General Convention 2018

Committee 13, the Committee which received two resolutions from the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music offering two different paths forward with regards to Prayer Book revision. A068, if passed, would initiate a process of Prayer Book revision following this Convention; the process envisioned would take four triennia and cost a total of approximately $8 million. A069 would initiate a process of deeper engagement with the current Prayer Book, a process of studying what is really happening on the ground with regards to worship in our congregations, and a process of translating the Book of Common Prayer into French, Spanish, and Creole this triennium, costing around $1.2 million. Committee 13 decided to send an amended version of A068 forward to the House of Deputies, not A069.

On Friday afternoon, the House of Deputies held a special legislative session to consider the committee’s version of A068. Before the legislative session, our Deputation decided to offer an amendment to A068. This amendment would have have essentially gutted the revision plan and replaced it with the plan described in A069, which had died in Legislative Committee 13.

Why the amendment?
A068 does not address the serious issue of inadequate translations of the Book of Common Prayer, which we see as an injustice that needs to be corrected before a comprehensive revision of the Prayer Book should proceed. For the revision of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer to fully involve all the language groups in the Episcopal Church, excellent translations of the current text must first be provided. The price tag attached to A068 does not include funding for translations of the current Prayer Book. If we approve this plan along with another resolution to translate the current Book of Common Prayer into Spanish, French, and Creole that will cost an additional $201,000. It will also mean that translations are rendered obsolete almost as soon as they are completed, therefore, these language groups and their experiences with the 1979 Prayer Book will have a more limited influence on the revision.

This amendment would provide time and resources for studying what is really happening on the ground with regards to worship in our congregations. We don’t have this data. We only have anecdotal evidence about how the current Prayer Book is being used or, where it isn’t being used, what other texts are used. Initiating a comprehensive revision before gathering this data, seems like putting the cart before the horse. Our amendment offers a slower path, one that prioritizes correcting the serious translation oversight, a correction that is long over-due, and one that allows us to study how worship is being experienced in all our parishes now, before initiating a comprehensive change.

So, what happened in the House of Deputies today?
After an hour of debate, with many deputies still in the queue to speak, thirty minutes was added to Saturday’s schedule to continue the discussion. Some significant amendments were made to to the resolution during Saturday morning’s session. However, unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the President of the House of Deputies did not call on either of two deputies from Georgia who had entered the queue to present our amendment. Attempts made to extend the discussion failed. The vote was taken and a slightly amended version of A068 passed the House of Deputies.

What does that mean?
What happens now? Now the version of A068 that passed the House of Deputies goes to the House of Bishops. Bishop Benhase has already pre-filed the same amendment that the Georgia Deputation had prepared, which he will present and argue for in the House of Bishops. The amendment will be discussed in the House of Bishops. Other amendments may and likely will be offered. We cannot say anything for sure, except that if the Bishops do pass A068 with any amendments, the amended version will be sent back to the House of Deputies for another vote. In other words, whether or not this Convention calls for a revision of the Book of Common Prayer remains uncertain.

What if it passes?
While I personally do not believe the time is right for a revision of the Book of Common Prayer, I did have a hand in writing both A068 and A069 on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music. As a member of the subcommittee for developing the process for Prayer Book revision, I was one of the drafters of both of these plans. If revision of the Book of Common Prayer is passed by this convention, it will follow the process outlined in the SCLM’s Report to the 79th General Convention. This process it outlines is not a hasty one; it is slow, measured, and requires a high degree of consultation with diverse groups in our Church, other provinces of the Anglican Communion, and multiple means of gathering feedback from those who try out trial liturgies.

The plan begins with three years of study. At the conclusion of the first triennium there will be no new liturgies to consider; rather, we will have data to report on to state of worship in this Church and the perceived needs for revision. At that point, the 80th General Convention will have to decide whether or not to continue with the revision. Part of how the willingness to proceed will be indicated will be whether or not they vote to fund the next triennial phase of the process. Therefore, the initiation of a revision process does not lock us into the continuation and completion of the process. The 72nd General Convention (in 1997) asked the SCLM to prepare a plan for Prayer Book revision. 73rd General Convention (in 2000) passed that plan. But, as it moved forward, it lost funding. In the absence of funding, the work shifted away from the preparation of trial use liturgies for a new Book of Common Prayer into supplemental liturgies. A revision plan like A068 will require the continued resolve and funding of several successive Conventions.

As our blog post yesterday noted, the work of the General Convention begins with an open hearing for each resolution giving not only deputies to convention, but anyone in attendance, the opportunity to speak to the matter under consideration. The Rev. Cynthia Taylor shares here the text of her testimony on resolution D016 which seeks to “authorize the establishment of a Task Force for Women, Truth, and Reconciliation for the purpose of helping the Church engage in truth-telling, confession, and reconciliation regarding gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence against women and girls in all their forms by those in power in the Church.” The full text of that resolution is online here: D016. Taylor begins by referring to the Litany of Lamentation service held the evening before her testimony.

D016 Testimony

What we witnessed last night was just a beginning, but the work is incomplete if we pat ourselves on the back for being open to discussion of the role of institutional discrimination, harassment and abuse of women. The need for this Task Force is to continue not just the conversation but the hard work of seeking the truth, respecting the dignity of all human beings through the restoration of the basic God given right as children of God. Two points that I wish to make as to why we need this resolution asking for the creation of this task force.

1. I was the first woman to be ordained in the diocese of SC as a priest over 32 years ago. During that time I have personally experienced gender bias in the form of inequality of pay, sexual harassment and gross misuse of power by ecclesiastical authorities in regards to Title IV. Things have changed somewhat but the abuses of the past are not only still with us but there is a sense that by just speaking up about injustices such injustices have been addressed. They have not.
2. A word about reconciliation. That is a loaded word for victims of sexual abuse. I believe the way to be reconciled is the path of forgiveness but for far too long the burden of that has been placed on the victim. We need a way forward to be reconciled between God and the wounded, the wounded and the church and only then, if possible, the wounded and those who have created the abuse.There needs to be a very careful, pastorally sensitive approach to all of the above. In my own experience in a Title IV action, I was told that I should just spend time with the accused, just the two of us, and hammer out forgiveness. That did not happen but I still carry scars from the gross mishandling of that Title IV action. We have only begun to hear the stories of abuse and our work is not completed. Let that work proceed.

-The Rev. Cynthia Taylor, Rector, Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Martinez

The 79th General Convention officially opened today with an inspiring sermon by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry calling each Episcopalian to The Way of Love: Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life. The X Church Choir of Christ Church Frederica on St. Simons Island provided music for the liturgy. We will post a video of the sermon as soon as it becomes available.

Though the convention just began officially, most of our deputation began its work by Tuesday evening as the committees of convention started their work. The General Convention has more than 300 resolutions to consider. Every piece of legislation starts first in committee with a public hearing, to hear from not only fellow deputies, but also from visiting Episcopalians, giving them the opportunity to address the group prior to its taking up work on a resolution. We have the following persons serving on committees:

Bishop Scott Benhase – Vice Chair of Congregational and Diocesan Vitality
The Rev. Ted Clarkson – Safeguarding and Title IV
Mr. Jody Grant – Vice Chair of Credentials
The Rev. Frank Logue – Chair of Evangelism and Church Planting
The Rev. Kelly Steele – Ministry
Ms. Molly Stevenson – Churchwide Leadership
The Rev. Cindy Taylor – The Episcopal Church in Cuba
The Venerable Sandy Turner – House of Deputies Special Committee on Sexual Harassment and Exploitation’s Subcommittee on Social Justice for Women

Our other deputies and alternates are tracking legislation of interest to our Georgia congregations where we do not have someone serving on the committee. These include the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) which is considering Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018, which is anticipated to include Deaconess Anna Alexander as endorsed previously by the SCLM. We are separately tracking the committee considering possible revision to the Book of Common Prayer. Check back here to read our daily updates from the General Convention.

The Rev. Canon Frank Logue, Chair of the Deputation

In addition to this page which will have daily updates, there are a few other ways to connect to General Convention:

For real-time legislative updates during General Convention visit the Virtual Binder.

The Communications Office of the Episcopal Church has developed some excellent resources that can be found at the General Convention Media Hub. Daily worship, legislative sessions from the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, as well as media briefings and other featured events will begin July 4.

New this General Convention is Inside General Convention a daily news broadcast offered on the Media Hub at 5:30 p.m. ET (English) and 7:30 p.m. ET (Spanish) from July 4th through July 13th.

Also new are TEConversations. Each conversation is focused on one of the convention’s three priorities: Racial Reconciliation, Evangelism and Care of Creation. TEConversations take place during a joint session of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies and feature speakers, videos, music, and opportunities for small group engagement.

TEConversations will be live streamed; off-site participants will have access to handouts and be able to participate in the ongoing conversation via social media.

Additionally, the Episcopal News Service and House of Deputies News will also be covering General Convention.

In response to a mandate from the 2015 General Convention, a Sub-Committee of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) on Revision of the Book of Common Prayer drafted to proposals for the upcoming convention to consider. Drew Keane, the First Alternate Deputy from the Diocese of Georgia, served on the nine-member Sub-Committee. The group looked into four alternative ways to approach the revision process and now the SCLM offers a report with two options for moving forward.

The first option would call for a decision by the 2018 General Convention to begin the revision process at once, by gathering “data, resources, and ideas, and then set up the structure to begin drafting immediately after 2021 General Convention.”

The second option calls for a much slower schedule. This option, “invites the whole church to broaden its familiarity with the 1979 Prayer Book and the history that underlies it, and provides for time to reflect as a body on the significance of common prayer in our tradition.” During this time, significant work would happen in offering the current Book of Common Prayer in other languages in which the Episcopal Church now worships. The report states that, “It is generally recognized that the present Spanish and French versions of the Prayer Book are inadequate, and that there is an urgent need for the Prayer Book to be translated into Haitian Creole and many other languages, particularly among First Nations….Comprehensive translation of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, using the criteria passed by the 78th General Convention and executed from “the ground up” is included in Option Two as one of the most significant and meaningful ways the church can deepen its engagement with the 1979 Book of Common Prayer.”

You can read the full report, including the two alternate resolutions online here: Report from the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, Sub-Committee on Revision of the Book of Common Prayer

An Episcopal News Service article on the report is online here: Liturgy and music group offers General Convention two ways to approach the prayer book

The Episcopal Church provides bishops, deputies, and alternates to the General Convention with an introductory booklet which any Episcopalian may use to educate her or himself about the work of the legislative body. Click on the image at left to download the 19-page guide plus appendices as a PDF file.

The introduction provides this overview in answering the question, “What is the General Convention?”

The General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church. It is a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies, with more than 800 members (up to four clergy and four lay persons from each diocese), and the House of Bishops, with over 300 active and resigned bishops.

General Convention gathers every three years. The 2018 meeting will convene in Austin, Texas for a nine-day legislative session (July 5 –July 13, 2018), and will be the 79th General Convention of the Church.

The work of General Convention includes adopting legislation of concern to the Church; amending the Book of Common Prayer, the Constitution, and the Canons of the Church; adopting a triennial budget for The Episcopal Church; and electing candidates to offices, boards and other committees. This work is undertaken in support of the mission and ministry of the Church, and with prayerful gratitude and spiritual discernment.

The Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance is asking the church for its opinion of the proposed budget before we get to the General Convention The draft budget for The Episcopal Church in the 2019-2021 triennium was approved by The Episcopal Church Executive Council at its January meeting.

In the current and prior triennia, the budgets were built to reflect the Five Marks of Mission. The 2019-2021 budget is based on The Jesus Movement with Evangelism, Racial Reconciliation & Justice, and Environmental Stewardship as priorities. Both budget formats include allocations for mission inside the Episcopal Church, mission beyond the Episcopal Church, and governance, legal, financial, operations, and the ministry of the Presiding Bishop, although they are called by different names.

One advantage of The Jesus Movement budget is that it reflects how the staff is organized, by department, rather than spread across Five Marks and other areas as in the past. So lines of communication, reporting, collaboration, and budget creation are clearer.

Click here to read the draft budget for 2019-2021

Click here to submit comments to the
Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance

We Are the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

St. Patrick of Ireland

The late Verna Dozier gave her book, The Dream of God, a suggestive subtitle: A Call to Return. The witness of the Hebrew prophets in the Bible was a call to the people of God to return to the Lord, to return to their roots as the people of God (see Joel 2:13 for example). In the Bible, that call to return was actually an invitation to become who they truly were: the people of God.

The invitation to become more fully the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement is just such an opportunity. This isn’t a new program, or a catchy new slogan, or even a new idea. Rather, this is a call to claim or reclaim the deepest origins of who we are as baptized disciples and followers of Jesus in the Anglican Episcopal way. This is an invitation to place Christ at the very center of our lives individually and together as the Episcopal Church. And that is a game changer. In the first century, Jesus of Nazareth inspired a movement. It was a movement whose goal was to change the world from the nightmare it often is into something closer to God’s dream and deep, passionate desire for it—what the Bible often calls the Kingdom, the Reign of God.

It was a movement composed of very ordinary people of extraordinary diversity. They were, as St. Paul said, Jews and Gentiles, slave and free, male and female (Galatians 3:29). They were poor people and wealthy people. They were differing ethnicities and political ideologies.

What bound them together? What gave them purpose?

As the martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer once observed, Christ was at the center of their lives individually and their life together. This was a movement, a community of people who committed and centered their very lives, their fortunes, and their eternal destinies to following the teachings, walking the way, and living in the Spirit of Jesus of Nazareth, crucified and risen from the dead!

It was a movement of people for whom Christ was the center of their lives, such that his life breathed through their lives. And though mortal and sinful and fallible, they found themselves

Loving like Jesus,
Giving like Jesus,
Forgiving like Jesus,
Doing justice,
Loving mercy,
Walking humbly,
With God
Just like Jesus.

They became the Jesus Movement, the Body of Christ, the hands, the feet, the heart of Jesus in the world in their time. And therein is our origin and our identity as baptized disciples of Jesus of Nazareth today, in the Episcopal way of following him.

My deep prayer for our time together as the 79th General Convention and beyond is that Jesus will be at the center of every moment of worship, in every discussion and debate, in our times of study, moments of discernment, times of refreshment — May Christ be the center. And as that happens we are the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Your brother in Christ,
+The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry
Presiding Bishop and Primate