February 24, 2012

Greetings from the Chicago Consultation:

The General Convention of The Episcopal Church will gather in Indianapolis in a little less than five months, and we thought it was high time we were back in touch. You have supported our work on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the past, and while we aren't the sort of group that produces a monthly newsletter, we hope we can count on your attention as the church's legislative season draws near.

At the 2009 General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Anaheim, California, the Chicago Consultation was a visible, effective advocate for the passage of two pieces of legislation that greatly advanced the moral and legislative equality of LGBT people in the Church. Because of our success in Anaheim, particularly with the movable middle, in 2012, the Episcopal Church has a fresh opportunity to further advance full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. During the last triennium, the Chicago Consultation has been working behind the scenes to advance that goal. 

Since last we wrote to you, we have co-sponsored a consultation with African Anglican theologians, church leaders, and LGBT people on the issues of theology and sexuality that are at the heart of the controversy in the Anglican Communion. Our partner in this endeavor, held in Durban, South Africa last October, was the Ujamaa Centre at the University of KwaZulu Natal, with whom we hope to work on other projects in the future. Opponents of the full inclusion of LGBT people in the life of the church frequently argue that doing justice within our church will ruin our relationships with others in the Anglican Communion. This honest, joyful gathering demonstrated that this is not the case. Look for a video and other resources from this gathering in an upcoming email.

We've also devoted considerable time in evaluating the proposed Anglican Covenant. The result is "The Genius of Anglicanism," a collection of essays and study questions available on our website. Contributors include such noted theologians as the Rev. Dr. Ruth Meyers, Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett, and Dr. Timothy Sedgwick. Edited by Jim Naughton and introduced by the Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw, the eight-essay collection is a perfect resource to facilitate parish, diocesan, or deputation consideration of one of the most significant issues that will come before General Convention in July.

Our steering committee is paying close attention to the reports from the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music as it fulfills its charge from the 2009 General Convention to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources for blessing same-sex relationships. The commission has released numerous resources relating to the work authorized by Resolution C056 on its blog and on the website of the General Convention. Those resources include a video, recently featured on  Episcopal Cafe, of one parish's discernment about whether to bless same-sex relationships.

Speaking of videos, in December, we were proud to release "The Meaning of Marriage" a moving short film about Carl and Dave, two members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Watch it on YouTube or on the homepage of our website. 

Transgender equality has an important place on our legislative agenda, and we have been working to bring greater attention to this issue. We hosted a training session for bishops supportive of our work with Allyson Robinson of the Human Rights Campaign last February, and are delighted that Allyson will attend our pre-General Convention meeting this coming April. We are especially grateful to our partners at Integrity and TransEpiscopal for their work with us on transgender equality. 

It is still too early to determine how best our advocacy efforts, and yours, can be directed on behalf of the full inclusion of LGBT people in the life of the church at General Convention, but we will be monitoring the situation closely, studying the Blue Book when it is released, and continuing to develop strategy. We will be in touch soon to seek your input and share more resources with you.

Thank you for your support of the Chicago Consultation and our work. If you have questions, email us or be in touch on Facebook.

Faithfully,

The Rev. Jennifer Adams, Grace Episcopal Church, Holland, MI

The Very Rev. Dr. Brian Baker, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Sacramento, CA

The Rev. Lowell Grisham, St. Paul's Episcopal Church Fayetteville, AR

The Rev. Bonnie A. Perry, All Saints' Episcopal Church, Chicago, IL

Co-Conveners, The Chicago Consultation