Reflections on General Convention

There are some experiences, like riding a bike or flying, that are hard to explain without actually doing it.  This holds true for attending General Convention. I have wanted to go to GC for many years, but finances and other obligations prevented that from happening.  Since I was elected by our Diocesan Convention to be a Deputy, the way was made open to me, and I am thrilled to have now experienced this incredible gathering.  As The Rev. Dr. Gregory Straub, Executive Officer and Secretary of General Convention, states, “General Convention is a combination of legislative assembly, bazaar of goods and services and family reunion. It is one of the most exciting and, truth be told, one of the most awe-inspiring gatherings in the world.”  I would add that it is also part revival, as I attended many wonderful Eucharist services with excellent preaching and signing.
I have always been fascinated at how our church’s structure and polity invites each and every member of the church to participate in the decision making process. At GC, I got to participate first-hand in how that actually works, from the submission of a resolution, to its vetting by a legislative committee, its presentation on the Convention floor, the process for amending a resolution and voting on accepting or rejecting the resolution.  All resolutions must be passed in the same language by a majority vote by both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops in order for a resolution to become an action of the General Convention. 

There were over 450 resolutions put forth at this GC. You can see a list of all the resolutions that were acted on at this GC at http://www.generalconvention.org/gc/resolutions.

The possible actions for those resolutions are:
Concur, Adopt – both houses agree with the resolution and will enact its mandate
Reject – not accepted; the resolution “dies”
Concur-Discharge – the matter may have been dealt with in another resolution
Refer – the matter was too complex to be dealt with effectively by the GC and was sent to a Standing Committee, Commission, Board or Agency (CCAB) of the Episcopal Church for further study.

The process was exhilarating, exhausting and heartbreaking.  It was thrilling to participate in the UTO Ingathering Eucharist with over 3000 Episcopalians and breaking out into spontaneous applauds (not allowing according to the House’s Rules of Order) after passing resolution C095 on restructuring by unanimous vote.  Nine 14-hour days of work is tiring on the body, mind and spirit.  And it was painful to hear from those who understand themselves to be “orthodox” offer their point of view that the General Convention was acting in error by approving the use of a rite for same-sex blessings and by not taking a definitive position on the Anglican Covenant.  As a person who desires to find consensus, I am deeply saddened when our common love for Jesus Christ and the ritual of our tradition may not be enough to allow us to continue to walk this path together.

I remain optimistic as I cannot deny the presence of the Holy Spirit throughout the Convention.  When our church focuses our energy on loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves, we can do all God has given us to do – to learn, experience and share God’s transforming love in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  No political structure or personal ideology should mitigate that in any way.

I look forward to talking about General Convention with you more in the fall.  In the meantime, if you have questions, please talk with me.

In Christ,
Rev. Valerie+

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