The Way of Love was made real by Presiding Bishop Curry in his opening sermon for the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church as he gave an impassioned call to seven spiritual practices for a Jesus-Centered Life. As your Deputation reflects on our work, we notice how we have lived into these practices as we worked through the Convention.
Turn
The Bishops of the Episcopal Church gathered the convention in a “Liturgy of Listening” during which twelve stories of sexual misconduct in the church, six from women and six from men, were shared in the context of lamentation and repentance. During our legislative work, we moved forward with real changes we hope will turn the church toward being a community of faith that is a safe space for all. Just as we each need to continually repent and return to the Lord, we also need to find was to turn as a church away from sinful actions when perpetrators have been protected.
Learn
Daily scripture reading has been a part of our convention through the worship of convention and as always the lectionary brought before us scripture that challenged us. We also considered the Gospel through the lives of the saints as we authorized for trial use Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018, which added Deaconess Anna Alexander (1865-1947) of the Diocese of Georgia.
Pray
At every session, we paused to pray and sing, and before important votes we paused for silence and then prayer. Prayer reminded us why we are here, gave us chance to intercede for others, and gave room for the Spirit to speak. We Anglicans believe that our prayers shape our belief, in a “middle way” that invites all corners of thought to the table. Robert’s Rules are one incarnation of that invitation because they ensure that the minority speaks and the majority listen. Within the Rules of Order, we practiced humility, patience, and deference that seems so rare, but which is so central to our understanding of God and prayer. As incredible as it may sound, the Rules of Order bolstered a deliberate, prayerful way of doing the church’s work.
Worship
Daily Eucharist kept those of us gathered in convention grounded in worship. The X Choir, an ensemble from Christ Church Frederica on St. Simons Island did a phenomenal job in leading our worship services and the Revival on the Sunday evening of convention. In the context of this ongoing worship, the convention considered revising the Book of Common Prayer but stepped back from authorizing a revision of the Book of Common Prayer. Instead, we authorized some optional texts for Rite II which give strongly Trinitarian and orthodox ways of speaking of God that addressed concerns of many that less masculine language be offered. The Diocese of Georgia Deputation also voted to support offering Marriage Rites, while (as already true in Georgia) not requiring any congregation or priest to use these rites.
Bless
We are called to be a blessing to others and that is exactly what happened at the 79th General convention of the Episcopal Church. We blessed and were blessed in turn by our prayer meeting at the Hutto Detention Center where woman seeking asylum in our country had, in many cases, been separated from their children. We blessed and were blessed in turn, by the Episcopal Church in Cuba with their long awaited reunification with The Episcopal Church. And we were blessed and were blessed in turn by the many resolutions on social justice ranging from our relationship with Palestine and Israel to our continuing work on racial reconciliation and healing. We are a church that continually seeks to live into our baptismal covenant to “Respect the dignity of every human being,” knowing that there are mutual blessings to be received when we live into our vows. Like Abraham, we are blessed to be a blessing.
Go
Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burroughs preached a powerful sermon for the closing Eucharist calling bishops and deputies to go out from this convention changed by our time together. During the sermon she recounted how as a member of the Committee on Evangelism and Church Planting, she had gone out to do an Evangelism practice in talking to people about how Jesus is already active in Austin. She was changed in the process by an encounter with a man sitting on a bench in the heat drawing in his journal. He told Bishop Baskerville-Burrows, “Our God is always on time.” She said, “It is almost as if all of Austin was commissioned to teach us about the loving, liberating, life-giving way of Jesus….We are being sent forth by by Jesus who died and rose again! Are you ready? This is a movement and movements move.”
To give motion to the Jesus Movement, we adopted a budget directing spending on $134 million over the coming three years including significant funding for evangelism and church planting.
Rest
Following 12 days that started at 7:30 am and went through our Deputation meeting starting at 9 pm, we had little time for rest during this meeting. But we are not complaining. We came here to represent our Diocese, which we have done to the best of our ability. As we close our business, we not only look forward to Sabbath rest, but we also rest in God, trusting that the Holy Trinity will care for God’s church, where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior.
We commit ourselves to these practices as we seek The Way of Love and we thank you for the trust you placed in us.
The Georgia Deputation
79th General Convention
