How many General Conventions have you participated in; did you
ever visit GC simply to see what it's all about?
Deputy Michael Booker was a
visitor in Indianapolis (2012) and a deputy in Salt Lake City (2015). “It was really interesting to go as a visitor in 2012. If you can go for a few days, I strongly recommend it.”
Deputy Robert Dunlap attended GC in 2012 as an observer and volunteer at the Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission exhibition booth. “I spent a great deal of time observing the House of Bishops, House of Deputies, committee meetings, and also talked with deputies, bishops, and committee witnesses.”
Deputy Lisa Fox began closely following GC in 2009. “During and after that convention, I engaged with many bishops and deputies online. That’s when I ‘got the GC bug.’” She was a deputy in 2012, elected again for 2015 but a health issue kept her from attending. “I look forward to returning this year.”
For Deputy Betty Bowersox, this is a first GC. She’s followed the previous two online, and attended the reporting sessions held by the deputation afterward in St. Louis. “Those sessions were very informative and I would encourage others to attend when this year’s deputies return from GC.”
Deputy Luke Jernagan served in ‘06, ‘09, and ‘12 as an Assistant Secretary to the House of Deputies. His role was to record each vote of the house for the official convention journal. “The first General Convention in which I served took place literally a month after I graduated from seminary!”
It’s the second GC for Deputies Mark Sluss and Liz Yount and the sixth for Deputy Tamsen Whistler. As one of this year’s alternates,
Liz is not planning on attending GC; three years ago she served as an alternate and then deputy in Salt Lake City. “I enjoyed the meetings leading up to GC and learning what is going on in the greater Church.”
Deputy Adrienne Dillon attended as an alternate from Massachusetts in 1994, a Deputy in 1997, and went to Denver as a volunteer in 2000. She watched the 2015 convention as it was livestreamed and is very excited to attend this convention in Austin as an alternate.
Deputy Todd McDowell was a legislative page (volunteer) for the House of Bishops at GC 2000 in Denver. “I have a great poster framed in my office from GC MM. My family and I visited GC in Indianapolis for a few days to catch up with friends from around the church and experience the church gathered.”
What are you looking forward to at GC in Austin?
General Convention has official and unofficial business. The official business is legislative…the resolutions to be debated, voted on, recorded, etc. The unofficial business is the important, sacred work of gathering together with several thousand fellow Episcopalians from around the world in worship, prayer, fellowship, and festivities. It is a blessing to spend time with old friends, meet new ones, and learn about what the Holy Spirit is doing throughout the Church. The unofficial business is what I anticipate most. –Deputy Jernagan
One of the great things that happens each day is when everyone gathers in the evening to unwind and discuss the day's events. The diocese has a hotel suite for these gatherings and visitors are welcome. It's a great opportunity to ask questions. –Deputy Booker
I always look forward to GC as a marvelous family reunion. I am eager to see again in person dozens of people with whom I generally have only online/email contact. I exchange more hugs in a GC than I do in a year of “normal time.”
I look forward to the deliberations in the House of Deputies. Our Missouri deputation has spent a lot of time preparing for Convention. We have studied the reports and proposed resolutions and shared perspectives about them. Something special happens when I’m actually on the floor of the House. I hear and listen closely to statements offered by deputies from the entire Church. Sometimes I am surprised by the Holy Spirit to hear more deeply and even vote in ways I had not anticipated. —Deputy Fox
When I traveled for my job or my professional society, if I was out of town on a Sunday morning I'd try to visit a local Episcopal or Anglican church service; there has always been a foundational familiarity that makes me feel comfortable and welcomed in my worship. At the General Convention I am looking forward to meeting more of my brethren from around the USA, rejoicing in our commonalities and trying to understand and reconcile our differences. For a number of years I've seen and been involved in the leadership and strategic planning of a global technical organization, so I am intrigued what differences and similarities I'll see in the governance of our church; hoping--no, expecting--that less ego and more contemplation, prayer, and love will be experienced in the work.—Deputy Bowersox
I look forward to learning more about how things are done. I am serving on the Dispatch of Business Committee, and will work as a liaison with the Ecumenical and interreligious Relations Committee. Also to reconnect with old friends, in other dioceses—Deputy Sluss
I am especially interested in the church's work in racial justice and reconciliation.--Deputy Dillon
I will be proud to be part of our work involving secular issues including immigration, anti-racism, #meToo, and disaster recovery which have been in the news lately. In addition to a number of church and faith issues involving liturgy, ministry, inter-faith dialog, and transition ministry which will strengthen the church and faith community. –Deputy Dunlap
I'm looking forward to being part of the depth, breadth, and diversity of the Episcopal Church; discussing and struggling with a variety of issues affecting us around the world and here at home; being with former seminary classmates and friends across the country; the "Market place," in which I will find all kinds of opportunities to learn more about every corner of the Episcopal Church--not to mention, shop; and worship with thousands of other Episcopalians, with excellent preaching, a variety of music, and again, a visual, visceral, experience of the huge tent which is our church. –Deputy Whistler
Is
there any piece of this upcoming work that is heavy on your heart?
There are a number of resolutions that allude to tension between the House of Deputies and House of Bishops, with emphasis on the role of the President of the House of Deputies. This is clearly “insider baseball.” I doubt any of it will make the front page of the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal! That said, I pray for swift consensus so that we may focus on our more urgent work of growing the church through worship, evangelism, and service to those in greatest need. –Deputy Jernagan
There is. And the interesting thing is that I started out being in favor of one side of an issue, and through discussion and reading I'm starting to be in favor of the other side. But that's the point of publishing all the committee reports and preliminary resolutions prior to the convention in the online Blue Book. It provides a means for deputies and other interested parties to electronically communicate additional information and viewpoints. Our own diocesan deputation met five times prior to convention to discuss some of these issues together prior to leaving for Austin.—Deputy Bowersox
There are several issues that we will discuss in Austin that go to the very heart of what it means to be Episcopalian. It worries me that there are some proposals that look perfectly reasonable, but that will have unfortunate consequences down the road.—Deputy Booker
Several deputies identified resolutions around adoption of the same sex
marriage rite, and Deputy Fox added, “I know we are going to vote again on the
authorization of the liturgy for same sex marriage. I know this is a troubling
topic for some people, and our votes in Austin will cause some to rejoice and
others to grieve. I wish it could be otherwise.”
Much interest in how the resolutions will change and develop, and interested in the diverse opinions from the church. The deputation has done a lot of advance work in preparing for GC. Lots of reading, summaries, discussions--and now we get to listen and share with the wider church. Did I mention listen! –Deputy McDowell
I am a bit overwhelmed about the number and range of topics we will be asked to address: liturgy and Prayer Book topics, the structure and governance of our Church, the search for peace in the Middle East, racial reconciliation in our own nation, the stewardship of creation, and more. Reading the materials in preparation for GC is like “drinking from a fire hose” (as the saying goes). I have learned in the past GCs that I can lean upon the wisdom of our other deputies and our bishop, as well as the gathered insights from the entire House of Deputies to discern a way. I’m sure I will make some votes about which I am ambivalent. But I also know from past experience that the Holy Spirit truly does work within our prayerful deliberations, and I will feel peace about most of our work. –Deputy Fox
Conflict, competition, and deep disagreement have been part of the Church from the beginning--just look at the Book of Acts--but I really don't like it, particularly the level of pain for various parties who hold deeply opposing views. I pray for a willingness to find common ground and work from there; and I know that, even so, we will make decisions that may be deeply disappointing, possibly devastating, to one group of people or another. We will approach everything prayerfully, respectfully, and with integrity. –Deputy Whistler
Not that you'll see much of it, but, have you visited Austin
before?
It’s a
first time in Austin for Deputies Booker, Sluss, and Bowersox. Deputy Dunlap
was born in nearby Houston but hasn’t been back to Austin for some years.
I've been in Austin once, about 25 years ago. I'm really looking to whatever time will be available to walk around a bit, We toured the capitol, as I remember, found the Seminary of the Southwest, and were blown away by the size of the University of Texas campus--it goes for blocks and blocks and blocks.—Deputy Whistler
Was there a few years ago for a CEEP conference and then for a day this last February for a funeral. Visiting all the presidential libraries are on my bucket list, so several years ago I visited LBJ’s at UT in Austin and rented a car to drive out to George HW Bush’s in College Station. And visited LBJ’s ranch (the summer White House).—Deputy McDowell
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