In the debate on the floor of the House of Deputies on D025 (the resolution, now passed, that was an opportunity of truth telling about where we as a church are - committed to our place in the Anglican Communion, and committed to working within our Constitutions and Canons), someone on the floor of the House of Deputies spoke about our relationships across the Anglican Communion: "they have never been stronger." She talked about the work of the Holy Spirit bringing us to this moment - this moment when we have done so much Spirit led work of connecting through the MDGs. More parishes and dioceses have specific on-the-ground relational mission-based connections than maybe at any previous time in our history. It is not a time of ''institution' but a time of joint mission. I don't know if the institutional connections will change, but I do believe that we will remain connected.
I had an amazing opportunity in San Francisco, Sunday night a week ago, before flying south on Monday to get started on GC. I ended up doing dinner with Archbishop Chama of the Province of Central Africa. It has been wonderful to continually cross paths with him here at General Convention, although he headed home yesterday. Archbishop Chama came to listen and to try to understand our cultural context. I encouraged him to share some of his cultural context, and he shared about their pressing concerns (mostly surrounding their central cultural value of hospitality, and how that plays out in a changing world, affected by the incursion of Western consumerist and individualistic values, and the fallout of the economic crisis). He didn't understand our cultural context around the issues of sexuality, but wanted to hear us and learn. One thing he did say was to the effect that there is no room in the Anglican Communion for the likes of Bob Duncan and his behavior. If you want to leave the church, fine! Leave the church. But he wants to leave, and to not leave, all at the same time. And to keep the property. And that there is also no excuse for the behavior of some African bishops who have been consecrating bishops for America." Needless to say, with that ringing in my ears from an African Archbishop . . . I came to General Convention with some real hope in my heart.
And if you have NOT read Dr. Jenny Te Paa's remarks to the House of Deputies, you really must. It is all about our connections with the Anglican Communion. She was a member of the Lambeth Commission that produced the Windsor Report. You can find her remarks here:
http://ecusa.anglican.org/
Today, after the afternoon's legislative session, I joined the Disney Worker's demonstration. Disney is not being fair to its Hotel workers - many many are being reduced to 'casual workers', despite working forDisney for decades. They are losing access to health benefits. There was an amazingly large crowd that I and many other Episcopalians from Convention joined. We marched to the entrance of Disneyland, where there were a number of speeches from bishops and city council leaders and union leaders. And then . . . and then I got to anoint and bless many many mostly hispanic workers, who had come seeking answers and hoping for justice.
http://www.episcopal-life.org/
Gene shows up in almost all of them. Doug shows up in one.
http://www.ocregister.com/
Ellie and Betsy are here:
http://www.ocregister.com/
and Heidi, Celeste and I are here:
http://www.ocregister.com/
The other really powerful time today was when the inter-religious visitors joined us, and the Jewish rabbi began chanting. Then he stopped, and the Muslim call to prayer began. Then he stopped, and then the Christian minister began a chant of blessing. He didn't stop. And the Muslim call began again. And then the Jewish chant was added to the other two. The three continued - together but not in any kind of harmony. They were all separate, but together in a way that I really haven't figured out words for yet. It was haunting and deeply Spirit filled and I felt drawn into such a thin place in the midst of that monstrously large convention hall.
Now I'm pretty worn out, and heading to bed. Tomorrow we get the Budget presented to us! Pray for us as we enter debate about funding!
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