Listen & Reach out in Faith

A unique moment happened on Tuesday of Convention in the House of Deputies. We voted unanimously for C095 which is the resolution that sets up a task force to reimagine the church. The house broke into applause and sang. It was one of those very special moments that you remember!  The wind of change has been blowing in the house since the start of this convention and today’s vote confirmed that there is a strong desire in the Episcopal Church for change in our structure, our budgeting process and our inclusion of those under 40. What that will look like is unknown, but the message is clear – everything is on the table and the voices of those who are often not heard are wanted in this conversation.

Shortly after this vote, we took the vote on A049 which is the resolution on Blessing of Same Gender services. And it was not the same unanimous vote. Rather there were a lot of political moves to rephrase the resolution, requests for vote by order and other motions that took time and began to try the patience of the deputies. But the vote was finally taken and the resolution passed. 

So while we can agree on the need to restructure the church and we can celebrate being open to what lies ahead, we still find ourselves struggling with how to really be open and include everyone in all the fullness of our life as a Christian community.

So once again I am reminded that we are not the perfect church – in fact we have a long way to go. We often miss the mark that Christ set for us, but we continue to be willing to be in conversation and we are willing to do the hard work of listening to each other. We need to remind ourselves that we need to make more efforts to reach out to the young, the marginalized, the unchurched and the others we want so much to invite to the table. And that we will continue to disagree about some issues, but together we are willing to step out in faith and see where the Spirit is calling us.

Salli Hartman

Salli Hartman is an alternate convention deputy and member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Silver Spring, MD.

Saying Yes to Change and the Church

Yesterday, July 10, 2012, a united House of Deputies voted for historic change in The Episcopal Church.  The final vote was loud and thunderous and applause—not typically part of the decorum of the house—was euphoric with a standing ovation and cheers.  Elections, however, are not usually the same.  I anxiously waited for the appointed time for votes for 7 lay-person seats for Executive Council, the governing body of our church between General Conventions.  I won, but on the third ballot, not unlike my run for deputy at our convention in January 2011, where I also won by two votes on the last ballot.  It was tense.  I love this church and I want to serve it.  I ran for Executive Council for the same reasons I ran for Deputy, I want our church to be “relevant” to the community and world around us now and the future church.

I campaigned hard.  It was a lot of networking and introducing myself to folks in the elevator or wherever I had a captive audience of deputies.  But a win…is a win.  And I am honored to have won a spot on a very important body of our polity.  There is a lot of work ahead.

I am taken aback by the level of positive energy and interest in asking the question, “What could The Episcopal Church look like, if we dared to dream.”   I am excited and emboldened  that so much of this energy seems to be coming from dioceses around the country and more importantly the throng of young adults in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s who are here asking The Episcopal Church for an invitation for a seat at the table saying they want to “help lead not leave” the Church.

In my opinion, this is great news and my message to my fellow Deputies and Bishops is simple, “Pay Attention.”

John  B. Johnson, IV


John Johnson is a Convention Deputy and member of St. Thomas' Parish, Dupont Circle

Blessings and Joy

Rev. Carolyn Hall (right) welcomes worshipers
to Integrity Eucharist (7/9/12)

For years, the Episcopal Church has tied itself in knots over issues of sexuality, and differences over those issues are still apparent here in Indianapolis. But at this General Convention, the will of the majority is to move on. Both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops have approved resolutions that likely would have deepened rifts in the church less than a decade ago. Today, while there is still opposition in some quarters, both houses have sent a clear message that the Episcopal Church stands for inclusivity.

Monday was a historic day on which “the church put its actions where its mouth is,” said the Rev. Caroline Hall, president of Integrity USA. The House of Bishops voted by a margin of almost three to one to authorize provisional use of a liturgy for blessing same sex covenants. And the House of Deputies gave final approval to canon changes already approved by the Bishops making it church-wide policy that transgendered persons can be ordained. 

For some of us in the Washington Diocese, the blessing resolution may seem superfluous. Under DC law, our clergy already are performing marriage rites for same-sex couples. But to most of the country, approving the liturgy for provisional use is a huge step by the Episcopal Church. Our Bishop, Mariann Budde, spoke in favor on the floor of the House of Bishops, in honor of the many same sex couples who have inspired her and her husband, and who have served Christ and Christ's mission. They want only for their church to honor and bless their relationships, she said.

The blessing resolution came to the floor after hours of testimony and debate in committee, and the handwriting was on the wall from the start. Six of those who testified against it during a packed public hearing were from the same Diocese, Central Florida.  Supporters surprisingly included a man from Tanzania who said that, in the U.S. context, approving the liturgy was the right thing to do.

In true Episcopal fashion, the committee considering the resolution added language to ensure that clergy could decline to preside at same-sex rites and that no one should be coerced or punished for objecting to or supporting such blessings. Bishop Daniel Martins of the Diocese of Springfield said that the “increasingly isolated theological minority would be greatly comforted by this extra measure of comfort.”

When the Bishops finally voted on the blessing resolution, supporters were overjoyed but there was no celebration in the meeting room—just one of the many ways in which General Convention is so very different from the kinds of political conventions many of us in Washington are accustomed to.

Deborah Potter

Deborah Potter is an General Convention Alternate Deputy and member of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Washington, DC.

Speak Up, Act Up, Stand Up, and Make a Difference

Anglican Mark of Mission #4:
To Seek to Transform Unjust Structures
of Society

It is late. And yet I am wide awake. This is my fourth General Convention. The business - the ministry - the new and old connections - have stimulated me and filled my entire being with renewed hope for The Episcopal Church - for the people of God. While we are not the same - our diversity is great - we come together because we believe in God's kingdom - revealed in Jesus Christ - on earth as it is in heaven. A kingdom now - in the present - in the moment - that we are called to bring to birth - a kingdom of justice  - freedom - and peace. Gone are the days of this being a longed for ideal. Today I once again feel God's spirit moving - challenging us  -  "to speak up, act up, stand up, and make a difference" in transforming a society disfigured by injustice, hatred, and fear. I am ready and willing to do so. Are you?

Joan Beilstein

The Rev. Dr. Joan Beilstein is the Chair of the Convention Deputation and Rector of Ascension Episcopal Church, Silver Spring, MD

Be Not Afraid, Episcopal Church

Anglican Mark of Mission #1:
To Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

Episcopalians are known for a reluctance to embrace change.  If we're honest, it seems that's true of most people, although churches like ours are places where we can truly live into that reluctance!  In fact, it may be that fear is a better word than reluctance.  Is it any wonder that encounters with the holy in scripture often started with, "Be not afraid!"?  Fear can hinder our ability to hear the message God has to share with us.

As an institution, The Episcopal Church is designed to change at a slow pace.  We have a 'well-developed' polity very similar to our public national governance structure.  On one hand it allows for a shared and democratic approach to being the Body of Christ in the world, but on the other, it can be a bureaucratic nightmare.  Our other structure being evaluated at the same time is the one based at the Church Center in New York.  Does the staffing and the administrative structure of the Episcopal Church serve our common good in the most effective way, particularly with the limited funds available to the church?  As the world around us changes and long held assumptions about the way we minister to and in the world in the name of Christ are challenged, a fair question facing this convention is whether or not our structure - the frame in which we, "live and move and have our being," as followers of Christ - is serving our mission or hindering it?  Questions addressing the structure of our Church are the dominant questions being addressed, discussed and debated at this convention so far.

Needless to say, these issues are very complex.  At all levels of the convention such questions are being brought to the top of the agenda. From a fundamentally different way of crafting and framing budgets to the way the church's leadership bodies are structured to the appropriateness of a missionary church being headquartered  in Manhattan to the way we view sacramental elements of the faith, it seems that everything is 'on the table.'

Interestingly, or perhaps providentially, the Spirit is moving at both the grass roots level and at the top levels of our leadership. Everyone seems to be in agreement that The Episcopal Church is being called to a new place in the world, although we have not discerned yet where that place may be or how, precisely, we will get there.  It is more than just a handful of resolutions driving this conversation, rather there is a dramatic shift underway in our Church that is informing the way we are approaching much of the business before this convention.  Whether the path forward will be clear by the end of this convention remains to be seen.

It is most likely that this convention will make room for the church to face our challenges and explore our opportunities in new ways over the next triennium  as we begin a process reclaiming the core of our mission and the reinvigoration of our common life.  This is of course a hopeful prayer for this convention.  As the debate and discernment continues, fear could once again keep us from honest conversation and reflection, or a different sort of fear could cause us to change only for the sake of seeking something new as we tire of the familiar.

Prayers from the Diocese of Washington for our deputation and our bishop and the work we are doing in our respective 'houses' are essential and helpful as we continue to consider these issues.  Please pray also for the whole church gathered here in service to our Savior Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.  As a Church we are encountering the holy in that Common way in which we have long prayed and labored together.  As we fully engage the holy, may we not be afraid, but instead listen openly and humbly for the message that God has for us.

Tom Purdy

Tom Purdy is an Alternate Clerical Deputy and Rector of St. Peter's, Poolesville, MD

Finding a Voice at General Convention

Liturgy at General Convention

We started the first two days of Convention with Holy Eucharist. As we gather to sing, to pray, and to worship, I watch people go forward to receive communion and marvel at the great diversity of the Church. This morning, one of the readings was done in the Hmong language–a primarily oral East Asian language. The Hmong people have been persecuted. Yet they continue to have courage and faith, and there is a large church of Hmong expatriates here in the US.

This morning, as we got to the Lord’s Prayer, the Celebrant invited us all to say that prayer in our own language. After we finished, we could hear, from the far corner of the room, the sound of a group of people singing. I do not know this for sure, but I think it was some Hmong brothers and sisters singing the Lord’s Prayer. Whoever was singing, and in whatever language, it sounded like something holy and incredibly beautiful. Despite my inability to know, I resonated with it deep in my soul and it brought unexpected tears to my eyes.

Later, in a legislative session, two young people addressed the Convention about the need to continue to fund Episcopal Youth events. One of them, a young Latina, said this: “Youth events have taught me to speak up, even when my voice trembles.” She then talked about how the youth may be the future of the Church but they are making a difference NOW. While I agree that they are making a difference now, I also believe–and have for years–that youth and children are not the future of the Church. They are the present of the Church. The now in the Church. And as I watch young people come to the microphones and find their voices to support particular pieces of legislation, my heart sings.

I am aware that there are many people throughout the world who are learning to speak up–even when their voices tremble. I pray that not only will they find their voices, but that we will have the ears to hear what they have to say.

Sheila N. McJilton+

The Rev. Sheila McJilton is the rector of St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Laurel, MD

A Message from the Convention Deputation

Diocese of Washington Convention Deputation

Dear brothers and sisters,

As Bishop +Mariann and our elected deputation of eight clergy and eight lay persons depart tomorrow for the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Indianapolis, IN, we ask for your personal and communal prayers. First,  for safe travel to and from. And second, for wisdom and discernment as we take part in the councils of our Church from July 3rd - July 13th, 2012.

There will be over 300 resolutions the Convention (comprised of the House of Deputies and House of Bishops) will consider over the next 11 days. Important decisions will be made around the structure of the church; new liturgical resources; our mission and ministry at home and abroad; Anglican, ecumenical and interfaith relationships; social justice and national/international concerns; lifelong Christian formation; children's, youth, and young adult ministries; Canon and Constitution changes; ministry development; communications technology, just to name a few. There will be elections held for the President and Vice President of the House of Deputies, the Executive Council, the Church Pension Fund board, and other significant offices. And the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) will be holding their triennial convention and will have information to report about the United Thank Offering (UTO) and other initiatives.

Our diocese will be sponsoring three resolutions that were passed at our Diocesan Convention in January 2012: 1) for The Episcopal Church to Fund a Community and Tribal College Mission Initiative; 2) on Pursuing a Just Peace in the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict; 3) on Endorsing Statehood for the District of Columbia. We will also be sponsoring an additional resolution Celebrating the Life and Ministry of Pamela Pauley Chinnis. Our bishop and deputation members will be testifying on behalf of these resolutions both at hearings and in their respective houses.

It is our intention as a deputation to keep you - the people of the Diocese of Washington - up to date with our reports and reflections on the discussions, votes, and experiences at the 77th General Convention. We will be utilizing this blog, You Tube, and other resources facilitated by Peter Turner at Church House. We hope that you will follow what is happening at Convention and find these venues helpful.

For now, God's blessings be upon you and thank you for your prayers and support. We are very proud to be representing our Diocese at this Convention and will do our best to live out faithfully the trust you have placed in us.

(Rev.) Joan Beilstein+

The Rev. Dr. Joan Beilstein is the Chair of the Diocese of Washington Deputation and Rector of Ascension Episcopal Church, Silver Spring, MD.

The Rev. Dr. Frank Wade

Among the chaplains at the General Convention will be the Rev. Dr. Frank Wade, who is currently serving as Interim Dean of Washington National Cathedral. With the other chaplains, Dr. Wade will offer reflections and meditations for the House of Deputies throughout the Convention.

Other chaplains are Cornelia Eaton from the Episcopal Church in Navajoland, and Dr. Jenny Te Paa. The Rev. Julia Huttar Bailey will lead the music in the House of Deputies.

More information is on the House of Deputies website.

Welcome to the Diocese of Washington General Convention delegation blog.

Members of the delegation will be posting updates to the blog during Convention, which is from July 5-12, in Indianapolis, IN. Readers are welcome to leave comments.