mine, of course, is the Committee on Structure. We met and continued to plod through a number of resolutions dealing with very dry canonical changes. Suffice it to say we put a very fine edge on everything -- wordsmithing resolutions to a farethewell. We were not yet to the matters of substance that our committee will ultimately deal with. A large crowd of visitors -- maybe 70 or 80 at each committee meeting -- indicates the level of interest in the she subject, thought the vast majority of the visitors almost certainly have been disappointed by our not taking up the most important resolutions yet. I expressed a hope that we would be prepared to deal with larger issues and that we would not restrict our options by acting too soon on some resolutions which seem to assume "business as usual."
Between legislative committee meetings, the Mississippi deputation met for lunch, as we do each day. It is a good time for the deputies to meet with Bishop Gray and for all of us to "get on the same page." Kathryn McCormick is making sure that a suitable lunch is catered to our meeting space each day. Her hospitality and organization have been invaluable.
Tonight we had our BIG hearing. The Structure Committee met in a massive ballroom for a public hearing on all resolutions addressing the serious restructuring of the church that has been so much in discussion. It was largely a univocal exercise, with more than 40 witness (allowed two minutes each) endorsing the idea of restructuring the Episcopal Church's administration and governance. Bishop Gray and David Knight spoke at the hearing; I was seated with the committee. We will see where this goes. The real work begins tomorrow.
Please keep us in your prayers.
We began this morning with our first official legislative session of the House of Deputies. It was all pretty formal -- doing the various things we have to do in order to get Convention officially started. On the floor today for our deputation were, in the laity, Kathryn McCormick, Anita George, Margaret McLarty, and Ed Sisson; and clergy, myself, Marian Fortner, David Knight, and Margaret Ayers. The opening legislative session ran from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
At 9:30, we had the opening Eucharist of convention. The Presiding Bishop was the preacher and celebrant. The propers were for the commemoration of Walter Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden and Jacob Riis, 19th and early 20th century Christian social activists. It was a wonderful service with outstanding music. The Presiding Bishop preached an excellent service.
It is a bracing and wonderful experience to be in a service with 2,000 fellow Episcopalians.
Later, we had two rounds of committee meetings. Mine, of course, is the Committee on Structure. We met and continued to plod through a number of resolutions dealing with very dry canonical changes. Suffice it to say we put a very fine edge on everything -- wordsmithing resolutions to a farethewell. We were not yet to the matters of substance that our committee will ultimately deal with. A large crowd of visitors -- maybe 70 or 80 at each committee meeting -- indicates the level of interest in the she subject, thought the vast majority of the visitors almost certainly have been disappointed by our not taking up the most important resolutions yet. I expressed a hope that we would be prepared to deal with larger issues and that we would not restrict our options by acting too soon on some resolutions which seem to assume "business as usual."
Between legislative committee meetings, the Mississippi deputation met for lunch, as we do each day. It is a good time for the deputies to meet with Bishop Gray and for all of us to "get on the same page." Kathryn McCormick is making sure that a suitable lunch is catered to our meeting space each day. Her hospitality and organization have been invaluable.
Tonight we had our BIG hearing. The Structure Committee met in a massive ballroom for a public hearing on all resolutions addressing the serious restructuring of the church that has been so much in discussion. It was largely a univocal exercise, with more than 40 witness (allowed two minutes each) endorsing the idea of restructuring the Episcopal Church's administration and governance. Bishop Gray and David Knight spoke at the hearing; I was seated with the committee. We will see where this goes. The real work begins tomorrow.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
The 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church began somewhat tentatively today -- as planned -- with committee meetings in the morning, a joint session of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies this afternoon, deputy orientation afterwards, and then committee hearings this evening. Our work concluded at about 7:00 p.m.
Some folks unencumbered by committee work were able to attend the minor league professional ballgame literally across the street from the convention center. Folks I saw afterwards said the game was "hot." Surprise, surprise, surprise. There was a large Episcopal group that helped make the July 4 home game at Victory Park a sell-out. As I write this, a massive fireworks display is going on outside my hotel window.
It is hard to get a 30,000 foot view of convention developments when one is deeply involved in a committee. What is transpiring on significant subjects will become more apparent as committee meetings are held and legislation is reported to the floor of General Convention. That will be tomorrow and the following days.
My primary attention today was on the committee on which I serve, Committee 06-Structure. We have some 80 resolutions to discuss and act on -- easily more than twice the number of any other committee. The Structure Committee is one of the committees located at-or-near "ground zero" of this convention, due to the significant interest in and desire to reorganize the Episcopal Church and perhaps even General Convention. Bishop Gray has been one of the leaders in that effort and it will be interesting to see how all this develops.
I was honored to preach the homily at this morning's opening Eucharist for the Structure Committee. Despite my erroneous reporting, Bishop John Howard of the Diocese of Florida -- a good friend of the Diocese of Mississippi and especially St. Patrick's, Long Beach -- was the celebrant, and not Bishop Michael Smith of North Dakota. Bishop Smith and I serve as chaplains to the Structure Committee.
The Structure Committee is comprised of probably 25 members -- most of which are Deputies. There are perhaps eight Bishops on the Committee. We serve side-by-side in considering the matters which come before us. Since all legislation from our committee goes to the House of Deputies first (and only later, if approved, to the Bishops), any negative decision by the deputy members of the committee kills a resolution -- subject, of course, to revival by the House of Deputies.
The committee spent a good bit of time this morning discussing philosophical approaches toward restructuring. It was a very good and open discussion. We had only scratched the surface by the end of the morning's meeting.
We held hearings on a number of largely uncontroversial resolutions during this evening's session. However, once the committee began consideration of the various canonical revisions, conversation was lively. There were various efforts to amend the resolutions, some of which were successful, some of which were not. However, it appeared to me that a larger issue was being voiced indirectly by rank-and-file members of the committee. It was the concern about the committee's need to address very directly the larger and more comprehensive issue of restructuring. I shared with the committee that it seemed that this larger concern was like "whack-a-mole," in which the concern arises again and again, even when it is dispatched in one resolution or another. It appears to be that the committee may have to address the issue more fully and more quickly than some leaders might have thought.
I was invited to a strategy/information session tonight, to discuss "next steps" in the restructuring debate, but I declined to attend. I believe that as a committee member, I must stay separate of such organized -- or very loosely organized -- efforts.
It may just be my own perception -- and not reflective of reality -- but I am unsure that the leadership of the committee or the leadership of the House of Deputies recognizes the depth of feeling and support related to a significant effort to restructure the church. That vision may be ill-defined at this point, but the energy is there, I believe.
In our opening joint session of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies, more than 1,000 people were present on the floor of convention. We heard an excellent, visionary talk by the Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori. She seemed to be "looking over the horizon" at the challenges facing the church, and embraced them in a theology or hope. I truly respect and admire her.
The ensuing talk by the President of the House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson, was not quite as upbeat. One new deputy, seated nearby, after hearing her address, said "What was that?" It was a fair question. Another observer said the talk sounded like something from the Saturday Night Live character, "Debby Downer." I choose to describe it as a view "looking back," while the Presiding Bishop's view was very forward looking. Hope triumphs over despair in virtually ever instance.
The first official legislative session is tomorrow. A full day is ahead. Please keep us in your prayers.
Some folks unencumbered by committee work were able to attend the minor league professional ballgame literally across the street from the convention center. Folks I saw afterwards said the game was "hot." Surprise, surprise, surprise. There was a large Episcopal group that helped make the July 4 home game at Victory Park a sell-out. As I write this, a massive fireworks display is going on outside my hotel window.
It is hard to get a 30,000 foot view of convention developments when one is deeply involved in a committee. What is transpiring on significant subjects will become more apparent as committee meetings are held and legislation is reported to the floor of General Convention. That will be tomorrow and the following days.
My primary attention today was on the committee on which I serve, Committee 06-Structure. We have some 80 resolutions to discuss and act on -- easily more than twice the number of any other committee. The Structure Committee is one of the committees located at-or-near "ground zero" of this convention, due to the significant interest in and desire to reorganize the Episcopal Church and perhaps even General Convention. Bishop Gray has been one of the leaders in that effort and it will be interesting to see how all this develops.
I was honored to preach the homily at this morning's opening Eucharist for the Structure Committee. Despite my erroneous reporting, Bishop John Howard of the Diocese of Florida -- a good friend of the Diocese of Mississippi and especially St. Patrick's, Long Beach -- was the celebrant, and not Bishop Michael Smith of North Dakota. Bishop Smith and I serve as chaplains to the Structure Committee.
The Structure Committee is comprised of probably 25 members -- most of which are Deputies. There are perhaps eight Bishops on the Committee. We serve side-by-side in considering the matters which come before us. Since all legislation from our committee goes to the House of Deputies first (and only later, if approved, to the Bishops), any negative decision by the deputy members of the committee kills a resolution -- subject, of course, to revival by the House of Deputies.
The committee spent a good bit of time this morning discussing philosophical approaches toward restructuring. It was a very good and open discussion. We had only scratched the surface by the end of the morning's meeting.
We held hearings on a number of largely uncontroversial resolutions during this evening's session. However, once the committee began consideration of the various canonical revisions, conversation was lively. There were various efforts to amend the resolutions, some of which were successful, some of which were not. However, it appeared to me that a larger issue was being voiced indirectly by rank-and-file members of the committee. It was the concern about the committee's need to address very directly the larger and more comprehensive issue of restructuring. I shared with the committee that it seemed that this larger concern was like "whack-a-mole," in which the concern arises again and again, even when it is dispatched in one resolution or another. It appears to be that the committee may have to address the issue more fully and more quickly than some leaders might have thought.
I was invited to a strategy/information session tonight, to discuss "next steps" in the restructuring debate, but I declined to attend. I believe that as a committee member, I must stay separate of such organized -- or very loosely organized -- efforts.
It may just be my own perception -- and not reflective of reality -- but I am unsure that the leadership of the committee or the leadership of the House of Deputies recognizes the depth of feeling and support related to a significant effort to restructure the church. That vision may be ill-defined at this point, but the energy is there, I believe.
In our opening joint session of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies, more than 1,000 people were present on the floor of convention. We heard an excellent, visionary talk by the Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori. She seemed to be "looking over the horizon" at the challenges facing the church, and embraced them in a theology or hope. I truly respect and admire her.
The ensuing talk by the President of the House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson, was not quite as upbeat. One new deputy, seated nearby, after hearing her address, said "What was that?" It was a fair question. Another observer said the talk sounded like something from the Saturday Night Live character, "Debby Downer." I choose to describe it as a view "looking back," while the Presiding Bishop's view was very forward looking. Hope triumphs over despair in virtually ever instance.
The first official legislative session is tomorrow. A full day is ahead. Please keep us in your prayers.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
We arrived in Indianapolis this afternoon to begin preparations for the meeting of the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Much of the Mississippi deputation is already here. Thus far, I have seen Bishop Gray, Canon Kathryn McCormick, Dr. Anita George, Dr. Ed Sisson, the Reverend Marian Fortner, the Reverend Margaret Ayers, Margaret McLarty, and Danny Meadors. Others may have already arrived or will arrive in the next day or so.
The Indianapolis Convention Center is a sizeable facility and seems to be well-suited for this large gathering. The House of Deputies and the House of Bishops will meet in the Convention Center. That is also the location for the massive hall of exhibits -- a great place to do some "Episcopal retail therapy." The Convention's worship services will be held in the nearby J. W. Marriott Hotel -- not to be confused with the deputation's place of lodging, the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott. The large number of committee meetings and hearings (there are 24 legislative committees for General Convention) will meet in the two Marriott Hotels and in the nearby Westin.
Committee meetings begin at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Some committees will begin straightaway with hearings on specific legislation before them. Others will begin with committee discussions. The Structure Committee (on which I serve) will start our work with a Eucharist in the morning. General Convention committees are composed of both bishops and deputies (they are called "cognate committees"). There is a bishop-chair and a deputy-chair for each committee. The Reverend Gay Jennings of the Diocese of Ohio is deputy-chair of the committee, while Bishop John Howard of the Diocese of Florida is the bishop-chair. I have been asked to serve as the deputy-chaplain for the Structure Committee and, as such, will preach the homily for the Stucture Committee's opening Eucharist tomorrow. Bishop Michael Smith of the Diocese of North Dakota will be the bishop-chaplain and will serve as celebrant at the Eucharist. It is important for the committee to begin its work in worship and prayer.
You have likely seen Bishop Gray's concise summary of the issues he anticipates being paramount at this General Convention. I agree wholeheartedly. I would describe the top issues as blessing of same sex unions, the governing, management and administrative structure of the Episcopal Church, and the church budget. It is very likely that the bulk of the secular press's coverage will be on the same-gender blessings. However, I think a great deal of new effort, thought and discussion will go into structure and budgetary issues. The church has focused on the same sex blessing issues for a number of years and, as Bishop Gray has said, the direction of the Episcopal Church, at least as represented by the General Convention, seems to be set. These other two issues are relatively new, and this will be the first really significant effort to grapple with them.
We will not be electing a new Presiding Bishop this convention. That will come in 2012 at the 78th General Convention, scheduled for Salt Lake City, Utah. This year, we will be electing a new President for the House of Deputies, since incumbent Bonnie Anderson of Michigan has chosen not to seek reelection. Two candidates have emerged: Gay Jennings, a priest from Ohion (and chair of the committee on which I serve), and Martha Alexander, a lay person from the Diocese of North Carolina. It would appear to me that Gay Jennings is the leading contender. That election comes next week and the new President will be preside over the House of Deputies in the 2015 General Convention.
We will also be electing a Vice President of the House of Deputies. The prior office-holder was Brian Prior, who was elected and consecrated as bishop of Minnesota since the last Convention. The only name I have heard circulated thus far is Sally Johnson, a lay person and attorney from Minnesota and just-retired legal counsel to Church Insurance Company and Church Pension Fund. I anticipate other nominations, as well.
Legsilative sessions begin Thursday. I will attempt to post summaries daily from here.
Please keep us in your prayers.
The Indianapolis Convention Center is a sizeable facility and seems to be well-suited for this large gathering. The House of Deputies and the House of Bishops will meet in the Convention Center. That is also the location for the massive hall of exhibits -- a great place to do some "Episcopal retail therapy." The Convention's worship services will be held in the nearby J. W. Marriott Hotel -- not to be confused with the deputation's place of lodging, the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott. The large number of committee meetings and hearings (there are 24 legislative committees for General Convention) will meet in the two Marriott Hotels and in the nearby Westin.
Committee meetings begin at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Some committees will begin straightaway with hearings on specific legislation before them. Others will begin with committee discussions. The Structure Committee (on which I serve) will start our work with a Eucharist in the morning. General Convention committees are composed of both bishops and deputies (they are called "cognate committees"). There is a bishop-chair and a deputy-chair for each committee. The Reverend Gay Jennings of the Diocese of Ohio is deputy-chair of the committee, while Bishop John Howard of the Diocese of Florida is the bishop-chair. I have been asked to serve as the deputy-chaplain for the Structure Committee and, as such, will preach the homily for the Stucture Committee's opening Eucharist tomorrow. Bishop Michael Smith of the Diocese of North Dakota will be the bishop-chaplain and will serve as celebrant at the Eucharist. It is important for the committee to begin its work in worship and prayer.
You have likely seen Bishop Gray's concise summary of the issues he anticipates being paramount at this General Convention. I agree wholeheartedly. I would describe the top issues as blessing of same sex unions, the governing, management and administrative structure of the Episcopal Church, and the church budget. It is very likely that the bulk of the secular press's coverage will be on the same-gender blessings. However, I think a great deal of new effort, thought and discussion will go into structure and budgetary issues. The church has focused on the same sex blessing issues for a number of years and, as Bishop Gray has said, the direction of the Episcopal Church, at least as represented by the General Convention, seems to be set. These other two issues are relatively new, and this will be the first really significant effort to grapple with them.
We will not be electing a new Presiding Bishop this convention. That will come in 2012 at the 78th General Convention, scheduled for Salt Lake City, Utah. This year, we will be electing a new President for the House of Deputies, since incumbent Bonnie Anderson of Michigan has chosen not to seek reelection. Two candidates have emerged: Gay Jennings, a priest from Ohion (and chair of the committee on which I serve), and Martha Alexander, a lay person from the Diocese of North Carolina. It would appear to me that Gay Jennings is the leading contender. That election comes next week and the new President will be preside over the House of Deputies in the 2015 General Convention.
We will also be electing a Vice President of the House of Deputies. The prior office-holder was Brian Prior, who was elected and consecrated as bishop of Minnesota since the last Convention. The only name I have heard circulated thus far is Sally Johnson, a lay person and attorney from Minnesota and just-retired legal counsel to Church Insurance Company and Church Pension Fund. I anticipate other nominations, as well.
Legsilative sessions begin Thursday. I will attempt to post summaries daily from here.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Monday, June 25, 2012
This certainly does not come under the category of the 77th General Convention, but it does have to do with vocation -- especially the ordained variety. I am referring to a different approach to a sense of "call."
I work with search committees on a regular basis, and a major challenge is to help them avoid the trap of thinking of the search for a new priest as a secular process of "hiring" a certain "type" of priest. I generally deal with that temptation preemptively by asking them to reflect on a specific biblical passage at the initial search-vestry retreat.
The passage is from First Samuel15 and it was our first lesson on Sunday a couple of weeks ago. In that passage, Samuel has been urged by God to go to the village of Bethlehem and to the family of Jesse to anoint a new king for Israel. Even though Saul is still alive and serving as king, an heir is going to be selected.
Seven sons of Jesse stand before Samuel. He looks first at the eldest, Eliab, and thinks "Surely the Lord's anointed is before me." But God tells Samuel "no" -- do not look at his stature or outward appearance. God looks at the heart and sees the essence of the person's character. So Samuel looks next at Abinadab, then Shammah, and the four remaining sons. None of these is chosen by God through Samuel's sense of discernment.
Samuel turns to Jesse and says, "Are these all your sons?" Jesse responds, "There remains one -- the youngest. He is tending the flocks in the fields." Jesse sends for the youngest, a mere boy. David -- with his ruddy complexion and beautiful eyes notwithstanding -- is chosen by God and anointed by Samuel because God looked into David's heart and saw what he was seeking.
All of this was within the context of Saul having been chosen the first king because he was taller than all the other Israelites. David -- a young boy -- was chosen as his successor.
The point, from my perspective, is that if we are willing to be truly discerning in hearing God's call, we may well be surprised. We may be looking for someone who is tall, handsome, graceful and extroverted, when what God is seeking to show us is someone who is short, frail, thoughtful, and introverted. Or any other form of a surprise.
That is a point I seek to convey: That God may be urging us in one direction when we, for our own reasons, may be champing at the bit to go in another direction. Being able to open ourselves to a true sense and experience of discernment may yield great promise.
I think that is how congregations need to see this process, and God's seeking to move in our midst. Now to the clergy.
I am amazed at how often a sense of "call" is confused with something entirely different. A colleague once told me of his service as a college chaplain in the New Orleans area many, many years ago. His cure as a college chaplain was not real prominent and I am certain his compensation was modest, at best.
This colleague -- then a young, rookie priest -- was contacted by a congregation in another diocese, expressing an interest in calling him as rector. There would have been a great increase in responsibilities, profile and, of course, compensation. He felt very attracted to the offer, so he went to see his Bishop, Girault Jones, Bishop of Louisiana.
In his meeting with Bishop Jones, the young priest described the offer from another diocese and congregation. Bishop Jones listened patiently, then said, "Well, what do you think?" The young priest responded eagerly, "I think I am being called there." Bishop Jones, thought for a moment, then said, "I don't know if it is a call or a temptation."
It is interesting how frequently many senses of "call" are in complete concert with our own hearts' desires. It is amazing how frequently what God wants us to do is exactly what we would like to do! What an amazing coincidence!
Examples are numerous: "I am called to stay in the same area as my seminary," "I feel called to be close to the beach," "I feel called to Florida,""I feel a call to a program sized church," "I feel called to a metropolitan area," or, of course, "I feel called to a much higher paying church." It's interesting how infrequently people sense a "call" to small town, rural ministry.
A colleague recently left a very prominent and important position in a significant diocese. She did not do so in order to be "upwardly mobile." Instead, she accepted a call to a small, struggling congregation, split by larger church controversies, in hopes of bringing healing to this congregation seeking gifted leadership. I admire her for her response to the call, countercultural though it may be. She models, for me, an openness to God's call. There are so many levels on which I admire her. This is just one of them.
If our vocation is truly a calling, we need to be open to the movement of the Spirit, drawing us in directions we might not ever have anticipated. The vocation of priesthood is not about self-actualization as much as it is about self-offering.
I cannot help but think of Jonathan Daniels, the Episcopal seminarian who came south to work for racial justice. I also think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who left the safety of the United States and New York City and returned to his native Germany to lead the "confessing church" in Hitler's Germany. I think of Matt Devenney, the 33-year-old father and husband, who sensed a call to be executive director of Stewpot Ministries in Jackson, Mississippi.
They were all pursuing their sense of call -- and each paid a significant price. Jonathan Daniels was shot down in the streets of Hayneville, Alabama, protecting a young girl from the shotgun's blast, on August 20, 1965. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was martyred at Flossenburg Prison on April 9, 1945 -- less than two weeks before the Allies liberated that infamous concentration camp. Matt Devenney was shot-down on a Jackson street by a deranged homeless person he was trying to help on June 19, 1991. While their lives were ultimately not "happy" (in a traditional, superficial sense), there was no doubt a sense meaning in their response to God's call.
Few of us are called to lives of complete sacrifice. Yet those of us who are blessed to be in ordained ministry do have a mandate to seek "the mind of Christ" as we try to live out the vows we have taken for ourselves. That sense of call may lead us to interesting and challenging pathways -- but so rich with meaning.
My perspective on the sense of call is greatly influenced by a specific hymn. And I am grateful to the Greenville, Mississippi poet, William Alexander Percy (1885-1942), who wrote Hymn 661 in The Hymnal 1982:
"They cast their nets in Galilee
Just off the hills of brown;
Such happy, simple fisherfolk,
Before the Lord came down.
"Contented, peaceful fishermen,
Before they ever knew
The peace of God that filled their hearts
Brimful, and broke them too.
"Young John who trimmed the flapping sail,
Homeless in Patmos died.
Peter, who hauled the teeming net,
Head-down was crucified.
"The peace of God, it is no peace,
But strife closed in the sod.
Yet let us pray for but one thing --
The marvelous peace of God."
I work with search committees on a regular basis, and a major challenge is to help them avoid the trap of thinking of the search for a new priest as a secular process of "hiring" a certain "type" of priest. I generally deal with that temptation preemptively by asking them to reflect on a specific biblical passage at the initial search-vestry retreat.
The passage is from First Samuel15 and it was our first lesson on Sunday a couple of weeks ago. In that passage, Samuel has been urged by God to go to the village of Bethlehem and to the family of Jesse to anoint a new king for Israel. Even though Saul is still alive and serving as king, an heir is going to be selected.
Seven sons of Jesse stand before Samuel. He looks first at the eldest, Eliab, and thinks "Surely the Lord's anointed is before me." But God tells Samuel "no" -- do not look at his stature or outward appearance. God looks at the heart and sees the essence of the person's character. So Samuel looks next at Abinadab, then Shammah, and the four remaining sons. None of these is chosen by God through Samuel's sense of discernment.
Samuel turns to Jesse and says, "Are these all your sons?" Jesse responds, "There remains one -- the youngest. He is tending the flocks in the fields." Jesse sends for the youngest, a mere boy. David -- with his ruddy complexion and beautiful eyes notwithstanding -- is chosen by God and anointed by Samuel because God looked into David's heart and saw what he was seeking.
All of this was within the context of Saul having been chosen the first king because he was taller than all the other Israelites. David -- a young boy -- was chosen as his successor.
The point, from my perspective, is that if we are willing to be truly discerning in hearing God's call, we may well be surprised. We may be looking for someone who is tall, handsome, graceful and extroverted, when what God is seeking to show us is someone who is short, frail, thoughtful, and introverted. Or any other form of a surprise.
That is a point I seek to convey: That God may be urging us in one direction when we, for our own reasons, may be champing at the bit to go in another direction. Being able to open ourselves to a true sense and experience of discernment may yield great promise.
I think that is how congregations need to see this process, and God's seeking to move in our midst. Now to the clergy.
I am amazed at how often a sense of "call" is confused with something entirely different. A colleague once told me of his service as a college chaplain in the New Orleans area many, many years ago. His cure as a college chaplain was not real prominent and I am certain his compensation was modest, at best.
This colleague -- then a young, rookie priest -- was contacted by a congregation in another diocese, expressing an interest in calling him as rector. There would have been a great increase in responsibilities, profile and, of course, compensation. He felt very attracted to the offer, so he went to see his Bishop, Girault Jones, Bishop of Louisiana.
In his meeting with Bishop Jones, the young priest described the offer from another diocese and congregation. Bishop Jones listened patiently, then said, "Well, what do you think?" The young priest responded eagerly, "I think I am being called there." Bishop Jones, thought for a moment, then said, "I don't know if it is a call or a temptation."
It is interesting how frequently many senses of "call" are in complete concert with our own hearts' desires. It is amazing how frequently what God wants us to do is exactly what we would like to do! What an amazing coincidence!
Examples are numerous: "I am called to stay in the same area as my seminary," "I feel called to be close to the beach," "I feel called to Florida,""I feel a call to a program sized church," "I feel called to a metropolitan area," or, of course, "I feel called to a much higher paying church." It's interesting how infrequently people sense a "call" to small town, rural ministry.
A colleague recently left a very prominent and important position in a significant diocese. She did not do so in order to be "upwardly mobile." Instead, she accepted a call to a small, struggling congregation, split by larger church controversies, in hopes of bringing healing to this congregation seeking gifted leadership. I admire her for her response to the call, countercultural though it may be. She models, for me, an openness to God's call. There are so many levels on which I admire her. This is just one of them.
If our vocation is truly a calling, we need to be open to the movement of the Spirit, drawing us in directions we might not ever have anticipated. The vocation of priesthood is not about self-actualization as much as it is about self-offering.
I cannot help but think of Jonathan Daniels, the Episcopal seminarian who came south to work for racial justice. I also think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who left the safety of the United States and New York City and returned to his native Germany to lead the "confessing church" in Hitler's Germany. I think of Matt Devenney, the 33-year-old father and husband, who sensed a call to be executive director of Stewpot Ministries in Jackson, Mississippi.
They were all pursuing their sense of call -- and each paid a significant price. Jonathan Daniels was shot down in the streets of Hayneville, Alabama, protecting a young girl from the shotgun's blast, on August 20, 1965. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was martyred at Flossenburg Prison on April 9, 1945 -- less than two weeks before the Allies liberated that infamous concentration camp. Matt Devenney was shot-down on a Jackson street by a deranged homeless person he was trying to help on June 19, 1991. While their lives were ultimately not "happy" (in a traditional, superficial sense), there was no doubt a sense meaning in their response to God's call.
Few of us are called to lives of complete sacrifice. Yet those of us who are blessed to be in ordained ministry do have a mandate to seek "the mind of Christ" as we try to live out the vows we have taken for ourselves. That sense of call may lead us to interesting and challenging pathways -- but so rich with meaning.
My perspective on the sense of call is greatly influenced by a specific hymn. And I am grateful to the Greenville, Mississippi poet, William Alexander Percy (1885-1942), who wrote Hymn 661 in The Hymnal 1982:
"They cast their nets in Galilee
Just off the hills of brown;
Such happy, simple fisherfolk,
Before the Lord came down.
"Contented, peaceful fishermen,
Before they ever knew
The peace of God that filled their hearts
Brimful, and broke them too.
"Young John who trimmed the flapping sail,
Homeless in Patmos died.
Peter, who hauled the teeming net,
Head-down was crucified.
"The peace of God, it is no peace,
But strife closed in the sod.
Yet let us pray for but one thing --
The marvelous peace of God."
Monday, June 18, 2012
The 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church convenes in Indianapolis, Indiana in about two weeks. The official dates of the convention are July 4 to July 12. The Mississippi Deputation, consisting of four lay deputies and four clergy deputies, four lay alternates and three clergy alternates, and of course, Bishop Gray, has met formally two times in advance of General Convention. Additionally, several deputation members attended the Province IV Synod at Kanuga near Hendersonville, North Carolina, earlier in June. All of this is to prepare for our time at General Convention.
The Mississippi Deputation includes the following: lay deputies -- Canon Kathryn McCormick of St. Andrew's, Jackson, and the diocesan staff; Dr. Ed Sisson of St. Peter's, Oxford; Dr. Anita George of Resurrection, Starkville; and Margaret McLarty of St. Andrew's, Jackson; clergy deputies -- the Reverend Canon David Johnson of the diocesan office; the Reverend David Knight of St. James', Jackson; the Very Reverend Edward O'Connor of St. Andrew's, Jackson; and the Reverend Marian Fortner of Trinity, Hattiesburg.
Alternate deputies include the following: lay -- Danny Meadors of St. Patrick's, Long Beach; Bobbie Marascalco of Holy Trinity, Vicksburg; Hilda Povall of Calvary, Cleveland; and Jack Conway of St. Philip's, Jackson; clergy -- the Reverend Margaret Ayers of St. James', Port Gibson; the Reverend Elizabeth Wheatley-Jones of All Saints', Grenada; and the Reverend Betsy Baumgarten of Coast Episcopal School, Long Beach, and Redeemer, Biloxi. The Reverend Matt Rowe of Nativity, Greenwood, had been elected as a clergy alternate but has since accepted a call to the Diocese of Northwest Texas.
Alternates and deputies share time on the floor of General Convention.
The General Convention is divided into two houses -- the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. It functions in a manner similar to the United States Congress or the Mississippi Legislature; i.e., in order to be accepted as a canonical revision or as a policy of the church, a proposal must be approved in the exact same form by both houses.
The House of Deputies is comprised of four clergy deputies and four lay deputies from each of 110 dioceses and jurisdictions from 16 countries spanning from Europe to Taiwan. That membership totals over 800 deputies on the floor of General Convention. The House of Deputies is chaired by the President of the House, currently Canon Bonnie Anderson, a lay deputy from the Diocese of Michigan. She is not seeking reelection to that post.
The membership of the House of Bishops includes all living bishops -- somewhere in excess of 250 bishops. However, in a normal General Convention (which does not include the election of a Presiding Bishop) the average attendance in the House of Bishops is about 180. The House of Bishops is chaired by the Presiding Bishop, currently the Most Reverend Katherine Jefferts-Schori. She has three years remaining on her nine-year term as Presiding Bishop. Bishop Gray, of course, is a member of that house.
Much of the work of General Convention is done in the Cognate Committees (consisting of both deputies and bishops). Several Mississipians serve on those committees. Bishop Gray serves on the Evangelism Committee. Canon McCormick serves on the Church Pension Committee. Dr. George serves on the Education Committee. Dr. Sisson is on the World Mission Committee and Canon Johnson serves on the Structure Committee.
Two Mississippians are seeking election to national bodies of the Episcopal Church. Dr. George, who has been filling an unexpired term on Executive Council (the "vestry" of the Episcopal Church), has been nominated for a full term. Canon McCormick has been nominated for election to the Board of Trustees of the Church Pension Fund. Those elections will be conducted in the House of Deputies and those elected must receive a majority vote of the members of the house.
One significant decision to be made by the House of Deputies will be in the election of the next President of the House. Since Canon Anderson is not seeking reelection, a new president will be elected. The House will also be electing a new vice president since the previous incumbent, Brian Prior, was elected and consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota.
For your information, here are some links which might be helpful before and during General Convention:
Episcopal News Service -- http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/
The Episcopal Church -- http://www.episcopalchurch.org/
General Convention (including pre-filed legislation) -- http://www.generalconvention.org/
Constitution and Canons (and other publications) -- http://www.generalconvention.org/gc/gc2009
I plan to post more information about issues coming before General Convention in the days ahead. Additionally, I hope to post daily updates during each day of General Convention. I invite you to read and share this blog as you see fit.
The Mississippi Deputation includes the following: lay deputies -- Canon Kathryn McCormick of St. Andrew's, Jackson, and the diocesan staff; Dr. Ed Sisson of St. Peter's, Oxford; Dr. Anita George of Resurrection, Starkville; and Margaret McLarty of St. Andrew's, Jackson; clergy deputies -- the Reverend Canon David Johnson of the diocesan office; the Reverend David Knight of St. James', Jackson; the Very Reverend Edward O'Connor of St. Andrew's, Jackson; and the Reverend Marian Fortner of Trinity, Hattiesburg.
Alternate deputies include the following: lay -- Danny Meadors of St. Patrick's, Long Beach; Bobbie Marascalco of Holy Trinity, Vicksburg; Hilda Povall of Calvary, Cleveland; and Jack Conway of St. Philip's, Jackson; clergy -- the Reverend Margaret Ayers of St. James', Port Gibson; the Reverend Elizabeth Wheatley-Jones of All Saints', Grenada; and the Reverend Betsy Baumgarten of Coast Episcopal School, Long Beach, and Redeemer, Biloxi. The Reverend Matt Rowe of Nativity, Greenwood, had been elected as a clergy alternate but has since accepted a call to the Diocese of Northwest Texas.
Alternates and deputies share time on the floor of General Convention.
The General Convention is divided into two houses -- the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. It functions in a manner similar to the United States Congress or the Mississippi Legislature; i.e., in order to be accepted as a canonical revision or as a policy of the church, a proposal must be approved in the exact same form by both houses.
The House of Deputies is comprised of four clergy deputies and four lay deputies from each of 110 dioceses and jurisdictions from 16 countries spanning from Europe to Taiwan. That membership totals over 800 deputies on the floor of General Convention. The House of Deputies is chaired by the President of the House, currently Canon Bonnie Anderson, a lay deputy from the Diocese of Michigan. She is not seeking reelection to that post.
The membership of the House of Bishops includes all living bishops -- somewhere in excess of 250 bishops. However, in a normal General Convention (which does not include the election of a Presiding Bishop) the average attendance in the House of Bishops is about 180. The House of Bishops is chaired by the Presiding Bishop, currently the Most Reverend Katherine Jefferts-Schori. She has three years remaining on her nine-year term as Presiding Bishop. Bishop Gray, of course, is a member of that house.
Much of the work of General Convention is done in the Cognate Committees (consisting of both deputies and bishops). Several Mississipians serve on those committees. Bishop Gray serves on the Evangelism Committee. Canon McCormick serves on the Church Pension Committee. Dr. George serves on the Education Committee. Dr. Sisson is on the World Mission Committee and Canon Johnson serves on the Structure Committee.
Two Mississippians are seeking election to national bodies of the Episcopal Church. Dr. George, who has been filling an unexpired term on Executive Council (the "vestry" of the Episcopal Church), has been nominated for a full term. Canon McCormick has been nominated for election to the Board of Trustees of the Church Pension Fund. Those elections will be conducted in the House of Deputies and those elected must receive a majority vote of the members of the house.
One significant decision to be made by the House of Deputies will be in the election of the next President of the House. Since Canon Anderson is not seeking reelection, a new president will be elected. The House will also be electing a new vice president since the previous incumbent, Brian Prior, was elected and consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota.
For your information, here are some links which might be helpful before and during General Convention:
Episcopal News Service -- http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/
The Episcopal Church -- http://www.episcopalchurch.org/
General Convention (including pre-filed legislation) -- http://www.generalconvention.org/
Constitution and Canons (and other publications) -- http://www.generalconvention.org/gc/gc2009
I plan to post more information about issues coming before General Convention in the days ahead. Additionally, I hope to post daily updates during each day of General Convention. I invite you to read and share this blog as you see fit.
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