The Rev. Canon Beverly Gibson
July 20, 2009
In Retrospect
This was my first time to experience the Episcopal Church at work in its triennial General Convention, and I quickly realized that you simply have to jump in and let the experience wash over you. I could register on a daily basis where I sensed we were going, but I knew that I would not have a clear perspective until our work was done and we all headed home. Back now on the shores of Mobile Bay for a few days, I still don’t have a fully developed picture of the 76th General Convention, although I do have a more complete take on what was accomplished.
One of the top priorities of House of Deputies President Dr. Bonnie Anderson was to educate us all on the role of deputies and their functioning as a body in the “senior” house (the Bishops being the “junior” house.) For first-time deputies, who comprised some 40% of the present House of Deputies (HOD), this meant not serving on legislative committees but rather attending working sessions and hearings of many committees as well as attending forums on various matters of particular importance—the lay pension plan; denominational health care; Program, Budget, and Finance (P. B. & F.); responses to B033, etc. It also meant meeting people, building relationships, learning organically about how the Church “works” through the working relationships of many groups and individuals.
Here are my impressions. I was very favorably impressed with the leadership of Dr. Bonnie Anderson. Her style is gentle but very firm, with an emphasis on maintaining the decorum of the House and operating strictly according to the rules of order as set out in Roberts’ Rules of Order and the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. As a result of this, the quality of debate on the floor of the House was in general quite high: it was vigorous, attentive to detail, and—above all—civil. While at times I felt that we were moving at a snail’s pace and micro-editing the language of some resolutions, the result was the handling of a tremendous amount of work, much of which had been attended to in detail by hundreds of people. I was also impressed by the sheer volume of the work involved: a tremendous amount of work was done beforehand in the preparation of the “Blue Book” and supplemental materials; then these materials are revised and reproduced on an ongoing basis throughout the convention as the process of listening and incorporating various viewpoints into resolutions goes on in committees; resolutions are then presented in both houses and may be amended in both, the re-presented in both for action. An interesting example of this process at work was C061, a resolution proposing changes in Title III of the canons, pertaining to access to the ordination process. After considerable debate, the HOD approved a revised version of this section, which the HOB then revised even more substantially. Finally, on the last day of convention, the HOD rejected the Bishops’ revision, the result of which is to leave this section of Title III unchanged.
The deepest impression that I have carried away from General Convention is the sense of responsibility to the trust given to deputies. I sensed this most strongly in the moments the House prayed together before difficult votes, and in our offering of prayers at the end of each session. Our congregations and dioceses send us as deputies not only to decide in their best interest on difficult matters facing the Church but also to provide for the working of the Church over the next three-year period. More than commitment to particular agendas or personal desires for grandstanding, this is what I believe undergirds the lengthy debate and detailed wordsmithing over language in resolutions. The sound-bite representations in the media of “hot-button” resolutions such as D025 (addressing our relationship with the Anglican Communion) and C056 (calling for the collection of resources for liturgies blessing same-sex unions) do not do justice to the details of the resolutions themselves, nor to the complex range of views aired in debate about these matters. The “divided mind” of the Church on these issues is reflected in the resolutions themselves, and I would encourage those who are concerned to read the resolutions and information about them on the website of the Episcopal News Service (not on any individual’s blog, of whatever stripe.) Along with our deputation and our Bishop, I did vote “no” on these resolutions and others like them, which I believe only divide us further at this point in time. Still, I am clear that these resolutions do not change the policies established by our Bishop in this diocese: we will not be consenting to the consecration of bishops whose manner of life challenges our communion, nor will we be blessing same-sex unions.
As I look back over the whole of what was accomplished at the 76th General Convention, I am thankful for the great deal of good work that was done—and I am frustrated that this is overshadowed by the attention to resolutions that don’t actually “do” anything in the day-to-day life of ministry in our Church. Among the big things accomplished were the following. A triennial budget was crafted and enacted that will cut $23 million from our expenses; it reduces the diocesan “asking” (the amount dioceses pay to the Episcopal Church for funding mission) over three years and calls for the reduction of staffing and programming at the Church Center, pushing mission “down” to the diocesan and congregational levels; it also calls for a shorter and more efficient General Convention process in 2012. A denominational health insurance plan was approved, which will result in considerable cost savings for participants and for the Church Pension Fund. A pension plan for lay employees of the Church was approved. Title IV of the canons (which provides for clergy discipline) was substantially revised to emphasize reconciliation, fairness, and transparency in disciplinary proceedings, including the resolution of conflicts between clergy and congregations. A program for Life-Long Christian Formation was approved for development, following a model that will emphasize networking and the sharing of resources among dioceses and congregations. The tithe was affirmed as the standard for stewardship in the Church, to be upheld by leadership; every deputy signed an agreement to work toward the tithe. Numerous mission partnership agreements were established or reaffirmed. Each diocese (and every congregation) was challenged to begin some new mission work outside its own immediate community or to strengthen an existing mission program. These are just a few of the 130+ resolutions adopted in Anaheim.
All of this occurred within the context of prayer and relationship, of a community worshipping and working together. In addition to a daily Eucharist for the whole convention, each House prayed and meditated throughout each day. The Reverend Frank Wade was the chaplain for the HOD, and his offerings were masterful and pastoral. On the plane home I read his newest book, entitled Transforming Scripture, in which I was struck by several passages that seemed to speak to our shared life in the Church and to where we find ourselves at this point in time. Wade writes: “What we do not have [as Episcopalians] is a central authoritative person or persons to tell us the right answers […]. The closest we have ever come to defining our faith is known as the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, written in the 19th century […]. It reminds us that the Bible, the traditional creeds, the major sacraments of baptism and Eucharist, and the role of bishops are central to our tradition. It is remarkable for its lack of dogmatic clarity. The point is that our church has a process but not a product.” Because of this, he says, “the Anglican way places the final decision-making power not in a church hierarchy but in individuals in community, which leads to complications of its own. It leaves us vulnerable to serious misunderstandings and understandable discomfort.” The nature of our reality frustrates our human desire for certainty in times of challenge. Pointing out that “certainty in faith is a contradiction in terms,” Wade offers instead the more subtle value of confidence. “Certainty is rooted in the individual,” while “confidence is rooted in someone else.” Confidence gives us “courage to act on our beliefs without requiring the world around us to conform to those beliefs.” Confidence can trust “in the ongoing leading of the Spirit.”
The polity of the Episcopal Church in America, as it was developed in our beginnings by Bishop William White, is a (sometimes messy) process involving vulnerable human beings. General Conventions reveal that process to us and to the world, but we can be confident in the Holy Spirit’s presence with us and in our life as the Body of Christ. When things are going along just fine for us, we are apt not to be listening closely for God’s speaking to us. When things get challenging, we are called to listen closely. I pray that we are listening closely to each other and that we are placing our confidence in Christ.
July 11, 2009
As we have settled into the rhythm of General Convention over the past few days, I have begun to see more clearly how the whole body works. And this is definitely a body—like the Church, the Body of Christ, as Paul describes it—made up of many members with many different gifts and functions. Not only is General Convention a gathering of thousands of the individual members of the Church, it also functions as a body with constituent members working together as a living whole.
In his blog, Thack has described the work of the Committee on Canons as they have labored to produce a revision of Title IV, and Jim Flowers has likewise been engaged in the efforts of the Committee on World Mission to craft a response that reflects the mind and heart of General Convention 2009 to the 2006 resolution B033. As first-time deputies, Martha Kreamer and Gary Moore and I are not serving as members of legislative committees, thus making us able to attend the hearings and deliberations of many of the various committees at work here in Anaheim. I have listened to deliberations of the Programs, Budget, and Funding Committee as they have confronted the task of crafting a budget for the next three years. The challenges for mission before us are great, while projected income is suffering from the effects of our present economic downturn. I have also attended hearings of the Prayer Book and Liturgy Committee, as they have listened to testimony concerning proposed resolutions aimed at revising the language of marriage rites and at devising liturgies for blessing same sex unions. The meeting rooms of both convention hotels are filled early each morning and late each evening with similar committees at work of hundreds of resolutions concerning the life and work of the Church which must be responded to, amended perhaps, and then presented to both houses of the Convention. It is a privilege to witness the work of these faithful people and to see their openness to listening to the thoughts and feelings of people from throughout the Church.
The House of Deputies has organized itself for business, suspended business in order to engage in conversation regarding response to B033, and begun the work of responding to proposed resolutions. It is amazing to be part of a body so large and so diverse that nonetheless is able to function as one, allowing its members to respond individually to business at hand and yet move forward to accomplish the tasks before us. I have been impressed by the decorum of the House, the respect with which deputies who have passionate yet divergent views respond to each other. I have been blessed by the conversations I’ve had with returning deputies who have described their thoughts and feelings in 2006 and compared these with where they find themselves now in 2009.
I have sensed in the deliberations of General Convention so far an attitude of respectful listening; we seem to be waiting patiently to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to us about the direction of our next three years. I have not heard strident arguments or demands for change. Rather, I have heard in personal conversations, in hearing testimonies, in statements on the floor of the House of Deputies, heart-felt expressions of hope, of love for this church, and of commitment to the Great Commission. These expressions may differ in the actions for which they call, but ultimately they are one in their aim of sharing the love of Christ with the world and of maintaining and strengthening the Church in that mission. I believe that in the days ahead we will be challenged to find ways forward that honor our diversity. What I have seen so far gives me hope that we will be able to do so in love, with respect, and as one.
July 7, 2009
I am because you are
On Saturday afternoon I was standing with my family on a wharf over Mobile Bay, enjoying the breeze and the water and the company of some of our Christ Church family. When someone asked me, “Why are you going to Anaheim?” I heard myself respond, “I got myself elected a deputy to General Convention, and now I have to go.” Wow, I thought, what an uninspiring answer! I realized, however, that my response honestly reflected my anxieties about leaving my family for twelve days to go “do Church” in California.
By Sunday afternoon I was packed and ready and all arrangements on the homefront had been made, but I still felt unready.
On Monday afternoon I was standing outside the Anaheim Convention Center, enjoying the (much cooler) breeze and the sunshine and the company of friends and colleagues from our diocese and from General Seminary days. No one asked me why I was in Anaheim—they are all here for the same reason and by the same means. We are here because our communities have sent us. The Church in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast has sent us, bearing their love and their prayers and their hopes for the Church to proclaim by word and deed the Good News of God in Christ. My particular Christian family has sent me, too, as is the case for every other deputy. Their love and their prayers take the tangible form of caring for my family—Mike, Dylan, and Elinor—while I am away by feeding them, transporting them, being with them, and checking in with me to let me know that “all is well.”
Now on Tuesday morning I realize that my presence here embodies the spirit of “Ubuntu,” the theme for this General Convention. In his book Ubuntu: I in You and You in Me Michael Battle presents a Christian theology of this African concept of communal personhood: we have our being through our life with others; I am because you are. I am here in Anaheim because of the grace of God poured out through the love, prayers, and support of my family—in its largest and most expansive form as Christian community and in its most intimate forms at Christ Church Cathedral and in the Gibson household. I don’t feel so unready after all.
