General Convention 2006
The Episcopal Church governs itself by a method of
representative democracy which parallels our civil government. There is a
Presiding Bishop, a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies. The deputies are
lay people, deacons and priests elected by each of the one hundred or so
dioceses that make up the church. Every three years the two houses meet in what
is called the General Convention. This summer the 75th General
Convention will be held in Columbus OH from June 13-21.
At St. Luke’s we are blessed to have two of the eight
deputies who will represent our diocese, Kaitlin Krull and Mother Susan (who
chairs our deputation). They will work very hard that week sifting through
hundreds of resolutions, attending committee meetings, daily worship and other
events. Their days will typically begin at 7:30 am and end at 10:00 pm. Jay
Phillippi will also be present as Provincial Youth Coordinator, shepherding the
“Official Youth Presence” who are granted voice (but not vote) at the
convention.
Among the convention’s most important work will be hashing
out the Episcopal Church’s response to the Windsor Report, issued by a special
commission of the Anglican Communion following controversies in 2003. The report
offers several suggestions on how to keep the Anglican Communion together in the
face of conflicts over homosexuality and Church decision-making. (You can read
much more about the Windsor Report on our website:
http://www.wingedox.com/windsor_report.htm.)
At this General Convention the Most Rev. Frank Griswold
will complete his nine-year term and a new Presiding Bishop will be elected.
The Presiding Bishop is elected by the House of Bishops and the election is
then endorsed by the House of Deputies. Four bishops were nominated by a search
committee and subsequently three more have submitted their names.
So what does the convention mean for you? I hope you will
become informed by reading ChurchActs
and Episcopal Life. I will post
information on our website as well, and Mother Susan is leading parish and
deanery forums to talk about the issues coming up at convention. These include
a deanery gathering as part of the Resource Day on April 29th at St.
Peter’s, Westfield; a diocesan-wide session at Trinity, Hamburg on May 13; and
our own 9:00 a.m. Adult Forums on May 14 and 21.
Visitors
are also welcome to the convention, to see the Church at work. Ours is one of
the largest decision-making bodies, and it’s quite amazing to see! It may be
decades before the General Convention is held so close to us again, so this
would be a perfect opportunity to check it out. A trip for Senior High Youth is
in the works for June 16-18, and we encourage others to make a trip to Columbus.
Most importantly, I hope and expect you will pray
(starting now) for the convention, for our deputies, for the selection of the
next Presiding Bishop, and for the unity of the church.
--Fr. Eric
