Thanks Indy. It's been real.

It's a wrap on GC 77.

Deputies are exhausted and ready to head home after ten days of nonstop legislative fun. But the work has been gratifying and the learnings many, with just enough friends and faith moments to keep us going.

So here's a question for you seasoned Episcopalians: Did you know that every official copy of our prayer book has a certification page near the front which designates its authenticity?  And who signs that page?  Well it is the Custodian of the Book of Common Prayer.  And who now knows the Custodian of the Book of Common Prayer?  You might guess that it is me.

For every morning in Indy when I started my day with a 7:30 meeting of the Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Chruch Music we were joined in the near gallery by Gregory Howe, who is the Custodian of the Book of Common Prayer. He sat quietly on the front row and listened to our deliberations.  And when we got stuck on process or precedent then a senior committee member would say, "Gregory, help us out here."  And then he would ease to the microphone and speak wisdom and history and wealth of knowledge and set us striaght.  I decided that he was our Yoda.  

                                

    

   

He was the calm voice that spoke from the ages and said things like, "Change the lectionary in the '28 Prayer Book, we did."  "Accomplished that with a canonical change, we did."  Every time he spoke we were properly enlightened.  I felt that I had met a mythological character.  Who really knows the Custodian of the Book of Common Prayer? 

 I do.

General Convention is like that some times.  It is a wonderful assembly of intersting people who come together to do the work of governance of The Episcopal Church and we also enjoy each other's company in prayer, debate, worship and work.

I have connected and reaconnected.  In worship I exchanged the Peace of God with three people from my seminary years, with the Presiding Bishop and her husband, with bishops from Haiti, and Equador, Michigan and East Tennesee, former parishioners now from Kentucky, new friends from my committee and countless others as 2,000 Episcopalians shared daily Eucharist.  I decided to share some pictures of me and the interesting people I've met.

Here's me and Mary Magdalene, winner of the Golden Halo in this year's Lent Madness game. 

Me and Brooks, Sewanee seminarian who sometimes worships at St. Paul's.

Me and Nicole Seiferth, child of St. Paul's and now managing editor of Forward Movement Publications.

Me and Lynn Schmissrauter and a couple of guys we met at the Sunday party sponsored by the Diocese of Indianapolis.

We are proud of the work we 've done here and enriched by the people we've met.  I love The Episcopal Church and can't wait to get home.  See you Sunday.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.

 - YODA, Star Wars Episode I

Legislative Day 6

Legislative Day 6 Begins

We are back at it today and most of us agree that General Convention can be mind numbing and disorienting.  What day is it anyway?  We started meetings on July 4.  Who does that? Legislative Day 1 was July 6 and every day since then we have had committee meetings and Holy Eucharist and Legislative sessions.  Every thing, every day.  One day moves to another sort of like it does in the hospital ICU.  Saturday looks like Thursday which looks like Sunday.  Yesterday we looked up from a quick lunch to see TV screens showing the Tour de France and CNN.  What?  The world goes on and is not totally focused on The Episcopal Church like we are?  Today may shift that focus a bit as my inside sources tell me that we will have a special order of business to vote on the proposed blessings of same sex relationships at 5:00 PM.  Then news could be on us for a while.

In the mean while I am noticing clues that remind me and Toto that we are not in Tennessee any more.

Four reminders of being away are:

1. Many buildings in Indianapolis are connected by "gerbil tunnels" to connect pedestrians from blustery cold midwestern winter winds.  We use them to avoid stoplights and elevators.

2. Brats at baseball games.

3. Hills?  Where are my beloved hills and valleys?

4. And maybe most difficult for a girl from Chattanooga...

    NO COKE..... PEPSI.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Until we can see the chasm between what is and what ought to be we don't have any hope of changing.

- Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori in her sermon on prophets Ezekiel and Jesus

Legislative Day 5

Easing Into the History Books

This convention is making landmark decisions and we're not done yet.

Early on we accepted the recommendation to sell our office building in New York City.  This possibility has been discussed for about 15 years and we never quite got around to it in spite of the mounting costs of doing business in the big apple and maintaining a partially rented old building.  But this convention said, "SELL", "DUMP THE DOG".   And then we'll figure out where we go from there.  It was bold. It was easy.  So now we'll see if there is a buyer out there and then we'll probably look at moving our offices to a more affordable town.

Today we agreed with the  House of Bishops to end discrimination for any reason including sexual identity for those entering the process toward ordination in the Church.  Another move that has been discussed for a long time.

But the real news, the headliner if it happens, is the possible approval of a liturgy for the Blessing of Same Sex Relationships.  This liturgy was approved today in the house of bishops for trial use.  Probably tomorrow we will vote on that in the House of Deputies.  If our house approves, and it most surely will, then one more barrier will fall in The Episcopal Church for the inclusion of all God's people in all the ministries of the Church.  People are wearing buttons that say "ALL MEANS ALL." I have one myself because I believe this is the right thing for our Church at this time. 

I look forward to being a part of this historic decision. I am happy for people I know and thousands I do not know who have been faithful, patient members of my church as they wait and ask and pray that their commitment to their life's partner can be blessed by their Church.  These are not outsiders pounding on the doors to change a church for the sake of change.  These are faithful members who serve and worship with us and ask the Church they love to bless their commitment to the person they love.  It seems such a fundamental thing, but it has been a long time coming.

For some in our Church this will be hard.  Our prayers continue that God will work among us and within us that we will continue with respect for our neighbors who may see the world through a different lens.  May the God of Grace and Glory give us respect for one another and healing love.

Tomorrow I'll get some pictures up.  Pray for the Church with thanks for the courage and faithfulness of many.

Saturday July 7

Saturday Night on the Town

It's 107 in Indy today and the heat is up in every way.  The Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music is holding the big open hearing on the proposed rite for Blessing of Same Gender Relationhsips.  And it is the place to be.

This is a picture from one of our normal committee meetings.

And this is the room they are setting up tonight.

The hotel staff says there are 1500 chairs in here.  My job is to listen.  Listen carefully to be informed in later meetings as we will prepare the resolution to be presented to convention.

More later... Gotta go.

Legislative Days 1 and 2

DEPUTIES START YOUR MEETINGS!

We're going full speed in Indianapolis.

And we're off!  It's a good thing I went to that baseball game when I had the chance, because the pace has definitely picked up since then.  The work of my committee is now layered on to full legislative days on the floor of the House of Deputies.  The morning starts with a granola bar in my room so that I can be at my committee meeting by 7:30.  Then morning Eucharist, which is good for my spirit.  A couple of hours of legislative fun, a quick lunch with our people from East Tennessee catching each other up on the work of various committees, then back to our assigned committees followed by more legislative work.  It's a long intense day with some remarkable highlights. More on those later.

Here's a little about how committees work with an open process of preparing resolutions to be presented to convention:

Most all committee meetings are open.  Anyone can walk in and listen.  Committees schedule hearings so that people may go and speak to the committee before its members debate and nuance resolutions that will go to the floor.   People not assigned to committees can sit in on the work of any committee that interests them.  You can sit in on one thing then leave and walk in on another.  It's all very informal but with form and structure.

Tonight I've come back to my room with homework from my Committee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music.  We divided up some of the proposed new liturgies that have been developed since last convention three years ago so that we can proof them one more time and hope to send them to convention free from any errors and other elements that might be problematic.  The folks who've been working on these things are happy to have fresh eyes look over them one more time.  So I am reading and editing prayers for the burial of a pet.  Though it might seem frivilous to some, the prayers and readings are pretty nice.  They've done a good job, and I only have a few questions.

Tomorrow evening is our open hearing on the proposed rite for blessing same gender unions.  This is the hot topic of convention.  We will probably have a room full of over 300 people with about that many views on what we should do with this proposal.  We're sure to make the news at some point.  Pray for the committee.  Pray for Convention.  Pray for the Church.  And please pray for my energy level to last a few more days.

QUOTE OF THE DAY.

"Moral courage defines us at our core and inspires us to act, in spite of our fear."

Spoken by Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies in her sermon at today\'s Eucharist

on the day commemorating John Hus, Czech priest and martyr of the Reformation.

 

.

July 4

Day is Done.

Baseball and hot dogs with folks from East Tennessee.

We sweated it out 'til the end for fireworks on the field then in the city.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:  

America, America God shed his grace on thee.

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.

Off to bed.  First Legislative session starts at 0800.

July 4 Wednesday 

Happy Birthday to Us!

Happy Fourth of July everybody!  Happy Birthday from middle America, USA! Happy Birthday from the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church.

General Convention officially starts tomorrow. But committees are hard at work today.  I have been assigned to Committee 13, the Committee for Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music. We were scheduled to meet today from 8AM until noon. But mercifully we got out around 10:30 after introductions and setting guidelines for our work going forward.

Our committee is large. 47 I believe.  In early introductions each committee member was asked to introduce themselves to the group and to tell something they were giving up in order to be here this week.

    The interesting list included these things that members gave up:

Time in the family cabin in Maine, or Michigan.

Cool and fog of the San Francisco Bay area.

A reunion of my wife's family. So I thank you.

Birth of a grandchild 

Paid vacation time

The best weather of the year in Alaska.

Apartment in Maryland where the power is still off

Recovery time from last week's southern youth camp with temps of over 100

Obsessing about the Tour de France

Giving up nothing.  I am delighted to be here.

Introduction to my new grandchild who is visiting from Taiwan

Watching my new day lilies open for the first time

We are a large and varied group with important work to do. I sat next to a member from Navajoland. This experience of the commitment and diversity of our Church is one of the reasons I come to convention.

This afternoon we will hear from the Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies. Then back to the committee from 5-7.  

The vast floor of the House of Deputies is quiet and orderly and ready for action. Tomorrow we will fill it up.

I may be spending my 4th of July in all day church meetings but at the end of the day I am determined to celebrate the day.... Go to the ball game.  Route for the home team.  Watch the fireworks. Then walk across the street to fall into bed.  My committee meets again to tomorrow at 0730.  Then Happy, Happy.  Joy, Joy. Tomorrow's the first legislative day.  I've seen this before.  The first day is lots of housekeeping.  Boring housekeeping. Let's be sure we know how to vote.  "Wedeeee?" Everybody vote!  After all, this very democratic Church was organized by the founders of our democracy.  We deputies were elected last year by our dioceses.  The bishops were elected too.  Together we are the people who make the legislative decisions of The 

Episcopal Church.  Everybody vote!  Happy Birthday to us!