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General Convention Report
The Episcopal News, Diocese of Los Angeles
Reporting from Salt Lake City, Utah
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A call to mission
A replica of the famous and sometimes controversial statue "Homeless Jesus" by Timothy P. Schmalz rests in front of the Episcopal Church's prominent display in the Exhibit Hall at General Convention. The display emphasizes the "missionary" aspect of the Episcopal Church's full legal name: The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Episcopal Church (usually shortened to DFMS). The Homeless Jesus statue will remain for several days, after which other special exhibits will appear in the DFMS space.
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Media Conference
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, right, answers a question at a pre-Convention media conference on June 23. Also appearing at the meeting were, from left, Neva Rae Fox, public relations officer for the Episcopal Church; Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies; and Canon Michael Barlowe, General Convention executive officer. Photo / Nina Nicholson, Diocese of Newark
Union of Black Episcopalians gala
At the invitation of Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce, members of the Diocese of Los Angeles attended the gala celebration hosted June 23 by the Union of Black Episcopalians. Pictured above are, from left: Harry Arrington Sr.; Jamie Hammons, deacon at St. Barnabas' Church, Pasadena; Pat McCaughan, vicar of St. George's Church, Laguna Hills and correspondent for Episcopal News Service and The Episcopal News; Keith Yamamoto, rector of St. Mark's Church, Upland; Guy Loomhuis, deacon at Holy Faith Church, Inglewood; Lester Mackenzie, associate at St. Matthew's Church, Pacific Palisades and chaplain to the House of Deputies; and Margaret McCauley, deacon at the ProCathedral of St. John, Los Angeles. UBE has been an active presence in the Episcopal Church since  its first precursor was founded in 1856 by James Theodore Holly, who later became the first African-American bishop in the Episcopal Church as bishop of Haiti. This year, the UBE honored all bishops of color in the Episcopal Church, including Chester Talton, former bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Los Angeles and provisional bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin. Bishop Bruce, shown at left with UBE President  Annette L. Buchanan, accepted the award on Talton's behalf. The UBE also honored Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori; Byron Rushing, vice president of the House of Deputies; Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies; and Bishop Michael Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina (pictured below).
Resources for Latino Episcopalians in new app
The Latino/Hispanic Ministries Office of the Episcopal Church is posting frequent updates from General Convention in several venues -- and has created a mobile device application to help Latino Episcopalians keep track of what's going on. The app, titled "Latino Episcopales," is a one-stop resource for updates posted in Spanish on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. (To download the application, search "latino episcopales" in the app store for your device.)
A 22-member team is working at General Convention to promote the work of the Latino community and to report to Hispanics around the church, according to the Rev. Anthony Guillen of Oxnard, California, who is missioner for Latino/Hispanic Ministries for the Episcopal Church.
"Latinos are very connected to social media," said Guillen. He and the team, which includes the Rev. Nancy Frausto and Yecenia Frausto of the Diocese of Los Angeles, will continue to post throughout the meeting.
 Tribute to Laundry Love Event boards at the Salt Palace, the Salt Lake City convention center, display several videos created by the communications team at the Episcopal Church Center, one of which features "Laundry Love" ministries in the Diocese of Los Angeles. The videographers interviewed the Rev. Jimmy Bartz, priest at Thad's, Santa Monica, an emergent ministry of the diocese. The video may be viewed here. A story about Laundry Love from the Late Winter 2014 issue of The Episcopal News is here.
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People at General Convention
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 Checking in
Deputies began arriving in earnest on June 23 and checking in at the registration desks in the Exhibit Hall. Jim White, chair of the Los Angeles deputation, is shown at left with his "virtual binder" -- an iPad that is pre-loaded with all the materials that deputies at prior meetings carried around in massive binders. The virtual binders are part of the effort to make this year's General Convention as paperless as possible. Photo/Facebook
Many people from the Diocese of Los Angeles have come to Salt Lake City to volunteer for General Convention. Below, Deacon Pat Hendrickson of St. Columba's Church, Camarillo, helps to staff one of the information booths.
Deputies Kathryn Nishibayashi of the Diocese of Los Angeles and Liz Wendt of the Diocese of Pennsylvania -- both General Convention veterans in various capacities -- reunite in the Exhibit Hall.
 At left: Norris Battin of St. Michael & All Angels Church, Corona del Mar, staffs the Compass Rose Society booth in the Exhibit Hall. The hall contains dozens of small and large booths representing organizations, companies and ministries from all over the world.
At right: At his Exhibit Hall booth, Los Angeles-based vestment maker Clifford Chally displays a chasuble he designed for St. James in-the-City Church, Los Angeles. Chally's booth is one of several representing makers of vestments, altar furnishings and other accoutrement of worship.
 At left: Eric Law, director of the Kaleidoscope Institute, discusses the institute's programs with an interested clergyman in the Exhibit Hall. Kaleidoscope, founded under auspices of the Diocese of Los Angeles and now a separate organization, "provides resources to equip church leaders to create sustainable churches and communities" by understanding the cultural contexts in which they minister. Law and his associates have conducted training sessions in churches of many denominations throughout the United States.
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Today at General Convention
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On the schedule for Wednesday, June 24:
- Legislative committee meetings
- Presentations to convention by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Gay Clark Jennings
- Orientation for bishops and deputies
- Presentation of nominees for presiding bishop
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Reports from Episcopal News Service
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A guide to navigating the 78th General Convention's agenda
Bishops and deputies - and a host of other Episcopalians - are gathering here in preparation for the official June 25 start of the nine-day gathering at the Salt Palace Convention Center. The two houses face a packed agenda, as is common during General Convention, this time made more crucial by electing Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's successor.
International, ecumenical, interreligious guests broaden convention's outlook
Global dimensions are set to resonate throughout The Episcopal Church's General Convention as international guests representing many of the Anglican Communion's 38 provinces will travel to Salt Lake City.
'Revolutionary, radical' ministry initiatives taught church this triennium
The first three years of The Episcopal Church's project of granting greater freedom to people who want to try to reach new believers in new ways have taught its participants about the need for ongoing partnerships and conversation, and for a willingness to take risks, be open to transformation, and to be in it for the long haul.
Churches reach out to Latinos: 'God's people are coming'
Bolstered by matching grants from the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and the Diocese of Olympia, the Rev. Alfredo Feregrino planted the Our Lady of Guadalupe congregation in Seattle one year ago, with a very specific demographic in mind.
General Convention events focus on Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society racial reconciliation efforts
The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society will offer two public events related to racial justice and reconciliation during General Convention 2015, combining the visual effect of video and the impactful offerings of panel discussions. The events are: screenings and discussions of Traces of the Trade; and a screening of a portion of The Psalm of Howard Thurman with the film's director facilitating a panel discussion.
More General Convention-related stories from Episcopal News Service may be found here.
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The Report will be emailed each day from the 78th meeting of General Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 25 - July 3.
Photos, except as noted, by Janet Kawamoto.
To subscribe to the Update list, click on the link below, or send a request to news@ladiocese.org
Janet Kawamoto, editor
The Rev. Pat McCaughan, correspondent
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