July 4th at GC2012

Most of the New Hampshire deputation arrived yesterday, if not earlier. Our lay and clergy alternates arrived today.

It was a busy day of registration, initial committee meetings, public hearings, a joint non-legislative session of Convention, orientation, more committee meetings, our deputation gathering...and then the day ended with a bang!

When I was taking a photo of the deserted House of Deputies (in the Indiana Convention Center), a deputy from South Dakota offered to take my photo.

Our deputation sits in the back of the hall, near the middle. (In Anaheim, we were way up front. The view from the "cheap seats" during an address by the Presiding Bishop to a joint session (deputies and bishops attending).

After Bishop Katharine's remarks, Dr. Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, also gave an address.

Our first deputation meeting in Indy took place in the 24th floor suite at 7 p.m. The purpose of this daily gathering is to share what we experienced in our committees and elsewhere, to give updates, and to provide information on upcoming hearings on resolutions of interest, as well as other events. It's a chance to catch up and socialize. Our suite is a place of hospitality for all Granite Staters in Indy, and other friends/visitors are welcome. Pictured here are Betsy, Bonnie, Judith, and our Bishop.

The newest member of our group: Rob, our Bishop Coadjutor-Elect. The Committee on Consents approved his election, and both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops will vote tomorrow afternoon.

As he departed for the Church Pension Group dinner, the Bishop pointed to Rob and said "I'm leaving you in charge of this group," as Suzie looked on.

Richard gets Cate up to speed with our wonderful group text messaging system. Also pictured: Jason, Celeste, Mark, and Bill.

Our group disbanded, most of us heading to the restaurant downstairs for a bite or a beverage. From there some of us saw the post-game fireworks at the adjacent baseball stadium. And those of us with a view of downtown from our hotel room window were able to watch the city fireworks display. July 4th really did end with a bang!

Tomorrow is the First Legislative Day.

For those who want to keep up with all the action via Twitter, there is a #GC77 hashtag. (Because this is the 77th General Convention.) Click here to follow the live tweets. No need to log in or sign up for Twitter.