Day 2--July 6, 2012

One of the glorious aspects of General Convention is to witness the wideness of the Church.  At worship yesterday 3,000 people gathered to say the prayers, sing God's praises and be fed from the bread and wine made holy.  In addition, I attended a reception for bishops from overseas dioceses.  Once again I was reminded that we belong to a worldwide communion with all the richness and complexity that offers.

I am assigned to the Education Committee. In the afternoon we had a hearing on resolutions to change Confirmation from a rite necessary for a leadership position to one that marks the movement of the Holy Spirit in a person's life (which is why it's in the Pastoral Offices in the Prayer Book). The many wonderful speakers quickly reminded us that as Episcopalians we agree on a few non-negotiable essentials (Sacraments, BCP, Holy Scripture, and, thank God, Bishops), but we don't agree on much else.  I have worked on these resolutions for three years as part of the Standing Commission for Lifelong Christian Formation. As a result, I forgot how startling they can be. Many questions and reservations. We begin our committee deliberations today.

I was also surprised by the whimsy of legislative process. We sent to the House of Deputies an innocuous bill to support Lifelong Christian Formation for older adults and it was defeated.  I am thinking that it's easier to be more critical at the beginning. That may lessen when one realizes that we have 400 resolutions to go (or not).

Last night I went to the hearings on Structural Change.  Clearly change is coming. The only question is the vehicle.  Most of the voices I heard said that the committees who have brought us to this place can't be the ones to get us out.  The most frequently suggested options are a special commission, a special General Convention, or a constitutional convention in 2015 connected to the General Convention already scheduled.

The cloud that hangs over everything is the budget.  It's hard to see how we can recommend wonderful programs requiring funding when we barely have a balanced budget without them. In addition, there are resolutions to reconsider the diocese assessment (currently 19%).

The schedule is intense.  Today we go from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm--which would be doable except you are in windowless rooms sitting all day with little time to eat food that reminds me of the food I buy at the airport.  The joy is making new friends and the real privilege of talking about our common love of our common Church and our dedication to carry out God's mission.

July 5, 2012

Recently I was listening to a tape by Cynthia Bourgeault on the Law of Three. She said that when we get into a time of opposing forces, instead of seeking some compromise between the two, we should look for the Holy Spirit to bring in a completely new solution.  The solution is not just part of each proposal, but wholly and holy other.  I thought of this yesterday as I listened to Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and President Bonnie Anderson.  It seems as if there are competing ideas about our future direction—one to change radically General Convention and our way of passing resolutions as the means of giving direction to our Church, and the other of opening up the process to many new people.  Bishop Katharine talked about conversation instead of legislation and President Bonnie talked about diversity and getting new voices to the table.  I felt as if I were in an Edward Albee play in which family members talk to each other but no one hears what the other is saying.

Here’s the hope. Today is the first day of General Convention (yes, I have been here 2 days already).  We will have to make a new budget; we will have to figure out a strategy for the future; we will have to find a way to have a conversation which leads to conversion which leads to communion.  We will have to be in a new place by next Thursday.  As Anne Lamott said to God, “Well, it’s up to you pal.”  I am confident the Holy Spirit will show up and praying we will have the grace and courage to listen and follow.

We begin today with worship and committee meetings.  Our Education Committee is blessed with relatively few resolutions and a good group. The problem is always finding places to eat something in the suburbs of healthy and finding time to exercise and sleep.

+Porter

July 4, 2012

Today we begin committee hearings at General Convention. I keep thinking that going through this process is like trying to learn the rules of Cricket.  You know they make sense to others, but you also have a sense there is an easier way to spend your day.

I am Co-Chair, with Ms. Debby Stokes from Ohio, of the Education Committee. We have about a dozen resolutions. The most controversial resolution  is to remove Confirmation as a requirement for holding office in the Church because we are fully empowered as ministers in Baptism.

We will work today from 8:00 to 7:00 pm and then cross the street to watch the Indianapolis Indians take on the Louisville Bats (it's all about the fireworks).

So much of Convention is worship and people and getting new ideas/perspectives and remembering what a wonderful alphabet soup The Episcopal Church is.

Keep us in your prayers.  As we celebrate our independence as a nation, let us celebrate our complete dependence on God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

+Porter

Tomorrow I head to Indianapolis for the 77th General Convention.  As I prepare to go, I have been thinking of an article I read in Sunday's NY Times by Thomas Friedman, "Taking One for the Country."  He calls for leaders to put "the nation's interests before partisan politics" and "the virtue..of thinking big."  The article is about Chief Justice Robert's ruling, but is applicable to our Church.

We need leaders who will see the larger perspective and then take bold moves to push us there.  I think we as a Church are in some ways mirroring our country. We get into camps and protect our turf. What we need is for our leaders to give us a picture of the promised land and then make bold moves to get us there.  It's time for us to rethink how we do the Church's business, especially in terms of General Convention.  We need to ask is this is the right use of our money ($12 million) and our time (9 days).  We need to ask if there are more fruitful ways for us to discern God's direction.  We need  large visions and bold moves. 
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