Final Day Thoughts

The House of Deputies adjourned at 5:00 p.m. today. During our 10 days together we considered the 419 resolutions that were submitted to us and completed work on 361 of them making us one of the most productive General Conventions in recent memory. Some of the resolutions we passed such as D025 are already a part of the vocabulary of the church. Others, such as canonical changes and resolutions of courtesy, may seem more mundane. Each, however, was important to somebody and each received careful consideration in committees and on the floor of both houses. As mentioned earlier, this was my first time serving on a committee and it was a fascinating experience. Our days began at 7:00 or 7:30 a.m. with committee meetings and included 4-6 hours on the floor of the House of Deputies, daily Eucharist, alternative Eucharist services in the evening, and ended with the Oregon deputation gathering for Compline each evening about 10:00. A most exhilarating and exhausting two weeks!

Amidst my packing tonight several things stand out – our Sunday morning Eucharist when history was made with the presence of three presiding bishops at the altar; the exhilarating feeling on Monday as we walked out of the House of Deputies after a long session to the news that the House of Bishops had passed D025 by the same convincing majority as we had; and the challenge and pain of passing a budget that charts a new way for our church in the months and years to come.

There is so much more to say about each one of these things. Oregon was well-represented and well-served at this convention. The deputies took our roles very seriously, our alternates filled in for us as needed and followed committee action and the House of Bishops when not serving on the floor. Together we made and witnessed history. Each of us has committed to write a short report on one aspect of convention and to be prepared to speak to congregations and convocations when invited. We look forward to sharing with you.

All in a [few] days' work....

The pace has both slowed and quickened here at General Convention. We have accomplished a lot and have mountains of legislation still to get through, with only two legislative days remaining. It has been difficult to find time to do the kind of reflecting and processing necessary to write a coherent blog post or much of anything else. A couple of points to share this morning:

• Please read D025, now passed in both houses, including the Bishops' amended version. The press, both within the Episcopal Church and around the world, have taken a carefully, beautifully crafted piece of work that expresses our Anglican identity and our longing for right relationship within and beyond our Episcopal Church, and distilled it into a headline, "Episcopal Church Will Ordain Gay Bishops." You can find the actual resolution, at http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/view_leg_detail.aspx?id=986&type=Final


• Yes, both houses have been doing much work in many other areas! A few days ago we approved new canons related to clergy disciplinary processes. While these are very detailed and legalistic, a significant piece, new to the Episcopal Church, is that priests and laity are part of a process of reviewing misconduct of a bishop. Of course one hopes such things will never happen, but if they do, the actions of this convention ensure a more open process.


• We passed a resolution acknowleding the evils of human trafficking and urging congregations to work to end sexual slavery and develop liturgical resources to support such work.


• We heard a presentation from the Program, Budget, and Finance Committee presenting the triennial budget, which we will vote upon today. This presentation was done in joint session, which means that the bishops come down from the House of Bishops and sit with their deputation. We were joined by Bishops Ladehoff and Hampton. Because our deputation sits next to the deputation from Southern Ohio, we also had the pleasure of welcoming the Rt. Rev. Tom Breidenthal, who is enjoying his very first General Convention as a bishop. The budget is not a pretty sight; the Episcopal Church Center is dealing with the same dramatic changes to revenue as churches everywhere--we are indeed all connected! It is our understanding that just prior to the presentation of the budget to the Convention, significant staff reductions were announced to the Church Center staff here at convention. Many specific jobs have been eliminated, and others have been put on notice that their department must cut a percentage of its expenses. Presiding Bishop Katherine spoke to use about the budget and the upcoming changes, stressing the tension between "our scarcity and God's abundance." She also spoke of a new reality of the structure for the Episcopal Church, which is of a "network of service organizations" which will carry out the real work of the Episcopal Church, which is mission. (In her sermon for the opening Eucharist for convention over a week ago, she spoke of heartbeat of our Church: mission, mission, mission, mission....So in her introduction to the budget presentation she said that there will be some death in this budget, but that the heart of our Church will continue to beat.) For more about the budget from Episcopal Life, read http://www.episcopalchurch.org/78650_112611_ENG_HTM.htm.


• Both houses approved the Denominational Health Plan, or DHP. This means, in brief, that by the end of 2012, all dioceses will participate in a national denominational health plan providing a variety of health insurance plans for clergy and for lay staff working 30 hours/week or more.


• Both houses approved mandatory pension for lay employees working 20 hours/week or more. Note that this practice has been in place in our diocese for some time.

It has been a great privilege to be here with the Oregon Deputation in Anaheim, and I look forward to participating in the life of our Church in the future! (I am leaving Friday morning and hoping that some of my fellow bloggers will have a few more things to share in the last days of convention.)

A more open episcopacy? Yes!

The big news from General Convention today is that the Bishops passed by a 2-to-1 margin Resolution D025, which was passed by a similar margin yesterday in the House of Deputies. This is a significant affirmation of our Anglican identity. More details can be found at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112523_ENG_HTM.htm. Take time to read the resolution in detail. Great stuff! Those who were present with the House of Bishops this afternoon said they worked very, very hard. During the Deputies' debate on D025 several people asked: "Will this revoke B033?" The answer is that while B033 called for a time of moratorium and restraint, D025 affirms the canons of the Episcopal Church as our source of authority for moving through the ordination process. This does not technically revoke B033, but does effectively "move beyond it," which seems to be the will of many participating in this year's General Convention.

"You are Anglicans"

(Posted by Sara but written by Wes--thanks, Wes!)

“You are Anglicans"

These were the words from a guest from the Anglican Church of Canada spoken to the House of Deputies on Saturday afternoon. He among other representatives from the Anglican churches in Ghana, Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, and New Zealand assured us of their ongoing affection for The Episcopal Church. While this gesture might be interpreted as simple pleasantry, it appeared to our deputation from Oregon to be genuine. With the upcoming issues relating to 2006-B033 (refraining from consecrating anyone who’s life was a challenge to the greater church), the assurance that we are Anglicans was very moving for me. I thought I was of the mind that while the Anglican Communion was important, justice for all people was more so, even at the cost of our relationship with the broader church; but when the words, “You are Anglicans” were spoken, I was nearly moved to tears. Being assured of our place at the global table, our importance to those in other parts of this world, and the fact that we will still be loved and necessary regardless of how our votes go was very affirming and quite uplifting as we move into a long week of business. We ARE Anglicans because, among other reasons, as one of the phrases in sending out home communion ministers goes, “We who are many are one body, because we all share in one bread, one cup.” Particularly on this, the day of worship for many, may we find this notion to be true.

A multinational church

Here's a photo the convention floor. Not very exciting, I know! What is exciting to me is the array of flags that form the backdrop to the dias at the front of the House of Deputies, reminding all of us that we are no longer the "national church" (if we ever were) but a multinational community supported by many other such communities around the world. Saturday afternoon, House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson invited an array of international guests to address the House. All of them, each in their own way, reminded us that we are not alone in our struggles to move into a place of full inclusion while remaining faithful to our God and to our world community. For more informatiojn about this afternoon's guests and their remarks, follow this link:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112399_ENG_HTM.htm

What’s up with B033 at GC2009?

Warning: This post may contain far more information than you want. It may contain less information than you want. Its intent is to provide a bit of background to a Resolution that has not yet been debated or acted upon by the House of Deputies.

What is Resolution B033? Resolution B033 was famously passed during the last hour of the 2006 General Convention, as a response to the Windsor Report from representatives of the Anglican Communion. The Windsor Report was itself a response to the strained and broken relationships resulting from reactions to our Episcopal Church’s consent to the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson. Here’s the text, for your reading pleasure:

Resolved, That the 75th General Convention receive and embrace The Windsor Report's invitation to engage in a process of healing and reconciliation; and be it further
Resolved, That this Convention therefore call upon Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.

Those of you who watched the development and response to B033 three years ago remember the discomfort that many of our Oregon deputation and many others felt with Resolution B033. The 2006 General Convention passed this resolution in part as a move toward reconciliation with other parts in the Anglican Communion and in hopes that it would make it possible for our Episcopal Church to continue to be a “big tent” for all, and for our then newly-elected Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori to be welcomed into the community of primates. Some of us remember the mixed results of B033 with regard to both of these areas.

The World Affairs legislative committee of this 2009 General Convention, most ably served by Anne McCollom of our Oregon deputation, has been hard at work crafting a resolution that presents a more expansive and faithful position of The Episcopal Church to the Anglican Communion. You can read and track this new resolution, B025, by going to http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation.

The background of this developing resolution—upon which the World Affairs Committee hopes the House of Deputies will act early the week of July 12—is a holy conversation facilitated among all 830-plus members of the House of Deputies held this past Thursday, and referred to as a “committee of the whole.” During that conversation, using the questions employed in the Public Narrative process (see my earlier blog post), we explored our own experience and feelings about B033, and members of the House of Deputies heard and gave testimony. about their own story about B033, our Church’s story about B033, and what God may be calling us to do. There are several distinct but overlapping t issues that call many at this Convention to want to move beyond B033:

• The desire to welcome all people to the Episcopal Church as full members with equal access to all sacraments
• The longing, on behalf of priests, to be able to minister fully to every member of their congregations, including to those who are in same-sex committed relationships.
• The desire of many with deep concerns about the human suffering around the world, to move through and beyond these issues so that mission and the healing and transformation of the world can return to its rightful place in the center of our Church’s work.

The wish to use our own canonical process to determine the fitness for ordained ministry of candidates called to ministry.

• There are other equally distinct yet overlapping concerns about how we might choose, as a Convention, to continue or modify B033, which were also voiced in the testimony during the committee of the whole:
• The concern that any action of the convention other than reaffirming our commitment to the position stated in B033 would impair our fragile relationships with other parts of our Anglican Communion
• The position that full access for all baptized people to all the sacraments of the Church is contrary to scripture and tradition.
• Concern that more people would leave the Episcopal Church at a time when the Church as a whole is experiencing decline and many parishes are experiencing financial anxiety.

The Committee of the Whole was a new experience for General Convention, a time of sharing without debate. There was no “pro” or “con,” no named resolutions under discussion. The purpose was to prepare the House of Deputies for the work to come, including discussion of Resolution D025, which may come before the House as early as Sunday, July 12. Stay tuned!

Are you itching for more information?

My sense from being here as a first-time deputy is that it takes a while before newsworthy things start happening on the legislative side of things....However, there are many, many people here whose full-time job is not to be deputies but to provide up-to-the-minute information about convention. Here, again, are some links to sites that provide some of that news:

gc2009.org/viewlegislation
gchub.episcopalchurch.org
sites.google.com/site/allthesacraments

What is "Public Narrative"?

First of all, the bird of paradise doesn’t really have anything to do with this post about Public Narrative, but is a little bonus for your visual enjoyment! It is also an emblem of the fact that most of us come from a completely different setting and climate to gather in this place. Seeing these “birds” growing along the sidewalks next to palm trees is a reminder to me that I’m not in Oregon any more, and there is something much larger than me, my parish, or my diocese being formed and lead in this gathering.

Public Narrative, a process developed by Harvard Kennedy School professor Marshall Gantz, is the structure for a series of “mission conversations” held throughout General Convention. Here’s a description of Public Narrative from the Kennedy School website: “Public narrative is how we turn values into action — the discursive process by which individuals, communities, and nations construct identity, formulate choices, and motivate action. Because we use narrative to engage the “head” and the “heart,” it both instructs and inspires, teaching us not only how we ought to act, but motivating us to act thus engaging the “hands” as well. Public narrative is a leadership art composed of three elements: a story of self, a story of us, and a story of now. A story of self communicates who I am — my values, my experience, why I do what I do. A story of us communicates who we are — our shared values, our shared experience, and why we do what we do. And a story of now articulates the present as a moment of challenge, choice, and hope."

We’ve had only one “mission conversation so far,” in which a group from our diocese gathered around a table and shared “stories of self.” However, during a “committee of the whole” session in the House of Deputies, we used a structure inspired by Public Narrative to have a holy conversation with the person next to us. (See an upcoming post, “What’s up with B033?”which I hope to post later this evening.) We meet this afternoon for a second mission conversation, when we will be sharing “stories of us.”

How welcoming are we?

As has been the case at General Convention for many years, there are many resolutions under discussion relating to the development of rites of blessing for same-sex relationships. The "legalization" of marriage between same-sex couples in six states has changed the conversation somewhat. There are also resolutions relating to the ordination of partnered gay and lesbian clergy, particularly bishops. These conversations are currently happening in legislative committee meetings and hearings. Those of you who are following General Convention closely will have your favorite site on which to track these resolutions, such as http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation or the Integrity General Convention portal, http://sites.google.com/site/allthesacraments/Home/Resolutions. I expect these resolutions will actually come to the convention floor during the week of July 12. As someone from a diocese where there are a variety of experiences and perspective on these issues, it has been helpful for me to hear the testimony of folks from all over our Church. Integrity has done a wonderful job this year of encapsulating all the issues in one message, emblazoned on their logo. This message, "all the sacraments for all the baptized," asks us to think about our own parishes, our families, and our friends. The message begs the question: are there circumstances under which some of the sacraments might be denied to baptized Christians? For some readers, this is a rhetorical question only. For others, it is a very real question. There are exciting conversations happening here that call us into deeper reflection about theology of baptism, theology of marriage, and more. Stay tuned!

The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!

As we begin the second legislative day, I think it's safe to say that General Convention is truly underway. Here's a photo of the sign Barb mentioned in her earlier post would be a good way to begin to share my own experiences. The very massiveness of the banner and the convention center on which it hangs is a good emblem for the Convention as a whole. Although it's easy to get overtaken by one's own experience of being overwhelmed--the metaphor "taking a drink of water from a fire hose" is often used to describe General Convention--more than overwhelming it is exciting and joyful to take in the sheer massiveness of convention. The world of the Episcopal Church is much, much larger than it looks from our heavenly corner of God's creation in Oregon. There are people here of all ages and stages of life, not only from all over the country, but from all over the world. This morning I simply want to share this picture and the Good News that our church is alive and well and reaching to the ends of the earth.

General Convention is…..

Today things really started to feel like General Convention. Registration opened at 9:00 this morning and I was helped by a smiling woman named Margaret Watson. Her husband, Joel, served as a priest in the southern part of our diocese. As I understand it, Margaret is now a priest in Virginia. She handed me my nametag and the big 4” deputy binder that this year is appropriately environmental rather than the usual vinyl. Margaret said it is guaranteed to withstand two cups of coffee being spilled on it, but might self-destruct in the rain or the shower. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like we are going to get any rain in the next ten days and I will refrain from reading resolutions in the shower!

Many volunteers and exhibitors are already here and bishops and deputies are starting to arrive. By the end of our time together, approximately 8000 people will have been a part of this convention. I have been told that makes us the third largest convention regularly held in the United States, the larger two being the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention. Sometimes I hear grumblings that General Convention is too big, too long, and too expensive; but to me, General Convention is central to what it means to be an Episcopalian because it means that we the people have a voice in how our church is governed. I wish every Episcopalian had the opportunity to attend at least one General Convention.

As I walked into the Exhibit Hall this morning, I was greeted by a giant mural featuring the many faces of the Episcopal Church with the following words: “We follow Christ, We Create, We Think, We Debate, We Do Unto Others, We Worship Together.” Each of those statements describes General Convention and The Episcopal Church. Today I am going to focus on the “We Debate” part and say a few words about the legislative work of General Convention.

Since The Episcopal Church came into being at the same time as the United States of America, and some of the same people were involved in the birth of both, it is no surprise that we are organized in a similar fashion. The House of Bishops is somewhat analogous to the senate. It is the smaller of the two houses and people tend to serve on it for a long time. The House of Bishops is also affectionately referred to as the “junior house” because it came into being later than the House of Deputies. Two of the bishops that we think of as “our bishops” will be a part of the House of Bishops this year – our retired bishop, The Rt. Rev. Robert Ladehoff and our current Assisting Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Sanford Hampton. However, because of the somewhat unique circumstance the Diocese of Oregon is in right now, neither Bishop Ladehoff nor Bishop Hampton will be officially recognized as Bishop of Oregon. As retired bishops, they will have both voice and vote - although that may change after this convention. Also seated in the House of Bishops will be close to a dozen men and women who served as priests in the Diocese of Oregon at various times. I said hello to one of them this morning, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who was an assisting priest at Church of the Good Samaritan in Corvallis before she was elected Bishop of Nevada. And Robert Morrison and I had lunch today with another, Neff Powell, who served as priest at St. Bede’s Forest Grove and Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Oregon before moving to North Carolina and being called as Bishop of Southwestern Virginia. We were joined for lunch by Neff’s wife Dorothy, and their son Bingham who currently serves as an assisting priest at St. Mary’s, Eugene.

So much for the House of Bishops……..The House of Deputies is the larger and older of the two houses and it is what sets The Episcopal Church apart from many parts of the Anglican Communion. It is the House of Deputies that gives laity and clergy equal voice with bishops in determining policy in The Episcopal Church. Each diocese elects and sends four clergy and four laypeople to be seated on the floor of the House of Deputies. Because 100 domestic dioceses and close to a dozen international dioceses and convocations belong to The Episcopal Church, there will be over 800 people sitting on floor of the House of Deputies.

This year our clergy deputies are:
Anne Bartlett – Trinity, Ashland
Wes Sedlacek – St. Martin’s, Lebanon and chaplain at Good Samaritan, Albany
Sara Fischer – St. David of Wales, Portland
Robert Morrison – St. James, Lincoln City
Alternates: JoAnn Leach – Christ Church, Lake Oswego; Caroline Litzenberger – St. Michael and All Angels, Portland; Robert Bryant – St. John the Baptist, Portland; and Jim Boston – recently retired from St. Luke’s, Grants Pass.

The elected lay deputies are:
1. Barbara Ross – Prince of Peace, Salem
2. Anne McCollom – Trinity, Ashland
3. Sharon Rodgers – St. Mary’s, Eugene
4. Adam Holdorph – St. Mark’s, Medford and a student at Portland State University
Alternates: Mike Penfield – St. John the Baptist, Portland; Ann Hargraves – St. Michael and All Angels, Portland; Melaia McKinley Kilduff – St. Luke’s by the Sea, Waldport; and Ellen Nesbitt, whose husband recently retired as priest at St. David of Wales, Portland.

The word deputy is crucial. Each diocese elects deputies, not delegates. As deputies, we are not elected to serve as representatives of our diocese, but instead to read, study, pray and be open to the work of the Holy Spirit so that can honor God, follow Christ, and make decisions that are in the best long-term interest of our beloved church. We are required to vote on every issue. We cannot abstain on any vote.

Much of the work of General Convention is done in committees. Every resolution that is submitted to convention is assigned to a committee where testimony is taken; resolutions are reworked and/or combined with other resolutions, or tabled. The resolutions that are approved by committees will move forward and then must be passed by both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. This year, four of our deputies will be serving on committees: Anne Bartlett – Urban and Social Affairs; Robert Morrison – Communications; Barbara Ross – Education; and Anne McCollom – World Mission.

The deputies of the Diocese of Oregon take our roles seriously. We have been gathering as a group every few months for the past two years to build community, study the issues, and pray together. Tonight we will be gathering as a group for the first time in Anaheim. I ask for your prayers in the days and nights to come as we do our best to honor God, follow Christ, and make decisions that our in the best long-term interest of our beloved church.

Discovery Center/Exhibit Hall

Although General Convention is primarily a legislative session, it is much more than that. I’ve already mentioned the family reunion feel to it. General Convention is also a chance to experience the breadth and depth of the Episcopal Church. One of the places that this is most evident is in the Exhibit Hall, a huge area highlighting the work of hundreds of official and semi-official Episcopal Church organizations and causes. One of the big exhibits that has been a part of the last four General Conventions is a large area dedicated to sharing the best in Christian education and formation resources and practices. It has become the responsibility of the hosting province to organize the Discovery Center. Since Anaheim is in Province VIII, Western Episcopal Educators, the Province VIII Christian Education network, accepted this challenge. My colleague Stephanie Wight and I were invited to serve on the design team for the Discovery Center, and we, together with our Christian Education counterpoints from around the province, have been planning and working on it for almost two years. Today we began to see all of our hard work come to fruition.

At 8:00 this morning, we were there when the doors to the Exhibit Hall opened for set-up. In conventions past, I have arrived after the Exhibit Hall was all set up and, while it is a thrill in itself to walk into a gigantic room filled with all things Episcopal, being there today to see the whole thing literally grow from the ground up was quite an experience. Framework, curtains, boxes, forklifts, ladders, and people scurrying everywhere. Because our Discovery Center is large, it will be a two-day set-up. Today the giant framework was erected, curtains and some of the signage hung, electrical connections and carpeting laid, furniture arranged, and many boxes unloaded and unpacked. Tomorrow will be spent arranging books and other displays and making final preparations for the grand opening of the Exhibit Hall on Tuesday.

Theme for this year’s Discovery Center is Studio 8 and the focus is on Lifelong Christian Formation. The days will be organized around the following themes:

Tuesday and Wednesday, July 7-8, 2009 - WE ARE FAMILY
(Diversity, peace and tolerance, reconciliation, and the Face of Province 8)

Thursday and Friday, July 9-10, 2009 - THE GLOBAL VILLAGE
(MDGs, mission, world health, global development)

Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, 2009 - CROSSROADS
(The intersection of culture, media, technology with faith and religion)

Monday and Tuesday, July 13-14, 2009 - HEALING OUR PLANET EARTH
(The environment, Genesis Covenant, care for creation, our relationship with the physical world)

Wednesday and Thursday, July 15-16, 2009 - GOD’S ECONOMY
(Consumerism, stewardship, kids and money, and simple living)

Each day will feature speakers and presenters from across the church including our own Hispanic Missioner, The Rev. Roberto Arciniega, who will be working with the Province VIII Latino/Hispanic network. For a complete description of Discovery Center activities, go to http://www.provinceviii.org. I’m really proud of this cooperative venture between the Evangelism and Congregational Life office of the Episcopal Church Center, Province VIII, and its member dioceses. To me it highlights three of the many things I love about the Episcopal Church – our connectedness, our love of learning, and the experience of being a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Anaheim

My trip to Anaheim was blessedly uneventful. PDX was very quiet and my Alaska flight was only about 1/3 full. I suppose most people were already where they wanted to be on a holiday afternoon. I took the shuttle from the airport to the hotel and it was great to see a huge blue “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You” banner hanging from the Convention Center as we arrived. Also on my shuttle were two members of the staff from the General Convention Office in New York City. One of them is responsible for publications and we had fun visiting about the massive job of putting together the Blue Book (the big thick book of convention reports and resolutions). She is an Episcopalian originally from the Diocese of South Carolina. We discovered we had another connection in that both of us had children who attended Dartmouth. As Bishop Sandy often says, the Episcopal Church is just one big family.

Things may have been quiet in the airport, but our hotel was booming. People were lined up all over the place. I later learned this was the last night of an international Barbershop Chorus competition. They are now leaving and the Episcopalians will start arriving in force. Anaheim provides a different ambiance than the previous two General Conventions I have attended which were held in downtown Minneapolis (2003) and Columbus (2009). This is very California (lots of palm trees, big buildings, concrete, and parking lots) and very convention-oriented. Everything will be convenient here, but I will miss the life, vitality, and variety of the big cities.

I know of four people from the Diocese of Oregon who arrived on July 4. Arlene Ullman, who graciously came back from retirement to serve as a member of the Diocese of Oregon administrative team during our time of transition, continues to volunteer at General Convention as part of the secretariat for the House of Bishops. My colleague Steph Wight and I came to set up the Discovery Center, the large interactive Christian formation area in the Exhibit Hall. More on that later. And my fellow deputy, The Rev. Robert Morrison, likes to arrive early for events and get the lay of the land. Bob is wonderful to have in a group for many reasons, but one of them is because he always knows where everything is. Bob did some exploring yesterday afternoon and watched the Disneyland fireworks last evening which he said weren’t much more spectacular than the show that Lincoln City puts on every year. I could hear the fireworks from my room, but since I arrived late, I opted to unpack and get settled in a bit. It’s going to be a very busy two weeks!

Greetings!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Greetings! My name is Barbara Ross and I am the Missioner for Lifelong Christian Formation in the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon. I also am a deputy to General Convention and it is in that capacity that I have accepted the invitation to be a part of the Oregon General Convention 2009 blogging team. I will be joined occasionally by my fellow deputies, The Rev. Sara Fischer and The Rev. Wes Sedlacek, and by Catherine Healy, our former Missioner for Youth, Young Adults, and Higher Education. Catherine and Michelle Harvey, both members of Ss. Peter & Paul of Portland, are attending General Convention as part of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship Young Adult presence. Catherine and Michelle, who some of you may remember as one of the panelists at the recent Baptismal Ministry Conference with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, are two of the eight young adults selected nationwide for this experience which is quite an honor for the Diocese of Oregon. The five of us are among the more than 40 people from the Diocese of Oregon who will be attending General Convention in various capacities. I’ll try to highlight the work of all in the days ahead.

This will be my first attempt at blogging, but my third General Convention. My hope is that I can share with you what it’s like to be a part of such an extraordinary tradition. Today, however, I am busy doing laundry and packing as I fly out to Anaheim tomorrow. If all goes well, you will hear from me again tomorrow!