General Notes Part 5

If you want to read other convention blogs, check out this website. Today was another full day. My legislative committee, Consecration of Bishops, met again this morning at the ripe time of 7:30 am. We held three hearings today for (suffragan or diocesan or co-adjutor) bishops-elect from the Dioceses of Texas, West Texas, and Eastern Michigan, in addition to the one we held yesterday for the bishop-elect of Albany. If you want to read more about consenting to the election of bishops and my committee's work, the Episcopal News Service has posted a story online. I also participated in my first press briefing responsibility today. If you want to see the pictures of the briefing, go here. I will do that two other times during convention. It was very hum-drum today, since our business was very pro forma and procedural and....boring. We were visited by the Archbishop of York, however, whose picture I've posted. He gave us both a wonderful story and testimony but also a message from the Archbishop of Canterbury on the ABC's behalf. Read the transcript if you have time. Some are saying it is the ABC's way of distancing himself from us while still trying to influence our deliberations. I just don't know how much spin the thing will take, but I betcha it will be dizzy before long!!! Aren't the flags beautiful? George Werner, our Presiding officer in the House of Deputies, has made a special point of reminding us we are not a "national" church but rather an international body, with 16 participating affiliated communing member nations. Each one has a flag hanging to represent it and serve to remind us. Haiti's is outdated, we were told, but we're getting that corrected. The first picture you see is the end of my day, the U2charist kicking off the amazing in-depth work of the Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation for the time we're here. It was a great worshipping experience, with people singing and praying with much enthusiasm, seeming more relaxed than other worship experiences I've attended so far. There was heavy energy in the air, and if I hadn't been so exhausted and so late due to my committee's hearings, I would have put my hands in the air. People are geared up, not just for Bono's music but to participate in eradicating poverty and AIDS and be a voice for change in our Church and in the world. We passed around commitment cards and spoke of the things each one of us can do. It was a revival, but we were getting saved in a different way -- we were asking ourselves and each other to reach out to the rest of the world. We prayed not only for personal salvation but for transformation of the deepest hurts of God's Creation as well. It was a very encouraging thing - and tired as I was I left with great hope for the Church. People of many generations and of dioceses of widely divergent reputations attended and sang and prayed together. Eradicating poverty is not controversial - it is something we can get behind as those who love God and those made by God. I think it is also a very Anglican way of saying -- let's heal each other by getting together on this (MDG's, One Campaign, global reconciliation). Matt just arrived so we're going to catch up and I leave it at that. Tomorrow I have 7:30 committee hearing on the bishop-elect of California, then Eucharist, then legislative session, lunch, my last committee hearing and wrap-up of committee work, legislative session, and tomorrow night is the Special Committee 26's hearing on several resolutions pertaining to the Windsor Report, sexuality, and the Anglican Communion. Another long day but another day to look forward to again.

I also recommend reading the reflections of my fellow deputies of Kansas. We are a motley crew this year and I'm really enjoying what each of them brings. We have had a lot of laughs so far!