By Mary Ann Mueller
VOL Special Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
5/16/2009
ANAHEIM, CA---With Disneyland as a backdrop, The Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, Bishop of Los Angeles, is ready to roll out the rainbow carpet and welcome the entire Episcopal Church to Anaheim. Preparations are kicking into high gear for the upcoming Episcopal General Convention bringing to town with it an entertaining cast of characters ranging from the Archbishop of Canterbury to the man in the street and the common "PIPS" -- people in the pews.
This week, the LA bishop along with Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, General Convention House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson, and General Convention Executive Officer and Secretary The Rev. Gregory Straub all gathered, at Convention Hall, to provide an internet preview into General Convention, - a bird eye's view of the internal workings of General Convention, and an explanation of what General Convention might have to offer when it convenes in six weeks.
The live webcast was moderated by Neva Rae Fox, public affairs officer for The Episcopal Church.
September 1985 was the last time General Convention convened in Anaheim when the 68th General Convention conducted the business of the church during the centennial celebration of church's policy making body. Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie attended in order to help one of his Anglican provinces celebrate an historic milestone in the history of that Church's General Convention. Now the 76th General Convention again returns to Orange County bringing as many as 10,000 people with it - conventioneers, invited guests, the media, vendors, VIPs, and those casual visitors who are interested in getting an up close and personal look at how the dysfunctional Episcopal Church family performs.
"General Convention is the highest legislative body in The Episcopal Church," Ms. Fox said as she explained the webcast and how it would progress.
The governing authority known as General Convention is the primary legislative body of The Episcopal Church. From its resolutions flow the canons, the changes to the Book of Common Prayer and the Hymnal, the mission focus of the church, the budget which financially supports the operation of the church and, ultimately, the public face The Episcopal Church wants to put forth in three-year blocks of time.
"General Convention is a remarkable opportunity for Episcopalians, and those who will be peering over our shoulder, to see this church in action," explained Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori. "It's an opportunity for the world to see how we make decisions in all of our incarnate messiness."
General Convention has come up with an African word for that chaotic process: "Ubuntu".
"The 76th General Convention has chosen as its theme 'Ubuntu'," explained the Presiding Bishop. "a Zulu Xhosa word that is often translated 'I am because we are'."
"We will invite and welcome people from across the theological spectrum and across the political spectrum. We'll welcome some ecumenical visitors," she continued, naming the various groups who will descend on Anaheim with the Episcopalians to witness TEC's legislative process in action. "We will also welcome some visitors from other parts of the Anglican Communion."
One of those invited from "other parts of the Anglican Communion" is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who was most recently on this side of the Atlantic Ocean when he attended the Anglican Consultative Council meeting last week in Jamaica along with the Episcopal presiding bishop. The results of that hotly debated ACC extended gathering will be fodder for General Convention.
The Presiding Bishop tried to play down the infamous Fourth Moratorium of the proposed Anglican Covenant in Jamaica that embroiled the Anglican Consultative Council.
"Our relationships have been deepened through the work of the Anglican Consultative Council which finished its meeting in Jamaica," she explained. "We exist in relationship and it is that relationship that is most important."
The Archbishop Williams is scheduled to give an address the on the global economy on the second day of convention. He will speak during the worship experience on the day after the Global Economic Forum. It isn't always the Archbishop of Canterbury who comes. When General Convention met in 2006 in Columbus, Ohio, it was the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, visited on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury to witness firsthand how The Episcopal Church was responding to the demands of the Windsor Report. The Windsor Report itself wasis the wider Anglican Communion's response to actions taken by General Convention 2003 in Minneapolis, which cleared the way for V. Gene Robinson to be elevated to the House of Bishops.
General Convention has a rich history as a travelling road show.
It first met in Philadelphia in 1782, as a unicameral House of Deputies. It has met every three years since. General Convention brings together Episcopalians from all 110 dioceses for discussion, reflection, legislation and prayer. Since that initial late 18th Century meeting General Convention has met in Denver, Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Richmond, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, hop scotching cross the United States touching down in New Jersey, Florida, Hawaii, Ohio, South Carolina, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, Connecticut, and Kentucky. Philadelphia has hosted General Convention the most times - 20 -- since it was birthed in the City of Brotherly Love. It is from the first bicameral 1785 General Convention that conventions are numbered. The Anaheim gathering carries number LXXVI.
"The Constitution of The Episcopal Church says: 'There shall be a General Convention', explained Ms. Anderson. "The first General Convention convened as only a House of Deputies whose membership was and remains composed of laity and clergy to this day..."
"General Convention is a bicameral house," explained Ms. Fox. "There are two houses - the [upper] House of Bishops and the [lower] House of Deputies, which is made up of clergy and laity."
Both houses of General Convention operate similarly to how Congress works with the Senate and House of Representatives working together to enact legislation. Each Episcopal bishop has a voice in the House of Bishops, but only active bishops can vote. The House of Deputies is made up of eight delegates (four lay and four clerical) from each of TEC's many dioceses. In all, more than 800 House of Deputies delegates will descend on Anaheim to work in concert with the 200-member House of Bishops.
"Legislation that is approved at General Convention build the framework for the Church's actions for the coming years," the public affairs officer said. "While this legislation will guide The Episcopal Church, General Convention is the Church's opportunity to give witness to all of the work, mission and ministry engaged by the two million member of our Church."
The House of Deputies' president stated that the overall importance of General Convention to The Episcopal Church as a whole is because it is through General Convention that all other positions and bodies in The Episcopal Church derive their authority.
General Convention is the legislative body by which the process of Church government is discerned and developed through a series of resolutions. So far, more than 200 resolutions have been pre-submitted for General Convention to act upon. More than 350 resolutions were acted on at the 75th General Convention in Columbus, Ohio in 2006.
As Secretary to General Convention, Fr. Straub is responsible to receive and guide the resolutions through the ecclesial legislative process.
"Resolutions come from a variety of sources," the priest explained. "They come from policy making bodies that meet between Conventions, they come from diocesan conventions and provincial synod meetings, they come from bishops, and they come from deputies."
Once a resolution is handed to Fr. Straub, he assigns it to one of 22 different legislative committees that will hold hearings on the pros and cons of each resolution. The more than 800 delegates and another 200 bishops are closeted in various hotel rooms scattered around the Anaheim Convention Center. They hold hearings on the resolution to determine its merits, strengths and weak points before releasing the resolution for debate on the floor of the convention. More than one thousand Episcopalians, from all walks of life, will be actively engaged in guiding and directing The Episcopal Church for the next three years and beyond. Another 8,000, quietly, or not so silently, will be looking over their collective shoulders to see how it is done.
The hearing process is open to the general pubic, but it is only bishops, deputies and registered convention visitors who may voice their opinions during the hearings.
"These hearings are open to the public. Not only bishops and deputies may speak and testify at these hearing hearings, so may registered visitors," the General Convention secretary said. "Visitors at General Convention are free to attend the committee meetings and hearings that consider each piece of legislation and may sign up to testify at those events."
Once a resolution churns its way through the legislative process of the committees, it is sent to the House of Deputies or the House of Bishops for formal floor debate and vote. Both legislative houses of Convention must vote on the same resolution before it can be enacted. The differences between the two house versions may be as little as one word or even a comma. It isn't until both houses vote to accept a resolution, with the same exact wording and punctuation, that the Church will enact it.
"When resolutions are perfected, they are brought to their houses to be debated and voted on at General Convention," Fr. Straub explained. "The legislation is calendared for debate in each house and the text of each resolution is available online as it is proposed, as it is perfected, and as it is enacted if it passed both houses of General Convention."
The Episcopal Church leadership is very excited about all the possibilities available this year for those at home to track the actions of General Convention online and in real time.
Arizona Bishop Kirk Smith showed how the folks at home would be able to learn about what General Convention does as it happens. The Presiding Bishop responded:
"There will be a variety of ways that you can be aware of what is going on at General Convention," she said. "There will be a number of events like this [webcast] -- live streaming video from General Convention of committee hearings and the presentations in both houses."
She also mentioned that the worship services would be live as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury's speech about the global economy.
"You can see it as it happens," she said, naming off the availability of Flickr and Twitter, as well as TEC's own Media Hub Internet connection.
In today's instantaneous Internet world, the sights, sounds, actions and missteps of General Convention will be put under the Internet press corps' microscope as religious media -- including VirtueOnline -- flock to Anaheim to witness and report on the latest -- sometimes entertaining and many times soul wrenching -- escapades of The Episcopal Church in action.
Via e-mail, the Associated Press asked the first "live" question of General Convention: How is Convention going to deal with resolution B033, which was forcibly passed at the 2006 convention?
"We currently have 12 prefiled resolutions that deal with B033. These have been assigned to a legislative committee." explained Ms. Anderson. "We can't really predict what will happen with regards to B033 which is the beauty of General Convention. It is up to the participants at General Convention."
"I have been very clear in my public communication for the last several months that my hope is that we do not attempt to repeal past legislation at General Convention," the Presiding Bishop added. "It is a bad practice."
"We will have debate in the House of Deputies on B033 and resolutions that address B033," Ms. Anderson noted. "We also pray for the intervention and help of the Holy Spirit as we are engaging in debate in the House of Deputies."
The host diocese for all this activity, discussion, and prayer is the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, which encompasses Los Angeles County and all or parts of the surrounding counties including Orange, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Ventura and Riverside. The Diocese of Los Angeles is home to LAX and UCLA, the Los Angeles Angels and Lakers, LA Police Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, as well as Mickey Mouse and all his friends, but also Hollywood -- home to many of the stars who dominate the large and small screen.
California has a long Anglican history. Legend holds that Sir Francis Drake first offered a Book of Common Prayer service as he meandered around San Francisco Bay while he explored the Pacific Ocean's California coast for Queen Elizabeth I. Two hundred years later, the Spanish Franciscans were tromping out the El Camino Real with a string of 21 missions designed to evangelize the Indians with the Word and Sacraments. Ruins of some to these historic early Catholic missions are in the heart of the present-day Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.
Since 1895, the City of Angeles has been home to one of the most populous and culturally diverse dioceses in The Episcopal Church with at least five languages being used in liturgy and 10 tongues being used in every day ministry. As the sixth bishop of Los Angeles, Bishop Bruno oversees the spiritual welfare of more than 70,000 souls worshipping in nearly 150 parishes and missions.
Bruno and his Diocese have big plans for the participants at General Convention and its conjoined Episcopal Church Women's Triennial Meeting.
"We, the people of the Diocese of Los Angeles, welcome the General Convention here," the Los Angeles bishop said. "It is important that you come and you enjoy yourselves. You will work, but you will have a lot of fun."
Bishop Bruno is going to be showcasing the various multi-faceted emergent ministries of his Diocese for Convention. On tap are a series of daily events designed to augment and support the overarching Ubuntu Convention theme.
Spiritually, the Diocese will be involved with hosting two main Eucharistic liturgies. An Integrity Eucharist is planned for July 10 with the main mid-convention Sunday Eucharist scheduled for July 12. Then the spiritual dimensions of Ubuntu will be explored through a multimedia tribute to retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
One of the aspects of General Convention are the many on-grounds displays, activities, sideshows and events which swirl around as Convention settles down to the business of the church. The Diocese of Los Angeles is helping to add to that swell of constant motion, sights, sounds and smells.
Some of the highlights of the Diocese's play dates include: a Disney Night where a voice from the past is heard in the poetry and prayers of Malcolm Boyd, of "Are You Running with me Jesus?" fame, and the musical jazz of the late Vince Guaraldi can be re-experienced; and LA Night where Brian McLaren, who is a prominent, yet controversial, voice in the emergent church movement, is slated to help the Diocese expound in it various emergent ministries as an "abundant celebration of creation".
"We have a wonderful experience planned for you on LA Night. We have Brian McLaren as the center piece of what we are doing," the Bishop revealed, "along with clips from all of our emergent ministry, a great light show, and a wonderful rock band."
When night turns to day, the Diocese is planning a series of LA Mid Day events at the Diocese of Los Angeles Hospitality Center, otherwise known as its convention center booth. As the clock strikes 1 p.m. each day, another peek into the internal ministry workings of the Diocese will be afforded Convention goers. On the LA Mid Day radar screen is: the Pacific Rim Ministry, the Economic Development Ministry, Keeping the Faith - Immigration and Refugee Ministries focusing in part on economic development, interfaith partnerships, refugee resettlement, and missions.
Perhaps, though, the pièce de résistance of the diocese's various projects, programs and ministries blending with General Convention, is the emphasis it puts on the youth. The youth will be front and center in this year's General Convention environment.
"Our young people, are inspired to be [the] foundation of the next generation. These people will be excited and understand what Ubuntu means," Bishop Bruno elaborated, "and make a change in the world that will transform the world in the next generation."
After all, it is the youth of today who become the mature Episcopalians of tomorrow, the vestry and standing committees leaders, the delegates to diocesan convention and the deputies at General Convention, the future deacons, priests, bishops and even the presiding bishops who are the future of the Church.
"Children are really important to this Diocese," the Bishop continued. "When I celebrate the Eucharist there will be a child standing at my side in order to make it known in The Episcopal Church that we are concerned about the future and creativity of young people, encouraging them to use their memory, intellect, and reason to decide where they are going as a Christian."
Fr. Straub explained that in the past, General Conventions have helped to make the youth a part of the whole legislative experience, thus helping to ground them in their role and mission of The Episcopal Church in the wider world around them. Each Episcopal province sends two young people to the General Convention's House of Deputies.
"It is vital that the exposure that we give young people at General Convention will create a cadre of people who will go back to their communities and evangelize their fellows," said Straub.
Throughout the duration of the Convention, the sound of hammers, saws, and drills will be heard at the convention arena as the church-wide Episcopal Youth Community gathers to work with Habitat for Humanity and build "Gordon's House".
"It is important that we understand that this Convention will have a lot of youth involved here. There is a Habitat for Humanity build that is going to be taking place on the floor of the arena," the Los Angeles bishop explained. "Young people are coming from all over the country to build a home that is later going to be placed in a community in Westminster (a Los Angeles suburb) and it is going to have an abundant expression of love for a man by the name of Gordon Yeaton -- a long-time priest of this church."
Looking beyond the conclusion of General Convention when sawdust covers the floor, the seats are empty and the sounds of Convention have been silenced, Ms. Anderson hopes that a greater focus and understanding of TEC's mission will be the result of the Ubuntu process.
"My particular hope and dream is that we come away from General Convention a people of mission. I think we do a lot of great mission in The Episcopal Church but it is not a part of our DNA yet," she explained. "My hope is that though conversation, getting to know each other through our intentional mission conversations, meeting other people from other parts around the globe and hearing stories that we tell about ourselves and what drives us to be a part of this amazing Church will empower us to go back to our dioceses with a renewed spirit for mission. That is my dream for this General Convention."
The Presiding Bishop's prayer is that those who participate in General Convention will become "inspired, equipped and challenged to be Episcopalians, to be members of this Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society transforming the world."
"Please come. Please join us," Bishop Bruno beseeched. "Be with us in faith looking towards the future."
---Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline
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