General Convention 2009

Presiding Bishop’s letter to the church on General Convention

2009-07-22T13:12:00.003-04:00

“Above all else, this Convention claimed God’s mission as the heart beat of The Episcopal Church”

[July 22, 2009] Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a letter to the church about General Convention 2009.

General Convention 2009 was held July 8 to July 17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California (Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles).

The following is the Presiding Bishop’s letter..........

My brothers and sisters in Christ:

The 76th General Convention is now history, though it will likely take some time before we are all reasonably clear about what the results are.

We gathered in Anaheim, as guests of the Diocese of Los Angeles, for eleven full days of worship, learning, and policy-making. The worship was stunning visually, musically, and liturgically, with provocative preaching and lively singing.

Our learning included training in Public Narrative, as well as news about the emergent church, in the LA Night presentation.

We we lcomed a number of visitors from other parts of the Anglican Communion, including 15 of the primates (archbishops or presiding bishops), other bishops, clergy, and laity.

You can see and hear all this and more at the Media Hub: http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/

The budget adopted represents a significant curtailment of church-wide ministry efforts, in recognition of the economic realities of many dioceses and church endowments, which will result in the loss of a number of Church Center staff who have given long and laudable service. Yet we will continue to serve God’s mission, throughout The Episcopal Church and beyond. This budget expects that more mission work will continue or begin to take place at diocesan or congregational levels. Religious pilgrims, from the Israelites in the desert to Episcopalians in Alaska or Haiti, have always learned that times of leanness are opportunities for strengthened faith and creativity.

As a Church, we have deepened our commitments to mission and ministry with "the least of these" (Matthew 25). We included a budgetary commitment of 0.7% to the Millennium Development Goals, through the NetsforLife® program partnership of Episcopal Relief & Development. That is in addition to approximately 15% of the budget already committed to international development work.

We have committed to a domestic poverty initiative, meant to explore coherent and constructive responses to some of the worst poverty statistics in the Americas: Native American reservations and indigenous communities.

Justice is the goal, as we revised our canons (church rules) having to do with clergy discipline, both as an act of solidarity with those who may suffer at the hands of clergy and an act of pastoral concern for clergy charged with misconduct.

The General Convention adopted a health plan to serve all clergy and lay employees, which is expected to be a cost-savings across the whole of the United States portion of the Church. Work continues to ensure adequate health coverage in the non-U.S. parts of this Church. The Convention also mandated pension coverage for lay employees.

Liturgical additions were also included in the Convention’s work, from more saints on the calendar to prayers around reproductive loss.

What captured the headlines across the secular media, however, had to do with two resolutions, the consequences of which were often misinterpreted or exaggerated. One, identified as D025, is titled “Anglican Communion: Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion.” It reaffirms our commitment to and desire to pursue mission with the Anglican Communion; reiterates our commitment to Listening Process urged by Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 1998; notes that our own participation in the listening process led General Convention in 2000 to “recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships ‘char acterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God’”; recognizes that ministry, both lay and ordained is being exercised by such persons in response to God’s call; notes that the call to ordained ministry is God’s call, is a mystery, and that the Church participates in that mystery through the process of discernment; acknowledges that the members of The Episcopal Church, and of the Anglican Communion, are not of one mind, and that faithful Christians disagree about some of these matters.

The other resolution that received a lot of press is C056, titled “Liturgies for Blessings.” The text adopted was a substitute for the original, yet the title remains unchanged. It acknowledges changing circumstances in the U.S. and elsewhere, in that civil jurisdictions in some places permit marriage, civil unions, and/or domestic partnerships involving same-sex couples, that call for a pastoral response from this Church; asks the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, and the House of Bishops, to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources for such pastoral response, and report to the next General Convention; asks those bodies to invite comment and participation from other parts of this Church and the Anglican Communion; notes that bishops may provide generous pastoral responses to the needs of members of this Church; asks the Convention to honor the theological diversity of this Church in regard to matters of huma n sexuality.

The full text of both resolutions is available here: http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/

I urge you to read them for yourself. Some have insisted that these resolutions repudiate our relationships with other members of the Anglican Communion. My sense is that we have been very clear that we value our relationships within and around the Communion, and seek to deepen them. My sense as well is that we cannot do that without being honest about who and where we are. We are obviously not of one mind, and likely will not be until Jesus returns in all his glory. We are called by God to continue to wrestle with the circumstances in which we live and move and have our being, and to do it as carefully and faithfully as w e are able, in companionship with those who disagree vehemently and agree wholeheartedly. It is only in that wrestling that we, like Jacob, will begin to discern the leading of the Spirit and the blessing of relationship with God.

Above all else, this Convention claimed God’s mission as the heartbeat of The Episcopal Church. I encourage every member of this Church to enter into conversation in your own congregation or diocese about God’s mission, and where you and your faith community are being invited to enter more deeply into caring for your neighbors, the “least of these” whom Jesus befriends.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
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The Episcopal Church

A message from Bishop Hollerith

2009-07-20T11:40:00.003-04:00

General Convention has come to an end and the renewal of our work as a Church is just beginning. For those who attended the convention, there has been a resurgence of faith, energy, and appreciation for the work done during this 10-day event. Several realities will have an impact on the Church: budget cuts that will result in the loss of jobs for many in the church, increased benefits for the laity of our church who provide so much time and work to our benefit; and a renewed focus on mission that emphasizes local ministry and challenges us to work as a diocese to serve the needs of our congregations.

The press has represented some of the decisions made at General Convention incorrectly and portrayed the Church as damaging its relationship with the Anglican Communion following the passing of resolutions relating to the role of gay and lesbians in the Church. While the Church has decided to reaffirm that all baptized persons, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or age can be called to any form of ordained ministry, it nonetheless continues to uphold the moratorium on the approval of someone to the episcopate whose manner of life would strain our relationship with the Anglican Communion. This understanding has been clearly articulated in the House of Bishops and by our Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

Another decision made at General Convention has also received the attention of the press, specifically the resolution allowing bishops to use their pastoral discretion in states that allow civil unions of gay and lesbians. Also contained in this resolution is the call for the Church to collect and develop liturgies for the blessing of same sex unions. While both of these matters clearly indicate the Episcopal Church is moving forward in its thinking, the resolution clearly states that we are still in a discernment mode about both matters. In Southern Virginia, nothing in our policies about either has changed.

We are presently scheduling meetings in the diocese to discuss the resolutions passed at General Convention. As soon as those dates and locations are confirmed, we will contact you through email and publicize them on our website. The Episcopal Church is a diverse community of people striving to be faithful. We live in challenging times, but by the grace of God, our life together in the Episcopal Church can demonstrate the true power of the Gospel.

Sarah Scott Thomas reports...GC comes to an end

2009-07-19T11:21:00.005-04:00

Now that almost all of us are home, I'd like to give a few reflections from the week. Personally, the media room was the place to be. The writers from all over including LA Times, Washington Post, Virtue Online, Christian Post, PBS and many others were there working all day, occasionally running up or down to the House of Deputies or House of Bishops. We could watch both houses from the media room simultanously but sometimes it was better to be in the room with the bishops or deputies. Press briefings took place twice and sometimes three times a day which provided a nice summary of the day's events and excellent responses by bishops, deputies and others.

The directness of some of the questions from the press provided good insight and gave us an idea of where most of the media were going with decisions made at GC. There were no applauses or groans when results came in on any of the major topics. It was quiet as the communications directors from the dioceses and the media reflected and frantically typed working to report the information accurately (well, maybe not in all cases). We were able to ask each other clarifying questions, explore processes and inquire about Canons.

I applaud the Communications office from the Church, as everything was extremely well-run and organized. As a member of the "press" we were given copies of everything or told where to find them. If we needed anything, someone was there to provide it. Publications like "The Daily" and "CenterAisle" provided additional information each day (no kidding, a new publication every day, which reported on the previous day's events). Everyone was extremely professional and kind.

One of the things I truly learned to appreciate was that we are part of a larger organization and while there are unique needs and thoughts in the dioceses, there is an appreciation for that uniqueness and a common bond and unity in our love for Jesus Christ. It was moving.

I befriended several folks in that room from around the country. On the last day, Duke Hefland, a reporter from the LA Times sat next to me and we went back and forth with information, sharing what we knew or where to find research online. His story on the most controversial issues from GC is one of the best ones I have seen. I'm going to share it with you here.

I know many of you have questions about GC and the Bishop and Deputies are here to answer them. Keep following our blog and website as we continue to post.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-episcopal18-2009jul18,0,2066151.story
From the Los Angeles Times

Episcopal leaders affirm new policy on same-sex blessings

Clergy and laity vote for the measure approved earlier this week by bishops. It is the second major victory for liberals at the General Convention in Anaheim.

By Duke Helfand
July 18, 2009

Capping a 10-day convention in Anaheim, leaders of the Episcopal Church agreed Friday to consider marriage liturgies for same-sex unions and to give bishops greater latitude in meeting the spiritual needs of gay and lesbian couples.

The new policy marked a second victory for liberals after the church gave final approval Tuesday to a measure ending a de facto ban on the ordination of gay bishops.

Debate over liberalizing the rules underlined deep theological differences within the church of 2.1 million Episcopalians, and raised new concerns over tensions with the wider Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the communion.

On Friday, the U.S. church's top two officials sought to calm fellow Anglicans, including the communion's spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

In a letter to Williams, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the president of the church's House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson, described the resolution on gay bishops as "more descriptive than prescriptive in nature.

"They said it does not repeal the earlier ban on such ordinations, but instead reaffirms commitments made by the church's constitution and canons, which prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation."

In adopting this resolution, it is not our desire to give offense," they wrote. "We remain keenly aware of the concerns and sensibilities of our brothers and sisters in other churches across the communion. We believe also that the honesty reflected in this resolution is essential if indeed we are to live into the deep communion that we all profess and earnestly desire."

Copies of the letter were sent to the communion's 38 other regional leaders.

During the convention, Jefferts Schori voted for the new polices on ordinations and blessings.

In an interview Friday, the Episcopal leader spoke of the need to balance the aspirations of her church with the broader goal of unity.

"Change doesn't happen overnight," she said, predicting that the church would continue to deepen its relations with the Anglican Communion, despite the conflict that erupted after the Episcopal Church's 2003 consecration of an openly gay bishop from New Hampshire. Some Anglican leaders from Africa and elsewhere have since cut ties with the U.S. church.

Jefferts Schori also said she believes that the tensions between the church and some Anglicans are less the result of theological differences than varying social norms in different regions of the world.

"I think we are learning more about each other's contexts," she said of the relationships in the communion. "We know more about what it means to be a Christian in Pakistan or North India or Kenya."

The issue of same-sex blessings took up part of the convention's final day of legislative business.

Clergy and laity in the church's House of Deputies voted 152 to 64 to approve the measure, affirming a decision made two days earlier by Episcopal bishops.

The resolution acknowledges "changing circumstances" in the United States and other countries resulting from legislation authorizing or forbidding marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships for gays and lesbians.

It calls for a "renewed pastoral response from this church, and for an open process for the consideration of theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same-gender relationships."

A church committee will collect and develop such resources for consideration when the General Convention gathers next in 2012.

The measure gives bishops, particularly those in jurisdictions where gay marriage is legal, discretion to allow same-sex blessings, saying officials may "provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church." Such blessings already are common in some parts of the denomination.

Advocates of change framed the deliberations as matters of compassion and social justice, likening their cause to an uproar over the ordination of women in the 1970s that ultimately led to women being named to the highest ranks of the church.

The blessings measure says the convention honors "the theological diversity of this church in regard to matters of human sexuality" and invites input from within the church and the larger communion.

Opponents questioned whether the large majorities of Episcopal bishops and deputies who embraced the liberalized policies had been moved by cultural trends rather than biblical authority, noting that the Bible defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. They worried that the new direction would accelerate the departure of congregations. Several dozen Episcopal parishes and four dioceses left last year to form a rival church.

The differences were on display Friday during a short debate before deputies voted. One representative described the measure as an "elegant blend of theological care, ecclesiastical breadth and pastoral generosity," while another told the gathering that the church was "covering itself in shame."

Despite the varying interpretations, deputies and bishops alike characterized the legislative debates as prayerful and generous, if messy at times.

"What has happened at the convention are signs of the health and vigor of the Episcopal Church," said Bishop J. Neil Alexander of Atlanta.

duke.helfand@latimes.com

President Bonnie Anderson’s closing remarks,

2009-07-19T10:37:00.001-04:00

[July 17, 2009] The following are the closing remarks of President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson to the House of Deputies on July 17 at the conclusion of the Church’s 76th General Convention in Anaheim, California..........................

Deputies, Alternates, Guests, Visitors:

I have again been honored by you and elected to serve as President of the House of Deputies for the approaching triennium and through the 77th General Convention. Thank you for that honor.

During the first three years as my tenure as your president I have focused upon two things: identity and mission. Why Identity:

The reason for this choice was the growing concern that I have about the erosion of the practice of the polity of our Church.
As Deputy Wade reminded us this morning in the opening meditation, William White, upon whom shoulders we stand, was a revolutionary. His strange ideas about the ministry of all the baptized, taking their place in the counsels of the Church, caught the imagination and spirit of this fledgling Church in America. His strange ideas about the equality of the voices of all the people of God live today in our polity and in our baptismal covenant and in our Catechism. We are the ministers of the Church – the laity, the clergy and the bishops together, doing God’s work, each bringing our gifts to bear upon the reconciliation of God’s world.

The ministry of all the baptized is not the “lowest common denominator” as it were, from which we all begin and then some advance while others do not. The truth is quite the opposite. Our most unifying truth, our clearest moment of ubuntu is actually found in our baptisms and through our baptismal covenant. Each time we reaffirm our baptismal promises we are committing to ubuntu; we are pledging our life and our service to being agents of God’s love and grace by dying to self and living through Christ. It is from that place that we are one in the eyes of God and one with each other.

I have tried during this past triennium to address my growing concern about our identity as the Episcopal Church, and in particularly, the House of Deputies, in some specific ways.

First, to educate the deputies and the Church that we are deputies, not delegates. We are intentionally named deputies by our forebearers. We are elected because our dioceses trust us. Our dioceses deputize us to vote our mind. Our dioceses trust us, that, after careful prayer, listening to each other and stating our own views we will vote accordingly. I think that we have done that here. Our Church always has deputies. We are deputies when we leave here. We are deputies until we are either reelected by our diocese or another deputy is elected to take our place. There are ALWAYS deputies. We are leaders in our dioceses. We do not rise from the mist like Brigadoon. Our church ALWAYS has deputies. We are acting together in our own dioceses, in the counsels of the church, vestries, standing committees, commissions on ministry, on CCABs – where the only voice of clergy and laity in the larger church is possible through our canons.

Further, regarding identity, through the work of Kim Tucker and Cheri Salanty, my two dedicated and skilled staff assistants, I have created a tool that allows deputies and first alternates to communicate regularly during the past triennium. We have created a moderated deputy online forum to share important information leading up to General Convention. We have created and maintained a tool so that I am able to communicate regularly and effectively with the Deputies and First Alternates.

Our identity as deputies extends beyond the House of Deputies and into the Anglican Communion. At a first-ever conference in Costa Rica this year, the scope of our relationships to clergy and laity in the Anglican Church of the Americas has been extended. We have created new relationships in mission through our diocesan partnerships and mission work. We have strengthened old relationships in this same way. I believe that God is calling us to this work of reconciliation.

As your president, my focus in the areas of mission and identity have intersected at this General Convention and at the pre-General convention synods leading up to it. Our relationships, our quest for UBUNTU, our “I in you and you in me” is only possible if we KNOW each other. We are one in Jesus Christ and it is where our own stories and the story of Jesus intersect that we find our UBUNTU and our call to be a people of God’s mission. I ask you to exercise the leadership that is already yours in your diocese.

So what’s next? Believing that God speaks to us in many different ways during each day and in our dreams at night, this morning I spent time in my room thinking and praying as I do each morning. Then, if I have time, I read the paper. This morning when I opened the door of my room to get the paper, the BIG letters on the front page of USA Today, read, “WHATS OUR NEXT STEP?” The paper was talking about the space frontier. But our next step as a Church is a frontier also.

First, when you return home, meet with your deputation and design the report you are canonically required to provide to your diocese. The President’s Deputy Online Forum will be a place where resources for your reporting will be posted.

Refer to yourselves as deputy. If someone refers to you or other deputies as delegates, use it as a teaching moment to talk about the polity of our church. Don’t let it go by.

Next, in your own diocese, in your own congregation, take the leadership that is already yours and do mission. Start something, strengthen something, We can use the skills we have learned here in the art of public narrative to strengthen or and create relationships, to deepen our spirituality and Christian community. Keep it in your mind and heart there is an urgency now to our mission. Keep in mind now that we are the voices of the people of God, together, clergy, laity, bishops.

It is time for us to end chapter 76 in the book of life of the House of Deputies. It is time for us to leave this place and to take leave of each other. We go back to our loved ones. I go back to the comfortable place where I am not called “Madam President” and no one waits until I rise before they do the same.

With each other in Anaheim, we have shared a part of our lives together. We have worshipped and eaten the bread of life, we have risen to sing and lowered our heads to pray. We have breathed the air that has been in our neighbors lungs. In Jesus we are one of another. We are a Christian Community, made in the image of God.

Let us give great thanks to our senior deputies that will not be returning and for all that we have been given.

Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori's Sermon at the General Convention 2009 Closing Eucharist

2009-07-17T18:16:00.003-04:00

[July 17, 2009] The following is the sermon of Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, preached at the July 17 closing Eucharist at the Church’s 76th General Convention in Anaheim, California....(Video is available on the Media Hub, http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/)....

We’ve heard lots of words these last 11 days. We’ve used those words to make policy, to claim our missionary heartbeat, to bind ourselves in solidarity with the least, the lost, and the left out. Some of us have even had to eat our words – unexpected things have happened, we’ve made mistakes, and we may even have misused our words. We have eaten Word, sacramental word becoming flesh in us, that our words might come closer to that original Word.

We keep coming back to where we started, as Eliot put it, we arrive at the place where we started, and know it for the first time.

Jeremiah speaks the word of God: “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” We are having words again.

Our words have gone to build up and to plant, in compassion for human beings within and beyond this church. Our words have also focused on plucking up and pulling down injustice, destroying and overthrowing systems that oppress, from the union demonstration on Tuesday to resolutions that challenge us about continued racism and discrimination. Words have also reconciled – I’ve watched to my brother and sister bishops struggle to craft words that would draw others in, rather than shut them out.

The prophet is appointed to speak words to nations and kingdoms, to challenge and critique the enormities of power, and to nourish and encourage the despairing. Jeremiah spoke to a people struggling with leadership, who remembered their centuries old controversy over having kings.
William White did something similar, with a people just as divided over the idea of bishops. In White’s case it was the northern Anglicans and the southern ones, and the passion had a lot to do with their fears about monarchical power and its misuse. The Anglican Communion is in a dither like that right now: do we need more centralized authority, or do we need to honor the gifts and voices of every member of our churches? Our budget decisions at this Convention have challenged us to move from more centrally authorized mission toward more local mission support. Indeed, how do our structures serve God’s mission?

We remember William White not just because he presided at the first Convention, but, as the collect says, because of his gifts of “wisdom, patience, and a reconciling temper.” Not long ago, the rector of the church in Philadelphia where William White is buried wrote me to say that White isn’t “just another DWM clogging up the calendar.” DWM, referring to his status in the church triumphant, his family name, among other things, and the gender he shares with the majority of figures on the calendar. But his gift of a reconciling temper is the kind of word I want to leave with you. White modeled the gift of Anglicanism – holding together in tension polarities that some are eager to resolve. He was a master of “both/and” thinking and living. He had the audacity to change his mind – you only have to compare his early writings with his later ones to see how far he moved in his understanding of what this Church might become.

His both/and thinking is the kind of tension that keeps our hearts pumping and mission thriving. It’s also the kind of tension that drives some of us crazy – what’s more important – justice or mercy? Inclusion or orthodoxy? Ministry grounded in bishops or in baptism? Most of those polarities are false choices. The long view says that if we insist on resolving the tension we’ll miss a gift of the spirit, for truth is always larger than one end of the polarity. Tension is where the spirit speaks. Truth has something to do with that ongoing work of the spirit, and it can only breathe in living beings capable of change and growth.

Jesus is prodding Simon Peter into that kind of tension when he asks him if he loves him more than these. Do you love me? Do you really love me? Can I trust that you love me? Then go out there and feed my sheep!

What are the lesser loves, what does Jesus mean when he asks if Peter loves him more than these? Does he mean the other disciples? The fish they’ve just had for breakfast? The vocation of fishing? Or maybe the whole package? Whatever it is, it has to move into the background if Peter is going to feed and tend the flock. Around here I think it has something to do with how right we think we are. What or who are we more in love with, than Jesus?

The job is to feed the sheep. Nothing else matters a whole lot. And Jesus is clear that it’s not just the flock right in front of us. There are other hungry sheep that we don’t see every day, which is one reason for many shepherds. We may all be sheep, but we all also share in the work of shepherds.

How will the work that’s been done in this gathering feed the sheep that you see week by week? These resolutions only have life as they’re implemented around this Church, in French, in Tagalog, in Vietnamese, in Hmong, Lakota, Spanish or English. Your job is to go home and help this work we’ve done become food in your own context. At least in part it’s a work of interpreting. You will have to bring digestible food, and tell the story of this Convention, in ways that your local sheep and shepherds can understand. That is an act of love. What or whom will you love most in the process? Will you love Jesus more in the telling? What you’ve learned here about Public Narrative may help your work of feeding your neighborhood sheep.

The food you have to offer has to be digestible and attractive – it needs to be good news, if you’re going to tend the sheep around you. Going home with a list of complaints, or full of anger about what you wanted that didn’t pass, is only going to generate indigestion. That is not an act of love. Sure, every flock finds a few noxious weeds in the pasture, but healthy sheep learn to how to avoid them. Tending the sheep means leading them to good pasture, and caring that they might grow. What food will you take?

Even more, the work we share is how to let the Word, the sacramental Word we receive here, become sustenance for those we meet – how does Word become hope, how does it fill stomachs as well as hearts, how can it strengthen the heartbeat of this Church? We’re going out there to be that nourishing word. Speak a word of peace and healing to a world desperately in need of it. Become what you eat here today, and feed the world, tend the flock, feed all of God’s sheep.

Presiding Bishop and HOD President explain Convention actions to Canterbury and Communion primates

2009-07-17T17:52:00.003-04:00

(Episcopal News Service) The two presiding officers of General Convention have written to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams providing an explanation and clarification of Resolution D025 pertaining to human sexuality issues and the Episcopal Church's commitment to the Anglican Communion. The letter was also sent to the communion's 38 primates.

"We understand Resolution D025 to be more descriptive than prescriptive in nature -- a statement that reaffirms commitments already made by the Episcopal Church and that acknowledges certain realities of our common life. Nothing in the resolution goes beyond what has already been provided under our Constitution and Canons for many years," wrote Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson.

Resolution D025 was passed on July 14 by the 76th General Convention meeting in Anaheim, California. In addition to underscoring the Episcopal Church's support of and participation in the Anglican Communion, the resolution affirms "that God has called and may call" gay and lesbian people "to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church."

The presiding officers emphasized that D025 has "not repealed" Resolution B033 that was passed by the 75th General Convention in 2006. B033 urged restraint in consenting to the consecration of bishops whose "manner of life" might present challenges for the rest of the Anglican Communion. That challenge was widely understood to refer to gay bishops in partnered unions. The full text of the letter to Williams is available here.

Jefferts Schori wrote a separate letter to the primates of the Anglican Communion -- and included a copy of the letter to Williams -- acknowledging that "with so much misinformation circulating through the press and other sources, it is crucial to me that I provide the archbishop and all of you with accurate information." Thirteen primates were present in Anaheim, the largest number ever to attend a General Convention.

Jefferts Schori told the primates that her "heart was filled with joy at seeing so many of you" at General Convention. "It is important to me that we continue to find ways to communicate with one another directly about our different cultural and ecclesial contexts, and thereby prevent any misunderstandings," she said. The full text of the letter to the primates is available here.

At this General Convention, several resolutions were submitted that called for further action regarding B033. In their letter to Williams, the presiding officers explained that these resolutions fell into three categories -- "those calling for the repeal of B033; those restating or seeking to strengthen our church's nondiscrimination canons; and those stating where the Episcopal Church is today. From these options, our General Convention chose the third -- along with reaffirming our commitments to the Anglican Communion -- with the hope that such authenticity would contribute to deeper conversation in these matters."

Williams attended his first General Convention July 7-9. During a convention Eucharist, he expressed his gratitude to the Episcopal Church for its "continuing willingness to engage with the wider life of our communion." But he also expressed his hopes and prayers "that there won't be decisions in the coming days that could push us further apart. But if people elsewhere in the communion are concerned about this, it's because of a profound sense of what the Episcopal Church has given and can give to our fellowship worldwide."

In their letter to Williams, the presiding officers emphasized that in adopting Resolution D025, "it is not our desire to give offense."

The letter to Williams was hand-delivered and copies were emailed to the primates and to Anglican lay and clergy leaders on July 17, according to the Episcopal Church's Office of Public Affairs. It was also distributed to the House of Bishops and House of Deputies.

"We remain keenly aware of the concerns and sensibilities of our brothers and sisters in other churches across the communion," Anderson and Jefferts Schori wrote. "We believe also that the honesty reflected in this resolution is essential if indeed we are to live into the deep communion that we all profess and earnestly desire."

The letters to the Archbishop and Primates of the Anglican Communion can be accessed by clicking on these links.

ECW Triennial - report from Marilyn Meek, Church of the Ascension

2009-07-17T13:58:00.002-04:00

The 46th Triennial meeting ended on Thursday, July 16 with the installation of ECW National Board Members and UTO National Committee. Our own Marilyn Meek attended the meetings and reports on her observations on July 14:

The day opened with a gathering with music and singing, opening prayers and then Susan Johnson presented the Episcopal Women's History Project. Kay Meyer, President of the ECW Triennial, addressed the House of Bishops this day.

Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, addressed the Triennial. The "ECW keeps its eye on the cross...we're in relationship with each other." she says. She then applauded the depth of relationship in daughters and sisters, sharing her knowledge about the Emery sisters who were early pioneers for the work of women in the church. She discussed an urgency for mission and a continuation of the United Thank Offering. She shared that more than 60 grants were presented totally $1,997,362.43. The collection gathered at the Sunday Eucharist was $28,168.92. This was a 37 percent increase over the 2006 convention. These funds will go to the Navajoland grant request. In all, the UTO funded 63 grants totalling $2,650,472.43.

Southern Virginia submitted two grant requests for UTO funding. Of those, the request for Holy Cross Anglican School in Belize was awarded. The entire $41,000requested was granted for this project.

Marilyn noted other things of interest...the Washington National Cathedral presented a cardboard model of the cathedral as a box for contributions. Unique and creative.

Presentations including the Episcopal Women's History Project, started by Mary Donovan and Joann Gillespie, gave an oral history of all women in the Episcopal Church, Lay and ordained foremothers.

The Young Adult representive also spoke with the message: "Continue recognition of us."

Budget reflects financial responsibility and support for Mission.

2009-07-17T12:18:00.003-04:00

On July 16, the General Convention adopted a $141 million budget for 2010-2012 that asks for less money from diocese and drastically reduces church-wide spending by $23 million. The House of Deputies spent approximately three hours debating the budget and rejected attempts to change its revenue or expense categories. The budget was then passed and sent to the House of Bishops where it was approved by voice vote.

In private discussions among the deputation of Southern Virginia, support for the proposed reduced budget reflected an appreciation of financial responsibility by the greater Church, recognizing the state of the current economy.

Some church-wide programs will be eliminated, encouraging more mission work to take place in the dioceses and congregations. Staff reductions in the New York and regional offices will likely take place. The next General Convention could be two days shorter and interim church bodies will meet less frequently during the triennium.

Areas of importance to the Church and many in our diocese will continue to be supported. A budget line item dedicated 0.7% percent of income to U.N. Millenium Development Goals. This had been cut from a draft version of the budget. Deputies from Southern Virginia also noted that more than 60 percent of the budget is directed towards programs and mission and the budget reflects a 37 percent increase to the United Thank Offering (UTO).

Statement from the Head of Deputation, The Rev. David Teschner – Christ & Grace, Petersburg

2009-07-17T12:01:00.002-04:00

Deputies and Alternates from our diocese have worked diligently every day to follow legislation moving through committees. We have met early every morning before committee meetings at 7:30 a.m. A spirit of respect, good humor and honesty have allowed us to discuss sensitive issues without agreement. Overall, the 800 plus deputies from our 110 dioceses have conducted their business with care for one and all. We wish everyone back home could experience the worship and legislative deliberation of our diverse church. We have felt and been strengthened by your prayers.

Press release from ECUSA

2009-07-15T03:33:00.004-04:00

The Episcopal Church Recommits To The Anglican Communion And Affirms Transparency In Its Ordination Processes July 14, 2009 -- The House of Bishops and the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church today completed passage of a revised Resolution D025, Commitment and Witness to the Anglican Communion, at the Church’s triennial General Convention in Anaheim, California.
To view the press release click here.

Bishop Hollerith reports from General Convention

2009-07-15T02:56:00.009-04:00

Bishop Hollerith on D025............
Resolution D025 was passed by both the House of Bishops (HOB) and the House of Deputies (HOD) at General Convention on Tuesday, July 14, 2009.

Resolution D025 allows for all persons regardless of race, age, gender or sexual orientation to enter the discernment processes acting in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. The resolution was passed by a vote of 99 – 45, with two abstentions in the House of Bishops and by 72% by both lay and clergy in the House of Deputies.

This is not unexpected news. While the media is likely to position this story in such a way to be sensational, the resolution includes some compelling components that are important to note:

1. In accordance with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church, the resolution recognizes that discrimination of individuals based on race, age, gender or sexual orientation does not have a place in the discernment process of our ministry.
2. The resolution recognizes that God’s call to the ordained ministry in the church is a mystery.
3. The resolution recognizes that we are not all of one mind on the issue of sexuality.
4. The resolution was written in a way that would allow dioceses to consider anyone as a candidate to the episcopacy regardless of sexual orientation, but does not mandate that all dioceses do so.
5. The resolution continues to support Resolution B033 (General Convention 2006) “to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider Episcopal Church USA and will lead to further strains on the communion.” It does not suggest that the Episcopal Church will close its moratorium on the consecration of gay bishops.

Resolution DO25 passed in the HOD clergy order by a 2 to 1 margin, in the HOD lay order by a 2 to 1 margin, and in the HOB by a 2 to 1 margin. This demonstrates some consistency among lay and clergy that is important to respect.

I will share with you that both during the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops discussions it was standing room only as this respectful debate ensued. In the House of Bishops we were offered time of round table discussion, prayer and then open debate with open hearts and respectful listening. It was a long day and hard work.

After much thought, prayer and reflection I voted in favor of the resolution. I did so with the full confidence that this was a vote for unity and mission and reaffirms the commitment of the Episcopal Church within the Anglican Communion. It is a more accurate reflection of who the church is, a truer picture that our canonical process is open to all people.

One of my brother bishops have said, and I agree: “God's mission is greater that the passage or defeat of any resolution at this Convention. Regardless of which side of the argument you may find yourself embracing, or what you believe the best way of resolving this situation is, we have a mission that is given to us in partnership with Jesus Christ.”

The affects of this resolution on the diocese and the congregations of Southern Virginia deeply concern me. But I do believe that we will continue to understand it together through open discussions and focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Already scheduled for the fall are some regional meetings where we may sit down and discuss the work of the greater Church as well as the work already accomplished and before us in Southern Virginia.

click here for a print-ready version of this message.

Reflections from Deputy Carlyle Gravely

2009-07-14T21:11:00.001-04:00

It has been said that the Episcopal Church’s General Convention includes “the largest church coffee hour” in the world. On Sunday, July 12th, we celebrated the Eucharist with about 6,500 others – from around the Los Angeles area and from around the world – at the Anaheim Convention Center. Then a large part of that crowd moved next door to the Exhibit Hall and joined in the “coffee hour”.

People from around the world – laity, bishops, priests and deacons – as well as exhibitors, members of the national and international media and others have joined in the 76th General Convention of our Church.

The “news focus” has been the debates and legislation passed (or not passed) and that is quite important but an often missed happening of this time together is the friendships, the sharing, the learning, the mission work started, continued or completed that occurs.

We had a brief time with Rowan, the Archbishop of Canterbury. He addressed an evening forum on the environmental challenge and led a Bible meditation during the next morning’s Eucharist. He also met with various groups from around our Church for sharing and conversation.

We have hosted members of overseas Anglican churches, ecumenical and interreligious guests. We have been joined by God’s children of every age, race and gender. It is an impressive experience.

As you walk around the Convention Center and the main convention hotels, you regularly stop or see folks stopped for greetings and conversation (and sometimes more “animated” discussion). When God’s people from around the world gather, interesting things happen.

Earlier Reflections from Carlyle:

This has been quite a week as I have joined a large group from Southern Virginia participating in / representing you in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, the Triennial Meeting of the Episcopal Church Women and the Triennial Meeting of the Church Periodical Club. All of these groups met / are meeting in Anaheim, California.

I have had a big change in my role this year since I have attended parts of the past 4 General Conventions (1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006) as a member of the Media Team covering the activities “from the sidelines”.

This year, I am one of the four Lay Deputies you elected at the Annual Council in January 2008. I am joined by four Deputies and alternates in each order to provide the membership from Southern Virginia in the House of Deputies, the SENIOR house of the Church’s General Convention. Besides myself, other “first timers” as Deputies are Athena Hahn in the Lay order and Michael Delk and John Agbaje in the Clergy order. We also have new several alternates as well -- Julian Hudson, Tim Sessions and Susan Jones in the Lay order and Samantha Vincent Alexander and Gary Butterworth in the Clergy order. We have several “more experienced” folks to help guide us along in the House of Deputies. They include David Teschner and John Baldwin as Clergy deputies and Toni Hogg and William (Mac) Todd as Lay deputies. Connie Jones in the Clerical order and Olivia Osei-Sarfo in the Lay order are “returning”, having represented Southern Virginia in the past.

We are also blessed to have Bishop Holly Hollerith with us in the JUNIOR House of Bishops. The bishop is also attending his first General Convention.

Members of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese have also been with us participating in their Triennial Meeting which is always held in conjunction with the General Convention.

The Rev. Michael L. Delk, 10 July 2009, House of Deputies – floor speech

2009-07-14T20:38:00.000-04:00

I will not recapitulate the scriptural, theological, and ecclesial arguments on this issue. We know all those by heart already. Instead, I would like to peal away the husk of the matter and pull out the pith.

We are afraid that inclusion of gays and lesbians into the full life of our Church’s leadership will irredeemably shatter our Communion. If we move beyond B033, the Anglican Communion as we know it may cease to exist.

I would grieve this, because I recognize how the ties that bind us have brought great blessings over the past 121 years. Yet we have come to a point where the ties that bind have begun to choke us.

As a Christian, I live in hope that should our Communion fracture, reconciliation may be possible at a future time, witnessing to the world the power of Christ’s resurrection.

For those who wish to wait until our Communion partners become more agreeable to the inclusion of gays and lesbians in Holy Orders, please specify the period of time we must wait, while precious gifts that could bear fruit for the Gospel wither on the vine. Please offer some substantial assurance that the Provinces that actively aid and abet the police of their countries in convicting and imprisoning gays and lesbians will somehow have a change of heart in the foreseeable future. Help me understand how a gradual, incremental approach, which to date has yielded nothing more than further demands, will somehow reach a threshold where agreement without capitulation is possible.

What is good and right often involves risk and requires sacrifice. For some time, we have elected to sacrifice people and their spiritual gifts for ministry, purely on the basis of their sexual orientation. Perhaps it is time to discover what loss a different sacrifice might bring. As the flags displayed here show, attest should the Communion collapse, we will not be alone in the world, and God will not abandon us either.

A youth perspective on HOD Debate on Central Ecuador Bishop Election

2009-07-14T20:21:00.001-04:00

(July 13, 2009)
Darby McClellan (Johns Memorial, Farmville), what do you think about this issue? ...............It’s hard to tell what is really going on or what they are talking about.

Kelly Harnett (St Anne’s, Appomattox), what do you think about this issue?............ It’s confusing, and I don’t really understand it.

Adam Lees (Johns Memorial, Farmville), what do you think about the issue?............. There seems to be more than meets the eye on the issue. After having read a timeline of the processes, nothing seemed wrong. After all, every path to allow the Diocese of Ecuador Central to handle its own election were exhausted. However, the biggest complaint seems to be that an Ecuadorian was not chosen along with another allegation that Central Ecuador was not given the full opportunity to take care of the matter itself. The Rt. Rev.-elect Luiz Fernando Ruiz Restrepo comes from Colombia (I found that out during a defense of him by a deputy from that delegation). Ecuador, one of the hemisphere’s poorer nations, has become very nationalistic making any issue remotely related to national self-determination and sovereignty especially thorny. Within the last year, Colombia invaded Ecuador while targeting the second-in-command of the brutal, sixties-era, communist-turned-narcotrafficking guerrilla movement named FARC which triggered an emergency OAS meeting to diffuse the crisis and prevent a war which had the potential of becoming more regional if it started. Thus, you can see some of the tensions embedded in an otherwise straightforward matter.

Quite frankly, I understand the plaints of Ecuador Central. I think it would be more appropriate for an Ecuadorian to occupy the position. However, I think that the House of Deputies should certify the election of Bishop-elect Ruiz especially considering that the Diocese itself made the choice to send the matter to General Convention. He will have his work cut out for him, to say the least. God help him.

Zach McIntire (St Anne’s, Appomattox), what do you think about this issue? .............I don’t think that’s it’s a matter of the bishop being elected but with a conservative Legislature within the church the former bishop should have known that conservative negative majority against pushing it to the house of bishops, I think that he failed to Represent his diocese’s conservatism.
---
Note: the House of Deputies subsequently approved the election by a little over 70% of the vote

From a youth perspective...Zachary McIntire, St. Anne's, Appomattox

2009-07-14T15:07:00.001-04:00

During the past two days I have experienced a completely new Church. I knew that The Episcopal Church was an influential protestant Community, but living in a largely Baptist population in the south eastern United States, I was only truly aware of my small “Church Family” of at a usual Sunday only 35-45 people, To realize that I have such a larger group of bothers and sisters after so long is quite exciting. And to listen the views on top issues and reforms going on throughout our community is continually eye opening. To read on the topic of Transgender, Gay, and lesbian acceptance and marriage, and listen to the varying perceptions is socially challenging, but more so I delve deep into the views and ideas of my family and community as a whole to grow and change into a person with a happy and open mind to the inevitable change to come. I wrote something down during the wonderful speech on grace from Mrs. Tickle, I wrote, “The Episcopal Church, Innovation Baked in Tradition”, it seems to me that we are more welcome to the inevitable change to come during the beginning of the new millennium then the rest of the Protestant and Catholic beliefs, and just so see some of the influences that we have in all communities around the world just shows that people are ready for change, they are ready to Feel and know equality in a Sexualities, Genders, Creeds, and Classes, we are ready to become new again, to be just as innovative as the Renaissance throughout Europe and the breakthrough in social change, that came with computers, telephones, and the internet.

An update from alternate Rev. Constance Jones – Grace, Yorktown

2009-07-14T12:53:00.005-04:00

A little before midnight, Tuesday.

No weighty thoughts tonight, but just some snapshots.

This morning in the House of Deputies we had a sort of “time out” from legislation for special guests. When such announcements come, I inwardly groan, but you’d think I’d learn. There are always holy surprises when you least expect them. This time, it was a passel of ecumenical guests. They processed to the platform, and right off you could see it was an Ubuntu moment.
Some Protestant-looking vestments. The purple shirt must mean a bishop, the turban a Sikh, the yarmulke a Jew. Well, Los Angeles is about the most diverse community in the world. A speaker made some bland remarks, and then three people gathered around the podium meaningfully. There was a hush. Then the Jewish cantor began to sing, and his voice was so sweet and pure, those Hebrew phrases I can’t understand anymore, but ancient and sacred. I think I was holding my breath. Then a Muslim muezzin wearing what I would call an alb, but I bet he wouldn’t call it that, began to sing a call to prayer, and it filled this huge industrial-style room with the most exquisite other-worldly song beseeching God. Who knows what the Arabic said, but you could *tell* it was beseeching God. Then a pale-looking man in a cassock and surplice (like a Grace Church acolyte, so you could figure he was a Christian) sang a version of the Aaronic blessing (May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make his face shine upon you…..) that I’d never heard before, but it was haunting and warm at the same time.

Now, I found that by the time the third singer finished, I had been repeatedly holding my breath. But what came next took me to another almost unearthly level. The three began to sing together, each in his own musical idiom, which you just couldn’t imagine could coexist. It became one – one composition, one song, one blessing. I have never heard anything like it, and imagine that only in heaven could you call it “normal.” Because not only was the sound beautiful beyond description, but the blending of those three voices so intimately, each risking its life with the other for the sake of transcendence – well, what that says about Jews and Muslims and Christians together is amazing and deeply encouraging , and it came as a complete surprise, like a gift of something impossible to find or purchase, more valuable than you could calculate, yet something you could not hold onto and possess. Ubuntu indeed.

And then we simply moved on to the day’s business.

Brian McLaren, a pretty famous evangelist, will be speaking here twice tomorrow.

More tonight or tomorrow.
Love,
Connie

Previously reported:

Dear friends,
Remember how I said yesterday that the House of Deputies passed D025 and the House of Bishops would be more cautious? Well, the Bishops just passed it too. It comes back to our house tomorrow or the next day to reconcile slightly different language.

You will probably be hearing of the Episcopal church in the press. Sigh. They’ll zero in on just one thing. The shorter the summary, the more heart-stopping the headline, the more it sells. Grab your heart pills! More gay bishops! The world is coming to an end!

But you read my description yesterday. The resolution itself is very gentle, and it reaches out with love and generosity to the rest of the Anglican Communion, to people who disagree, to all Episcopalians. This is not an “in your face” decision, not at all. And if you could have seen the two houses in deliberation, you would have seen that painstakingly gentle and respectful stance towards people who will disagree, but who are still brothers and sisters in Christ.

When we get outside of that legislative chamber, there is still that sense of oneness in Christ. At least I think there is. Definitely in our deputation. Yet I also know there are people who are hurt or angry or confused.

What I believe so strongly, though, is that our sexuality is only one part of us – indeed at best a very loving part of us. We are made for relationships, whether it is with someone we meet over the breakfast table, or someone we meet at the Communion Table.

I suppose my personal default setting may err a bit on the side of optimism, but I look at the future of the Episcopal Church, and more broadly Christ’s church in this confusing 21st-century world, and I am not filled with despair. I heard the most terrific young people tell a committee this morning why youth under 18 should be able to serve on vestries, and no, they didn’t mind the boring parts. I heard a young woman from New Orleans tell about how the Bishop of Louisiana and church people from all over the country rolled up their sleeves to help in the wake of hurricane Katrina. (And I was proud that a dozen or so of them were from Grace Church!) I heard the chaplain of the House of Deputies offer a meditation on how those who are not chosen (who don’t get elected, who come in second, whose words are not heard) are the true measure of faith in a religion whose founder’s management-style involved washing people’s feet.

If the Episcopal Church were into power-moves or PR these days, if it were into covering its exposure to the winds of criticism, I would be at a very different General Convention than I am. But what I see here is good, self-giving people, very diverse, who pray, who listen to each other and to the needs of the world, and who are willing to step out in faith to do the right thing.

I know that all of us here in Anaheim will be coming home soon. We may meet disappointment or anger or indifference. But weighing more heavily in the balance for me this evening is my overwhelming affection for this church and its people, and for the way that we reach out so earnestly to try to do God’s will.

Night-time blessings to you all. I’ll write more tomorrow.
Love,
Connie

From a youth perspective...Sara Winston

2009-07-14T12:25:00.002-04:00

Coming from a mixed-faith family and having no prior knowledge of issues within the Episcopalian community, I was left to make a first impression based on my own Christian upbringing, separate from the Episcopalian denomination. My first impression of the convention was one of overwhelming measures. The day was spent listening to issues that have existed within the church much longer than my surface involvement. I heard many specific issues discussed between the committee members while observing the reaction of the rest of the guests in the room, simultaneously trying to understand my own personal reaction.

This description is pretty consistent for each of the AM events of the July 11th day. Listening to proposals, resolutions and decisions made on issues relevant to the progression of the church which have never entered my mind in regard to the Episcopalian congregation and its “broad intent of inclusion”.

Sara Winston is a rising junior at Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington DC, majoring in fine art photography. A native of New York, she is a friend of Christopher Cunningham. Baptized as an infant in the Lutheran Church, she is currently exploring her faith.

Nancy Smith, ECW president, reporting from the Triennial Meeting in Anaheim

2009-07-14T03:18:00.002-04:00

The Forty-Sixth Triennial Meeting of Episcopal Church Woman in Anaheim was the first for me.

It was also my first visit to California. And what action-packed firsts! Like travelers on a magical journey we moved from mundane meetings to vote on bylaw changes to wonderfully celebratory times with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who joined us for the Opening Celebration, the Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and our speakers - The Right Reverend Steven Charleston and Ms. Phyllis Tickle. In spare moments, we checked out the Exhibit Hall. A highlight was Norfolk's Mission of the Holy Spirit's play presented in the Millennium Development Goals exhibit. Our delegation of four - Marian Edmonds, Historian and Past President; Cindy Dillon, Diocesan United Thank Offering Treasurer, Betty Mariner, Eastern Shore Convocation Chair and me - Nancy Smith, Diocesan ECW President, headed home July 13, sad to leave.

From a youth perspective...Mr. Christopher Cunningham, Johns Memorial Church, Farmville

2009-07-13T14:53:00.003-04:00

Youth reporting from General Convention.................
Through no longer than five minute long descriptions, different committee members brought up their views on the topic at hand. Short, to the point, and often cut off, resolutions to problems within the church were vocalized. Ideas, personal stories, and laughter were easily thrown around. Why the resolutions needed to be officially dealt with was an interesting testament to the political system of the Episcopal Church.

I find the General Convention thus far to be a place for passionate speakers and a kind community surrounded by an overwhelming flurry of political debates on issues I have thought to be trivial topics for discussion. To seek the approval of the Church for such minute changes from its traditional roots is excessive. The great deliberation over such slight changes that have often been part of a personal approach to worship seems to be the wrong focus of the Episcopal Church as a whole.

The idea of these slight changes is to broaden the appeal of the Episcopal Church, to generate a larger audience. I have been asking myself though, is it possible to include everyone?

Christopher Cunningham is a rising junior at Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington DC, majoring in photojournalism. He has been on mission trips to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Diocese of Christ the King in South Africa, and the Diocese of Liberia in West Africa. He is a member of Johns Memorial Church in Farmville. Christopher is the eldest son of the Rev. Jeunée and Rev. Chris Cunningham.

Bishops approve denominational health plan

2009-07-13T12:57:00.002-04:00

Among the hot topics at General Convention is the church-wide health insurance plan which was debated in the House of Bishops on Sunday, July 12. At the end of that meeting, the House of Bishops approved the implementation of a denomination-wide health insurance plan by 2012. This resolution, A177, will now go to the House of Deputies.

If the resolution is adopted, health insurance would be offered "for all domestic diocese, parishes, missions and other ecclesiastical organizations or bodies subject tothe authority of this church, for clergy and lay employees who are scheduled to work a minimum of 1,500 hours annually."

The implementation of this health insurance plan is estimated by officials of the Church Pension Fund to save $134 million in the first six years.

From a youth perspective...April Jane Overton, St. Anne's, Appomattox

2009-07-13T01:50:00.006-04:00

Several youth have joined the Southern Virginia Diocese at General Convention. We will include in our blogs some entries from them which are quite interesting .................

I arrived here only yesterday, on Friday July 10th, and I had no idea what this convention was going to be about, or how anything worked, and what exactly would happen. So far I’ve been to the exhibits, and only some meetings. The exhibits were my absolute favorite, because I met new and interesting people, and actually learned a lot of interesting facts. In the exhibits I read and heard a lot of stories which touched my heart so much that it actually gave me goose bumps, and everyone greeted everyone with a smile, it seemed as if everyone accepted everyone as they were. One thing that I found absolutely amazing was how nice people actually were. I’ve never been surrounded by that many polite people in one place, and I was just completely amazed by it.

On Saturday, July 11th we sat in on the ECW Triennial Meeting and listed to a speaker that I found amazing, Phyllis Tickle. I loved how she brought her speech to life, as she was talking about and trying to define grace. Everyone knows that a speaker can be boring, no matter how much you’re interested in the subject, or even if what their telling you is interesting, if they’re dull, you’re going to be bored for about an hour. Phyllis Tickle didn’t do that, she spoke with emotion and even jokes, which made every one give her their undivided attention.

Then I experienced it, the protestors. I mean, it’s one thing to protest something you don’t think is right or whatever they were doing, but they weren’t just doing that, they started insulting people individually, and telling people to get run over by a car. Which makes me think it’s extremely ironic that they call themselves Christians.

The protestors didn’t ruin my time; I’m absolutely enjoying what I’m learning. Over all, I think I’m the one that has learned the most out of my group, only because I was just recently baptized which also includes me extremely new to this whole religion thing, because I don’t necessarily come from a religious family. I’m seeing how the Episcopal Churches work, I think this was an amazing opportunity for me, seeming I’m so new to it, this convention helped me learn a lot about how everything works, and I’m fascinated by the things that I’ve found out, and the people I’ve met.

April Overton is a rising senior at Appomattox High School, and was baptized this past May at St. Anne’s Church, Appomattox.

Exhibit Hall - an opportunity to learn

2009-07-12T19:11:00.002-04:00

The exhibit hall is worth visiting. To my surprise, the exhibit hall is not just an area where religious items are being sold. But it is where missions and ministries are sharing what they do and how they are improving lives all over the world. One example is Bromley Episcopal Mission School in Liberia, West Africa. This area has been devasted by years of war and political instability. Bromley's mission is to provide students with education to meet academic, spiritual and social needs. Several Episcopal dioceses spend their time and money to support this worthwhile organization. Their connection to this country, and to Virginia in particular, is interesting...early in our history freed slaves from Virginia voluntarily repatriated their homeland and established the country. The school was founded by The Rt. Rev. S.D. Ferguson, the first blap Episcopal bishop in the US. Today, Bromley educates nearly 200 students from the local community.

This is one of many organizations that share their stories here at General Convention. While many of them obviously need additional support, I am proud to note how many organizations Episcopalians in this country support through gifts, time and money. More to the point, I have come to appreciate the thousands of unsung heros at home who raise the money and provide the services that supports those in need.

The Canon’s Commentary: Notes from General Convention 2009

2009-07-11T13:09:00.005-04:00

Thursday, July 09, 2009 . . . . A warm and sunny afternoon in Anaheim. This is the first day it has been clear enough to see the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. An early morning (6:30am) meeting with the deputation followed a late night.

Yesterday evening we gathered at 6:00 to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury and others speak about the reality of the global economic crisis. This was Dr. Williams' first visit to a General Convention.

When the Presiding Bishop rose to introduce the Archbishop, the whole ballroom erupted in applause, cheers, and a unanimous standing ovation. Bishop Jefferts Schori is highly esteemed here for her ability to speak the truth in love and articulate the Gospel with such power to the reality of our lives today. I have heard nothing but praise for her centered leadership.

The Archbishop spoke seated and rarely looked down at his notes. His resonant voice spoke with authority and seriousness. I hope you will have an occasion to downlad his talk and listen to it.
I will attempt to share some of the highlights that I took away with me:

He took as a doorway into his subject, a quote from Pope Benedict's recent encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate" ("Love in Truth"): Truth needs to be sought, found, and expressed in the light of charity. But charity needs to be led and expressed in the light of truth.

He went on to say that the economic crisis has revealed that we have been lying to ourselves in three ways:

There has been a breakdown of transparency and truth-telling in our relation-building and our financial life nationally and internationally.
We have lied to ourselves about our place in creation. We have acted as if there are limitless material goods in a limited world.
We have lied to ourselves about the nature of our relationship with one another as human beings.

Our task now is not just to restore financial stability. There is no normal any longer. There cannot be a restoration of a system and set of policies that have shown themselves to be disabling and dishonest.

The Archbishop then countered the lies he described with what truth might look like:

Building of trust and transparency in our dealings with each other. Trust happens almost when you do not notice. Trust takes time. We need to build a culture of patience and mutual transparency.
Truth about the world we actually inhabit which cannot indefinitely tolerate the lifestyle we presently live. We need to learn to live a life with limits in a limited world.
Truth-telling in all our activities. This involves risk. Real profit does not come without risk and cost.
Truth-telling about the common good. Money and goods are nothing if they are not shared for the common good and the building of our common life.

A few other salient points the Archbishop raised include:

What is given to us is given to be given, in turn, to another.
We need to define what true wealth looks like: being at home with self and God.
Economic calculations need to have factored into them the environmental cost and not just the economic cost.
We need to re-think the way the first world's desire for cheap labor and lower prices keep people of the third world in bondage.
We cannot look to government to provide for all our needs. Our churches are situated as trusted institutions. They give dignity to real persons in real communities in which micro-economies can develop to take care of specific needs.

This is just a smattering. I hope you will listen to his talk online. There is a lot to think about in this emerging new world we find ourselves as individuals and as a Church.

Photos from the Media Hub

2009-07-10T13:49:00.005-04:00

Looking for photos from General Convention? Here is the link to photos on the Media Hub: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gcmediahub09/

General Convention from a young adult's point of view

2009-07-10T09:17:00.002-04:00

One of our young lay deputies is blogging from General Convention. She is sharing her own experiences and observations. Be sure to check it out at
www.athenahahn19.blogspot.com

The Canon’s Commentary: Notes from General Convention 2009

2009-07-09T22:44:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, June 8, 2009

........It is 5:00 pm, PDT, and I am taking a few minutes to reflect on the Convention so far before attending the 6:00 panel discussion on the Church’s response to the world economic crisis. The keynoter for this meeting will be the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams. The Archbishop is here at the General Convention to meet with youth, deputies, the Presiding Bishop’s council of advice, and the interim bishops who are covering the Episcopal remnants of dioceses whose Bishops and conventions have left the Episcopal Church. Presently, the Rt. Rev. Bob Johnson is overseeing Pittsburgh; the Rt. Rev. John Buchanan is overseeing Springfield; the Rt. Rev. Edwin “Ted” Gulick is overseeing Ft. Worth; and the Rt. Rev. Jerry Lamb is overseeing San Joaquin. Interestingly, three of the four bishops who have stepped in to care for the remnants of these dioceses have been associate with Southern Virginia – Bishops Johnson and Buchanan as interim bishops in our diocese, and Bishop Gulick as Rector of St. Stephen’s, Newport News. I ran into both Bishop Johnson and Buchanan who send their love to all of you who are part of the Diocese of Southern Virginia.

Last night I attended a legislative committee hearing on ministry to small congregations. . This committee is working on a resolution encouraging the next General Convention to have a special focus on ministry in our smaller congregations. Specifically, the committee added the amendment: “In partnership with the Office of Congregational Vitality, raise awareness and publish information about effective ministry practices for small congregations.” There was expressed concern that smaller congregations do not feel that the “national Church” pays enough attention to the effective and powerful ministries that take place. Someone pointed out that the “National Church” is in fact General Convention.

Later in the evening, a somewhat jet-lagged group from Southern Virginia gathered with our Bishop to touch base. Here were deputies, alternates, representatives from the ECW of the diocese, representatives from St. Paul’s College, and others. Also here, is a group from the Mission of the Holy Spirit in Norfolk and their chaperons – but they had a once in a lifetime trip to Disneyland yesterday. You may recall that their exquisite banners of the Millennium Development Goals are on display here at General Convention. What a wonderful opportunity for these young people who have faced great challenges to be exposed to the larger and diverse community of the Church.

Beginning tomorrow, we will gather for breakfast each morning at 6:30 am to touch base, debrief, and look ahead to the work of the day. Deputies, bishops, staff, ECW leaders, and others who are here work very hard to make the most of the time. Days begin early and end late.

This morning we attended the opening Eucharist celebrated by our Presiding Bishop in English and Spanish.

Her sermon was galvanizing. Addressing the prophet Ezekiel’s powerful image of a new heart and a new spirit, Bishop Jefferts Schori used the image of a heart transplant to talk about the new way of understanding and acting that comes through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. We receive a new heart from an organ donor who gave his life on the cross. Bishop Jefferts Schori went on to say that the Good News of Jesus Christ offers heart transplants to “those whose hearts are languishing… The heart of this body is mission – foreign and domestic…How will this heart pour life blood out into a languishing world? Can you hear the heartbeat? Mission… Mission… Mission.”

Comments from Cathy Lewis from GC

2009-07-09T08:52:00.000-04:00

July 7, 2009......Those of us who love words and images got a beautiful gift this morning in the sermon of The Most Reverend Katherine Jefferts Schori. I have heard Bishop Katherine preach only a few times and each time I come away with an appreciation for her long experience as a scientist and later as a theologian. She stands in the worlds of fact and faith and articulates that ongoing journey with powerful imagery and remarkable oratorical skill.

The Canon’s Commentary: Notes from General Convention, 2009

2009-07-09T08:51:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, July 7, 2009..........
Up at 3:30 this morning, we began our journey to Anaheim on the 6:20 am flight to Nashville. As I write this, we are about half way to Los Angeles (LAX). We are hoping to get out of the airport before the highways are clogged with departing Michael Jackson fans returning from his memorial service.

I have not been to a General Convention since that fateful one in 2003. in 2006, it made sense to remain in the diocese to support the Bishop by taking care of business at home.

This year, however, it is important that I be present for several reasons.

First, as we are setting the foundations for a new future under our new Bishop, I am attending General Convention to seek out and recruit a new generation of gifted ordained and lay professionals to serve in our diocese.

Second, in September I was elected by my peers to serve as Convener of the Transition Ministry Conference. The “TMC” as we call it for short, is the oldest organization of deployment officers in the Church. With about 40 member dioceses, the TMC meets each spring and fall to present parishes and clergy in search from our respective dioceses. As Convener, I will be meeting with other deployment officers and gathering for a meal with the Church Deployment Board and the new Program Officer for the Church Deployment Office of the Episcopal Church, the Rev. Canon Tori Duncan. Tori is a good friend and a great gift to the Church. She has already paid a visit to our diocese. Last month, just a few weeks following her appointment, she was able to meet with the interim clergy and consultants from Southern Virginia and Virginia.

Third, I am at General Convention to monitor areas that are critical to the life and ministry of our clergy and parish leaders, such as the Church’s attempts to respond to the increasing costs of healthcare coverage.

Finally, I am in Anaheim to network with organizations that represent the concerns of our clergy and parishes – such as the National Network of Episcopal Clergy Associations, of which our own Chris Thompson, Rector of Eastern Shore Chapel serves as President.

Throughout it all, I join our diocesan team as we soak up all we can of what is emerging, through the power of the Holy Spirit, of new vision, wisdom, energy, life, best practices, and experience across the community we call “The Episcopal Church.”

I know, from my time at that fateful convention of 2003, that whatever comes out of such a gathering of trauma, grief, or anger for some, or a sense of liberation, vision, or joy for others, the General Convention of our Church has one agenda – to be faithful to our Lord and the values of the Kingdom of God he proclaimed

Presiding Bishop’s Opening Address

2009-07-08T09:07:00.000-04:00

[July 7, 2009] The following is the opening address of Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, presented July 7 to the Church’s 76th General Convention ...............................
Greetings to all the dioceses; visitors, ecumenical and interfaith from around AC. We give thanks to the diocese of Los Angeles for hospitality, and to the many volunteers. It is already a great convention.

When I was growing up, my mother often reminded us of what our grandfather used to say to her and her siblings when they were in trouble, “We’re going to have words, and you’re not going to get to use any of yours.” Well, we are going to have words. I’m not going to chastise; I am going to talk about crisis. And you are going to have abundant opportunity to use your words – they will fill the coming eleven days. As you use those words, remember that they are meant to image and imitate God’s effective word, and accomplish what God intends for a healed and reconciled creation.

Crisis is always a remarkable opportunity – that’s how Christians are meant to engage crisis. Crisis is about focusing on the most important and most essential things first. Pilots talk about crisis management in the shorthand of aviate, navigate, communicate – fly the airplane, figure out where you are, and then call for help – but keep on flying the plane. The crisis management called First Aid deals with breathing and bleeding and heart beats, and then moves on to other, less critical issues.

In the tradition that you and I have inherited, crisis response has a lot to do with caring for the most vulnerable – who is sick or hungry or dying or grieving? In the kind of crisis called a disaster, it’s about ensuring that people have food, water, shelter, and medical care. Schools are important, but you can worry about rebuilding them after the flood has receded.

The word crisis has its origins in the Greek krinein, meaning to judge, separate, or distinguish. A crisis is time for decision-making, and a response cannot be avoided. The early English use of the word had to do with the turning point in a disease process – like the height of a fever – will it lead to death, or will the fever resolve and the patient begin to heal? In the gospels, the essential crisis is contained in Jesus’ decision to turn his face toward Jerusalem.

General Convention is always a time of critical decision-making. This 76th General Convention has some connection with other memorable Conventions – like the one in 1967 that adopted the General Convention Special Program, and the 1976 General Convention that permitted the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate. We’ll hear echoes of those debates in our conversations at this one, as we consider the needs of the poorest around us, and the inclusion of those who do not have full access to the life of this Church. We may revisit some of the critical conversations of the last General Convention as we consider how the life of this Church intersects with the life of other Anglicans. Underlying all of those debates will be the reality that we do not have the same kind of financial resources to address them that we had three years ago – that is another kind of crisis, both local and global.

However, this is not a TSA announcement that the threat level has risen from orange to red, or a reminder to keep an eye on your luggage. Not a bad idea, but hardly good news. This IS a gospel announcement that our journey is meant to be toward Jerusalem, rather than sunning ourselves in the sands of the Negev or floating in the Dead Sea. This IS a reminder that we’re supposed to travel light – no extra sandals or tunics or lunch bags. Our mission is to keep traveling, bearing the good news of Jesus and working to transform the world. This crisis is an opportunity to refocus on what is most essential. When we have done that, we WILL go on our way rejoicing.

The decision-making we face here is an opportunity to choose the direction of our journey into God’s mission. Will we turn our faces toward Jerusalem, or will we wander back out into the desert? How will we engage God’s reconciling mission – in sharing the good news, healing the world, and caring for all of God’s creation? How will we discover anew that we ARE in relationship with all that God has created, and that we’re meant to be stewards of the whole?
Lane Denson reminded us recently that stewards are wardens of the styes – keepers of the pigpens. We’re beginning to notice that our global garden increasingly resembles an odorous sty. But it’s not pigs who are the problem – pigs are neat and tidy if they have enough space. The problem is with their keepers, who see the pigs only as bacon and ham producing machines, rather than part of God’s good creation and therefore deserving of appropriate respect.

The crisis of this moment has several parts, and like Episcopalians, particularly ones in Mississippi, they’re all related. The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of use alone can be in right relationship with God. It’s caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus. That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy, at the center of existence, as the ground of all being. That heresy is one reason for the theme of this Convention.

Ubuntu. That word doesn’t have any “I”s in it. The I only emerges as we connect – and that is really what the word means: I am because we are, and I can only become a whole person in relationship with others. There is no “I” without “you,” and in our context, you and I are known only as we reflect the image of the one who created us. Some of you will hear a resonance with Martin Buber’s I and Thou and recognize a harmony. You will not be wrong.

I said that this crisis has several elements related to that heretical and individualistic understanding. We’ve touched on one – how we keep the earth, meant to be a gift to all God’s creatures. The financial condition of the nations right now is another element. The sins of a few have wreaked havoc with the lives of many, as greed and dishonesty have destroyed livelihoods, educational possibilities, care for the aged, and multiple forms of creativity – and that’s just the aftermath of Ponzi schemes for which a handful will go to jail. If we want to be faithful, we need to be continually rediscovering that my needs are not the only significant ones. Living in Ubuntu implies that selfishness and self-centeredness cannot long survive. We are our siblings’ keepers and their knowers, and we cannot be known without them – we have no meaning, no true existence in isolation. We shall indeed die as we forget or ignore that reality.

There is another related element to this crisis, the one that has to do with the particular means and purpose of our gathering. How do we keep the main thing the main thing? How will we insist that this Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society remember that God’s mission is our reason for existence, and that it has most to do with loving our neighbors? The structures of this church are resources for God’s mission, but they are not God’s mission in themselves, and if we get that mixed up, we will have turned our face toward the date palms of Jericho rather than Jerusalem.

The temptation for us here will be to see one small part of God’s mission, the part each one of use holds most dear, as the overarching reason for this church’s existence. The reality is that God’s mission will continue, whatever we do here, but it may not advance as effectively or penetrate as widely in the next few years if we get selfish or miss the mark. There are aspects of mission that are more appropriate and effective at the congregational and diocesan level. This church as a whole shouldn’t be running, for example, Camp East of Eden for kids from all over the church, but it could provide some liaison and connecting gifts, and share some best practices for camping ministry. Much of that work is already being done by Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers, and the job of the whole church in that response is thus mostly about making connections.

Some of the ecumenists in here will twitch at this word, but we should be in the business of subsidiarity – the church as a whole should not be doing mission work that can be done better at a more local level. The budget and the resolutions we will debate here should be about those things that affect the whole of this Church, and the vision of a renewed creation for all of God’s handiwork. We should leave smaller things and more local issues to more local parts of the Church. We might also consider putting in that category the big picture issues we can’t yet agree on – the ones for which we have many, more local, and varied understandings, recognizing the different contexts may require different responses.

Jesus’ critical decision to journey toward Jerusalem is about the city of God’s dream, Yerushalayim, the city of peace, the city of shalom, the city of God’s holy mountain, toward which the nations stream. We Christians often think the only important part of the Jerusalem story is Calvary, and, yes, suffering and killing in that place still seem to be the loudest news. But Calvary was a waypoint in the larger arc of God’s dream – it’s on the way to Jerusalem, it is not in Jerusalem. Jesus’ passion was and is for God’s dream of a reconciled creation. We’re meant to be partners in building that reality, throughout all of creation. This crisis is a decision point, one which may involve suffering, but it is our opportunity to choose which direction we’ll go and what we will build. We will fail if we choose business as usual. There will be cross-shaped decisions in our work, but if we look faithfully, there will be resurrection as well.

Will the words we use in the coming days reflect the word of God incarnate in our midst? Will our words imitate God’s effective word, speaking shalom to creation? That’s our decision, individually and collectively – that is our opportunity to live Ubuntu. This is our moment of judgment, our crisis. We can make our decisions in hope, and we can speak the love of God to the world through this Church, and we can do it together.

Archbishop of Canterbury to make debut appearance at General Convention

2009-07-08T08:34:00.000-04:00

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will begin a busy schedule of meetings July 8 as he arrives in Anaheim, California to spend two days engaging with representatives at the Episcopal Church's General Convention.

Attending convention for the first time, Williams will make a keynote presentation addressing the world's economic crisis during a panel discussion, which will be webcast live July 8 on the General Convention media hub. For more go here... http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112038_ENG_HTM.htm

Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia Youth at General Convention, 2009

2009-07-06T20:59:00.000-04:00

The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia is pleased to have young people from the diocese attending General Convention. Some of our youth are from Mission of the Holy Spirit, some are from convocations II, VIII, VII, VI. Here is a little information about our youngest deputy and some of our youth and youth leaders. Their thoughts and experiences will be shared with the diocese through our blog and others communications.............................................................

1. About our youngest deputy: Athena Hahn graduated Longwood University in 2008 with a BA in Sociology. She was elected to be first Lay Deputy to the National Episcopal General Convention, Athena is a member of Church of the Ascension in Norfolk. She is an active member on Ascension's vestry in the role of Evangelism Chair.

2. The Rev. Chris Cunningham (leader) is Rector of Johns Memorial Church, Farmville. He is a church redeveloper and passionate about world mission, having been to the Diocese of Christ the King in South Africa, the Diocese of Jerusalem, and the Diocese of Liberia in West Africa.

3. The Rev. Jeunée Cunningham (leader) is Priest in Charge of St. Anne’s Church, Appomattox. She is an experienced church planter and nationally recognized speaker/consultant on congregational development.

4. Darby McClellan is a rising senior at Fuqua School in Farmville. Along with her mother, she attends Johns Memorial, where she works in the Nursery; she was received into the Episcopal Church in May.

5. Adam Lees is a rising senior at Hampden-Sydney College, majoring in French. He is a native of Florida and quite active in the Campus Ministry program at Johns Memorial Church in Farmville.

6. Christopher Cunningham is a rising junior at Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington DC, majoring in photojournalism. He has been on mission trips to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Diocese of Christ the King in South Africa, and the Diocese of Liberia in West Africa. He is a member of Johns Memorial Church in Farmville. Christopher is the eldest son of the Rev. Jeunée and Rev. Chris Cunningham.

7. Sara Winston is a rising junior at Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington DC, majoring in fine art photography. A native of New York, she is a friend of Christopher Cunningham. Baptized as an infant in the Lutheran Church, she is currently exploring her faith.

8. Zach McIntire is attending Central Virginia Community College in Appomattox, and serves as an acolyte at St. Anne’s Church, Appomattox.

9. April Overton is a rising senior at Appomattox High School, and was baptized this past May at St. Anne’s Church, Appomattox.

10. Kelly Harnett just graduated from Appomattox High School and is a Eucharistic Minister and Lay Reader at St. Anne’s Church, Appomattox.

11. Ella Seaman is a rising freshman at Midlothian High School where she is enrolled in the leadership program. Baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church, she is currently exploring her faith.

12. Mattie Thomas is a rising freshman at Cosby High School in Midlothian, Virginia. She was baptized at Christ Church, Amelia where she still attends with her parents and grandparents.

Media Hub Provides Round-the-Clock Look

2009-07-06T14:02:00.000-04:00

You will be able to follow, watch, understand and experience the Episcopal Church’s General Convention 2009 no matter where you are, thanks to the Media Hub. Produced and presented by the Episcopal Church Office of Communication, the Media Hub will utilize technology to deliver the full story of the almost two-week event, July 8-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

Videos, blogging, Twitter, flickr and live webcasting will enable a broad look at General Convention. Additionally, planned coverage by Diocese of Texas Office of Communication, provides access to committee meetings, side events, the Episcopal Church Women’s triennial meeting, exhibits area and ongoing legislative work being done by their own representatives at the convention links to this coverage from www.epicenter.org.

The Media Hub
The National Media Hub includes seven areas: calendar, video stream, flickr photos, activity area, legislative tracker, twitter feed and resources. The first is the complete calendar of events, detailing the daily GC09 schedule as well as special events during both the day and evening hours. On each item in the calendar, there will be an icon to indicate if the event will be covered live, or if video on-demand is available.

The largest area will be the live video stream of many wide-reaching events, such as briefings, legislative hearings and special events. The live stream will vary every day, but the programming will all be listed in the calendar. There will also be a library of videos on-demand, including all sermons presented at the Daily Eucharists.

Another area, the flickr photos, will feature snapshots of the aspects of life at GC09. Continually updated, flickr will be a log of everyone’s experiences at GC09. Flickr is an internet site that provides space for photos and from which copies may be ordered.

"The Activity area will aggregate content that is relative to GC09 from a wide array of sources, including Episcopal News Service; articles from diocesan publications, religious and secular press; comments from people on Twitter and Facebook; and other sources. The legislative tracker will enable viewers to follow the life of a resolution and ties directly into the actions and votes of GC09 through the GC database.

Media Hub’s twitter feed will be a source for announcements. "It’s our way for letting people know offsite or in the hall when an event is about to begin, if a room has changed, when something goes live," Collins explained. "We can quickly communicate with the entire General Convention and those watching offsite."

Carol E. Barnwell, diocesan communication director, will also be twittering from the convention. To receive these messages, follow cebarnwell on Twitter. The final area, the resource section, will list links to maps, things to do in Anaheim, directions, and other pertinent information for those people who attend the convention.

Other features
A special feature of the Media Hub will be photos featuring high definition panoramic photos of the General Convention. Collins also reported that work is underway to make the Media Hub bilingual and with close caption for the hearing impaired.

Follow the Media Hub at tecmediahub09.

General Convention basics

2009-07-06T13:35:00.000-04:00

General Convention 2009 (GC09) kicks off on July 8 and continues to July 17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California (Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles). The Episcopal Church’s General Convention, held every three years, is the bicameral governing body of the church. General Convention, the second largest legislative body in the world, is comprised of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 members, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay representatives from the 110 dioceses, at over 850 members. At 8,000 to 10,000 total attendees, including exhibitors, visitors, guests and media, it’s one of the largest meetings in the country.

Southern Virginia's representation includes 16 deputies and alternates, clergy, spouses, staff and youth from around the diocese.

Diocese of Virginia's Center Aisle provides additional news from General Convention.

2009-07-06T13:23:00.000-04:00

The Diocese of Virginia will publish a daily opinion journal, Center Aisle, at General Convention, where they’ll distribute paper copies on-site as well as on the website (an electronic version of the journal plus letters to the editor that don’t fit in the paper version.) This gift to General Convention by the Diocese of Virginia is available to everyone so to read their publication if you are there or check out their website (http://www.centeraisle.net/).

2009-07-06T13:00:00.000-04:00

For media credentials: [here]

For Media Hub: [here] COMING REAL SOON!

For General Convention: [here]

For updated General Convention schedule: [here]

For Episcopal Life Online: [here]

For Episcopal life Weekly Bulletins: [here]

For IamEpiscopalian: [here]

For Twitter: [here]

Ubuntu: 76th General Convention Theme

2009-06-23T20:47:00.000-04:00

The Ubuntu logo of the 76th General Convention was adapted from a design submitted in a contest, sponsored by the Joint Standing Committee on Planning & Arrangements. The winning design was submitted by the Rev’d Paul Fromberg, Interim Rector of St. Gregory of Nyssa Church, San Francisco, California, a member of the Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts.

The Trinitarian design depicts God the Creator in the bright center, God the Son in the cross formed by the longitude and latitude lines and God the Holy Spirit, swirling around the Father and the Son. The swirl is comprised of dancing figures, male and female, with faces of many colors, who symbolize the interconnectedness of humanity.

The word Ubuntu is spelled out in a font especially created for General Convention by Mel Ahlborn, President of the Episcopal Church and the Visual Arts, together with a quotation from the Gospel of John.