GC July 9

This post better be good as it will also appear on the diocesan website. I am the designated deputation blogger today
Today began a bit later for me with a public narrative process at tables of 8. This is a way of telling a story of self, a story of us, and a challenge. It is highly structured and we have only 2 minutes to do this. Then the others at the table offer suggestions on how to improve or clarify what you have done. I have found the process very useful. Many Episcopalians are not good at Evangelizing, and this project offers a way to refine a personal story of Faith. Some of us, however, are not convinced and consider it a waste.
The above process segued into Eucharist. The choir was made up of Bishops and spouses and they sang an anthem in Welsh. John Bruno Bishop of Los Angeles presided and conducted most of it in Spanish. There was a bilingual program.
The Archbishop of Canterbury offered what was called a meditation. He began by stating the obvious. Our process in the Anglican Communion has been difficult and will not get easier. He thanked us for our willingness to engage and acknowledged the deep bonds between us.
He spoke of how God's word brought light to the darkness, and how Jesus faced death (nothingness). He quoted William Stringfellow who he called perhaps the greatest American theologian who said that Jesus looked death in the face and declared it overcome.
The deputation met for lunch, and I went off afterwards to the Prayerbook Liturgy and Music Committee and heard testimony on several resolutions involving Gay Marriage and same sex blessings. The vast majority of the speakers were in favor of some form of this, but there were a number of dissenters. Some of this was deeply moving, especially that of a 17 year old girl who described her experience as an Episcopal camper. When she was ten, she went to camp and met and made many friends. One boy was gay . He told them that this one week was the only time he felt like he was accepted. They spent several summers together at camp Later as a teenager he committed suicide.
After the testimony we had a session of the HOD. After quickly passing some resolutions, we attempted to start voting for the pension fund trustees. But problems with the electronic voting devices forced us to postpone it.
Instead we entered into a " committee of the whole" in order to debate how to deal with B 033 the resolution passed in the final hours of GC 2006. Under pressure to respond to the Windsor report, we at the urging of our new and old presiding Bishop agreed to "refrain from elevating to the Episcopate anyone whose manner of life presented a challenge to the wider communion. Many of us want to move on and declare that all the baptized and eligible for all orders of ministry. We reached picked a partner and had a 3o minute discussion on what to do about this.
The house was adjourned and I called it a day.
M knee is a bit better today. I can walk a bit, but still use the scooter as much as possible.

peace
John Cheek