Keep watch, dear Lord

We are about to go into our final legislative session. It has been a long couple of weeks, full of great moments of spirit-filled action alternating with mind-numbing tedium. Such is life in the church, or life anywhere for that matter. So this evening, I offer this prayer which is a favorite at St. James'. Here in Indianapolis, various prayers and scripture were "decal-ed" to the sidewalks. Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work or watch or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ, give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous, and all for your love's sake. Amen.

Home Away from Home

Hotel life is a pleasure.  No beds to make.  No meals to cook.  No laundry to wash.  

I loved opening the door to my room at the JW Marriott, having left wet towels in the bathroom and unmade bed and finding clean towels on the shelf and toiletries lined up on a sparkling sink.  Dinner in the restaurant (albeit late at night) or breakfast delivered to my door were treats unencumbered by the task of cleaning up.

Even these pleasures wear thin, however.  I found myself longing for a dinner prepared by my husband from leftovers or a St. James' pot luck supper.  I longed to step outside on my deck at home to have coffee.  The gym in the hotel is fully equipped with any cardio machine you could wish for.  But I cannot wait to walk around my neighborhood with Cookie or work in the garden.

The work here is intense and important.  We meet only once each three years as The Episcopal Church.  Eight days of legislative sessions (reduced this GC from 10 days due to financial pressures) sometimes get bogged down by unnecessary testimony.  And in the midst of that, crucial issues are decided to direct our work.

Look to this 77th Convention to see that we voted unanimously to change our structure (including how we govern ourselves) to make everything we do support our mission; that we approved resources to be used for blessing same gender unions; and that we dedicated significant funds to the work of justice for those who live in poverty.

Integrity

integrity - adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character (dictionary.com) Integrity - a nonprofit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) Episcopalians and our straight friends (integrityusa.org) There is a resolution to come before us which is known as "open communion" (C040): "Resolved, that The Episcopal Church ratify the rubrics and practice[..]to invite all, regardless of age, denomination, or baptism, to the altar for Holy Communion." Currently our canons state that only those baptized are admitted to Holy Communion, and the resolution further calls for elimination of that canon. I understand the argument for requiring baptism for admission to Holy Communion -- that the sacrament of the Eucharist is the way we are fed to live out our baptismal promises. I understand, but I do not agree. The place where my desire to welcome all to the table was affirmed was at the Integrity Eucharist here at Convention on Monday night. The welcome was profound, and it was the first act of the liturgy -- before the entrance, before a prayer was said. All present were assured of God's deep, unconditional love for each one, and all were invited to the altar. When all had eaten the bread and drunk the wine, we prayed: May we who have fed at Wisdom's table take her welcome out to where tables are reserved and doors are closed; may this same Spirit drive us to break our bread on the altar of the world. Amen.

The exhibit hall at General Convention is a hub of activity. Here, you can buy lunch, sample Bishop's Blend coffee from Episcopal Relief and Development, or pick up buttons to express your opinions: "STR8 ALLY" from Integrity, indicating you may be straight, but you support your LGBT brothers and sisters; "Re-Imagine GC," a call to re-examine and re-envision the governing structures of TEC; "Un-Occupy Palestine," "Go & Listen," "Embrace Each Other," "Say yes to Bless" (same-gender relationships). Shop for books, vestments, icons and jewelry. Learn about Education for Ministry (EFM), the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN), or religious orders for women and men. Episcopal Appalachian Ministries has a booth, and so does the Seamen's Church Institute, both ministries supported by St. James'. Some booths are colorful and attractive; some entice you with candy or a free thumb drive or flashlight. But as I rounded the corner on the last row in the rear of the exhibit hall, there was one stark example: The Episcopal Disability Network. It was an empty table with worn boxes already packed up two days before the exhibits closed. This is no judgement on the organization; it illustrates instead the priority the church has put on disability ministry as well as the challenges we face financially as a church. Three years ago, a resolution was approved by General Convention to create a resource for disability ministry: a "toolkit" of resources which congregations could tap into in their quest for accessibility and welcome. This did not happen because no staff resources of TEC were dedicated to it. The sign may say, "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You," but the House of Deputies and the hearing rooms were nearly inaccessible for hard of hearing people. My own committee was exceptionally sensitive to these needs, but the fact remains that is is easy for us, even as Christians who are dedicated to living out our baptismal promises, to be unaware of the special needs of disabled people around us. Sometimes they are not around us in our congregations because they cannot negotiate our stairs or our Episcopal language or because their hearing or sight is limited. Part of our job here at GC2012 is to do all we can to be sure our hearing and our sight are not limited.

Groundhog Day in Indy

The past few days have been virtually identical in format for me: early meetings of my legislative committee, worship, legislative session (the full House of Deputies), Newark Deputation meeting (over lunch), legislative committee hearings, another session of the House, more legislative committee meetings, and if it is still early enough (before ten), a gathering at the hospitality suite, provided by our Bishop, for catching up with others and socializing. I have been able to sneak in breakfast and/or dinner, some time on the treadmill (too hot outside, as you can see), and one evening grabbed a couple of innings of the Yankees/Red Sox game on TV (which had a good result!). The legislative committee on which I serve (Social and Urban Affairs) is one of the many legislative committees which exist solely during Convention to consider the resolutions submitted by "interim bodies": those committees, commissions, agencies and boards (CCABs) which meet during the time between Conventions (three years, or triennium), bishops, diocesan conventions and deputies. The Social and Urban Affairs Committee is considering resolutions about economic justice, healthcare, prison ministry, eldercare and racism. If you follow a resolution from beginning to end, you can see the process The Episcopal Church uses to do its work. For example, D022, Churchwide Response to Bullying. It originated from deputies (D) and was assigned to the Social and Urban Affairs Committee. It calls for the church to respond to bullying. The text can be found at the resolutions link below. The Committee discussed it, held hearings on it, and decided to recommend its adoption, with amendment, to the House. Before it goes to the floor of the House of Deputies, it is sent to the House of Bishops for action. They may make further recommendations for it (more amendment,discharge, rejection, adoption without change). When the Committee receives notice of its action, we decide further action. To be continued... To see all the resolutions, go to http://generalconvention.org/gc/resolutions

GC officially begins on July 5, but the fourth was our first day of work. The committee I serve on (Social and Urban Affairs) worked from 8 am to noon and again from 5 to 7 pm. Then the Newark deputation met, and I ended the day watching the fireworks from my hotel window. The work is good and the people are dedicated. Our work is to consider resolutions assigned to us for review; we decide whether to send them on to the House, amend them, write a substitute or reject them. In order to make those decisions, hearings are set in which people can come and testify in support of or against the resolutions. At times, they can help us understand the purposes better or clarify what they want the church (or diocese, or members, or other bodies like the government) to do. Our committee is divided into six sub-committees (Poverty, Health, Elder Care, Prison Ministry, etc.) due to the numbers of resolutions proposed. As far as fireworks go, we are not far along enough in the legislative process to see some on the floor of convention, but the topics which are heating up include the adoption of same gender blessings, proposed revisions to the structure of the church, and, of course, the budget. I prefer the sparkly kind in the baseball field next door. But since the Holy Spirit arrived in flames, fireworks in convention are not all bad.

Introduction to Indy

We landed in Indy 20 minutes early and three of us grabbed a cab to the hotel. Our driver asked about our visit; we said we were here for The Episcopal Church Convention. "Oh," he said. But a few moments later, he reached into the glovebox and extracted an exotic set of beads. "These are prayer beads," he said, "from Morocco." Martha asked, "Is that where you are from?" "Yes," he told us. And as I fingered the smooth dark beads shaped like discs, he said that they were made of sandalwood and became darker the more prayers were said, and they became more fragrant too. It appeared that many, many prayers had been said with those beads fingered in love or gratitude or hurt or anger. Then he said he did not know why people chased after money and things, because God is really all there is. "God is our life and our breath," he said. The gathering of faithful souls we call General Convention had begun in the back seat of a taxicab in Indianapolis.

These last few days before GC 2012 begins are full of finishing tasks, preparing for the work of Convention, and making arrangements for my absence at church. As the New Zealand liturgy says, "What has been done, has been done; what has not been done, has not been done. Let it be." So off I will go on Tuesday morning, July 3 -- excited, apprehensive, and eager to get to the work.