 The 76th General Convention of
the Episcopal Church
Anaheim, California :: July 8 - 17, 2009 |
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LAST DAY: Friday, July 17, 2009 |
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For all acronyms: See below | |
| Today's video |
7/17
Minority report, Steven Horst, Ph.D.
WRAP UP --
after close of Convention -- longer video interviews:
--The Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith
--The Rev. Dr. Barbara Cheney, chair of the CT deputation
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| Today's news |
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Final day, last votes, significant actions
Time for a final report! But the online database with all the resolutions isn't accessible tonight, all the connections are timing out and it's returning an error message each time I try to check on the status of a resolution. Perhaps the volunteers are trying to update everything. So I can't link to any resolution text. I need to get some sleep tonight before an early flight and want to get this newsletter out to you. I'll be updating the General Convention 2009 pages at www.ctdiocese.org (see link from home page.) To check on the language of a resolution, go to: http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/
Today the deputies joined the bishops in passing C056, which asks the Church to collect and consider theological and liturgical resources for blessing same gender relationships. It also states that bishops in dioceses where same-gender marriages and unions are legal (including Connecticut) are allowed to provide pastoral generosity. It passed by more than 2/3 in each order, lay and clergy. (See Bishop Curry' video from yesterday about C056, follow YouTube link.)
The HOD concurred with the HOB to add "lay evangelist" to the canons for lay ministry; they also agreed to develop liturgical resources for the loss of a companion animal. They did not concur with the bishops' changes to Resolution C061 about ordained ministry. Deputies had passed C061 adding gender identity and exression to the non discrimination list; the bishops completely changed it to say simply that the ordained ministry is open to all -- not a right, not a guarantee, but open to all. The deputies rejected the change, highlighting the importance of listing all the groups that are at risk for discrimination.
CT deputy Ted Mollegen, Jr. submitted resolution D055 affirming the tithe as a minimum standard. It passed the HOB and today it was in the HOD for debate and vote. They passed it easily. There's a provision in it for people to sign a document declaring that they tithe or are working toward it; there's another provision to commend it to dioceses and parishes.
Link here to an Episcopal Life online article about other actions taken today in HOD.
The PB and the Prez of the HOD wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury about the Convention's Resolution D025, and the PB wrote to all the primates of the Anglican Communion. Read more in the Episcopal Life story. Links to letters included. |
| Wrapping it up, taking it home |
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Interviews with Bishop, Deputation Chair
Be sure to check out today's video, posted on YouTube, link in the left column. There's a shorter clip from Deputy Steven Horst, who has a minority viewpoint, from Friday morning. There are also longer interviews with Bishop Smith and with Deputation Chair Barbara Cheney, reflecting on the convention as a whole and on several resolutions, conducted after the Convention adjourned. |
| Slice of life |
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Collegiality marks HOB
Above, Bishop Suffragan Laura Ahrens of Connecticut with the Rev. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, Bishop Diocesan of Massachusetts. Photo by Tracy Sukraw. The bishops are very cordial and gracious to one another. It helps that they meet twice a year, spring and fall. Their meeting at General Convention replaces the fall meetings in those years. The bishops are all assigned to specific table groups for each triennial, and lots of conversation takes place among them. Relationships build over time. So they may not agree, but they seem to respect one another. As a matter of fact, a group of dissenting conservative bishops wrote a letter to the HOB saying something similar. The letter acknowledged their disagreement with some of the HOB votes (D025 and C056 in particular), but also acknowledged that their efforts to modify those resolutions were "respectfully heard and discussed." Here's the Episcopal Life story, which includes a link to the "Anaheim Letter." |
| Legislation |
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As noted above, the database for legislation is not working this evening, so I can't get the final text for the resolutions. There is a PDF of resolutions, but they have no descriptions and the codes used are really arcane, so I'm not sure what's completed, or what that might mean.
Lifelong Christian Formation Charter; Holy Women, Holy Men; Lay employees pension plan; Jubilee Ministry grants; denominational health plan; Title IV revisions; camping ministry; economic justice/immigration; funding for seminarians through SIM; wounded soldiers and veterans; and D025 commitment and witness to the Anglican Communion had previously passed.
Establishing ERD Sunday (amended); C056 resources for blessings; support of transgender rights -- all passed. I believe choice of lectionary was rejected, and Creation Cycle was referred to a CCAB.
All might be working by the time you read this. Look up: http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation if you know the resolution number. Use the PDF chart on this page (code chart link on page, also) to scroll through resolutions by name.
I'll have an updated list of resolutions and their status on the diocesan website's GC 2009 pages, link from home page and use menu on left. |
| About town |
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Adios, Anaheim
I did the late run as planned. The convention ended about 4:30, then I went to the media briefings and did my interviews. Changed and got out about 7:15 p.m. Traffic on the freeway east of the center was still heavy. The running route crosses over it before turning north for a block and then south on Disneyland Drive. Families and couples were streaming into the parks and into Downtown Disney and I could hear a roller coaster and happy screaming as I passed by. Crossing over Katella Ave brought me back to the shops and residential areas, with their deeply edged mini-lawns of tough-looking, heavy-duty grass next to the sidewalks. It's been good running here. |
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Hope you've learned something about this Convention and about your Church. It's been exhausting but enjoyable for me. Thank you all for the opportunity to serve as your reporter-on-the ground in Anaheim.
Sincerely,
Karin Hamilton, The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut
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*ACRONYMS: HOD = House of Deputies; HOB = House of Bishops; PB = Presiding Bishop; ABC = Archbishop of Canterbury; TEC = The Episcopal Church; GLBT: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender; PB&F = Program, Budget & Finance Joint Standing Committee (creates proposed budget); SIM = Society for the Increase of the Ministry, a Hartford CT based organization that raises funds and distributes grants to help seminarians; CCAB = Commissions, Committees, Agencies, and Boards, created by General Convention to work during the years between General Conventions with Convention-assigned tasks/topics/mandates; UTO = United Thank Offering; ECW = Episcopal Church Women; MDGs = Millennium Development Goals (to reduce world poverty); Title IV: Disciplinary canons (laws) of the Episcopal Church. Proposed revisions apply to clergy; E4GR = Episcopalians for (4) Global Reconciliation organization. |
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