The 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana July 2-13. This triennial gathering of the Church will welcome bishops and deputies from dioceses of the sixteen different countries in which the Episcopal Church is established.
The extraordinary cultural and ethnic diversity of the Church is evident as one travels through the hallways and legislative chambers of General Convention. The vast number of booths and displays also reflect the wide diversity of ministries within the Church. Approximately 10,000 bishops, deputies, visitors, Episcopal Church Women representatives to Triennial, volunteers, vendors, staff and press are expected to be present for at least a part of this remarkable gathering.
Even though General Convention functions at many levels - worship, networking, sharing of resources, renewing friendships, deployment contacts - the major press coverage will focus on legislative action. You can expect the bishops and deputies to be focused on six key areas:
- Structure - a majority of dioceses (Mississippi included) have passed resolutions asking that major structural reform take place in the way the Church is structured from the Presiding Bishop through General Convention. The most dramatic resolution calls for a constitutional convention to reorder everything. The motivation in much of this interest is an awareness that our corporate model that functioned well in the mid-20th century is ill equipped to handle the challenges in this century.
- Budget - In an act unprecedented in recent history, the Presiding Bishop has submitted her own budget recommendations for consideration. Ordinarily the product of the Executive Council, this year's budget has been the subject of much pre General Convention debate. Since the Presiding Bishop had relatively little input on this year's budget from the Executive Council, she has decided to offer her own. This will make for much conversation and debate.
- Blessings of Same Gendered Relationships - This, of course, is the topic that will attract the most media coverage. Although blessings of these unions have been taking place in the Church for more than 20 years, this is an effort to establish a single rite so that the liturgies will have a unified form. This liturgy that will probably be authorized for a period of trial use, is not a marriage rite, but will be offered for study and use for a period of time. Bishop Gray has indicated that he will not authorize the use of the liturgy within the diocese.
- Denominational Health Plan - More conversation will take place around the proposed Denominational Health Plan that is set to begin expanded coverage January 2013. This is a major financial issue for many congregations.
- Anglican Covenant - Once thought to be the centerpiece of this year's General Convention, the Covenant has become, increasingly, a moot issue, but one that must be addressed by Convention. Most of the constituent members of the Anglican Communion, including the Church of England, have rejected the Covenant, and its primary proponent, Archbishop Rowan Williams, has announced his retirement. Thus, the energy for going forward with the Covenant is almost non-existent.
- Elections - The election of a new President of the House of Deputies will be significant since this position shares a unique relationship with the Presiding Bishop and a significant role in the leadership of the Church. Our own Kathryn McCormick and Dr. Anita George are candidates for the Church Pension Board and the Executive Council, respectively.
Mississippi's deputation is as follows:
Bishop Gray
Clergy: The Rev. Canon David Johnson, the Rev. David Knight, the Very Rev. Edward O'Connor, the Rev. Marian Fortner, the Rev. Elizabeth Wheatley-Jones (alternate), the Rev. Margaret Ayers (alternate), and the Rev. Betsy Baumgarten (alternate).
Lay: Canon Kathryn McCormick, Dr. Anita George, Dr. Ed Sisson, Ms. Margaret McLarty, Mr. Danny Meadors (alternate), Ms. Bobbie Marascalco (alternate), and Ms. Hilda Poval (alternate).
Regular updates on General Convention can be found through the Episcopal News Service (//episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/) and through the individual blogs of the Rev. Canon David Johnson (//canondioms.blogspot.com/) and the Rev. David Knight (//kanite.wordpress.com/).
