11/07: Friday, July 10, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
It’s near the end of the third legislative day as I write this. The days are long, and I’m getting tired.
One of the great blessings of General Convention is being in contact with old friends and making new one. In the “old friends” category is t he Rev’d Canon Ginny Doctor, who is the Bishop’s assistant in Alaska. It was Ginny who placed me in Eagle, Alaska, as a six-week part of my sabbatical in 2004. She is among the many Alaskans who have become my friends, and I ran into her this afternoon at General Convention. Perhaps you’re aware that there were terrible floods in Eagle in early May. St. John’s Church (where I served for six weeks) was swept away by the floods. But Ginny tells me that they were able to locate the old church bell as well as the baptismal font. I had corresponded with Ginny by email in mid-May, and I then sent a collection of photos that I took of the church in 2004. I thought that perhaps the Dioc ese might want to have photos of the now-destroyed church in their archives. Ginny told me this afternoon that the photos of the interior of the Church were extremely helpful for their insurance claims, and made a significant difference in the amount that they were able to recover from the insurance company. I was glad that I made a difference for them.
The Archbishop of Canterbury was at Convention on Wednesday and Thursday. He spoke on Wednesday evening in regard to the environment and the economy. He also preached at the Eucharist on Thursday morning. He’s certainly a brilliant man, and a joy to meet and to hear. I’m not so certain that he’s as engaging with The Episcopal Church in general. Many of us (including myself) don’t think he’s been terribly interested in hearing the concerns of The Episcopal Church.
One of the major matters that General Convention will consider is the issue of gay bishops. In 2003, Gene Robinson (a gay priest) was elected and consecrated bishop of New Hampshire. This provoked something of a crisis among many Anglicans around the world. Under much pressure, the General Convention in 2006 passed a resolution promising that Bishops and Standing Committees would not grant consent to anyone elected bishops “whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.” There is much debate on whether that resolution accomplished what it set out to do. For many Episcopalians, it seems as though the rest of the Anglican Communion has chosen to ignore this restraint. In particular, various Anglican groups outside the United States have continued to try to draw dioceses, congregations, and individuals away from The Episcopal Church and into foreign jurisdictions. A local example for us is the move of St. Bartholomew’s in Tonawanda to the care of the Diocese of Argentina.
As a result, there is a lot of support for taking some sort of action which would supercede the 2006 resolution. Personally, I’m inclined to agree with such a proposal, though no specific resolution has yet been formally presented. And until such a resolution appears, it’s hard to say how anyone might vote. Our House of Deputies spent an hour today listening to testimony from 30 members of the House on this issue. It will be a difficult time. Please keep me and the General Convention in your prayers. Thanks.
Blessings
Fr. Earle
It’s near the end of the third legislative day as I write this. The days are long, and I’m getting tired.
One of the great blessings of General Convention is being in contact with old friends and making new one. In the “old friends” category is t he Rev’d Canon Ginny Doctor, who is the Bishop’s assistant in Alaska. It was Ginny who placed me in Eagle, Alaska, as a six-week part of my sabbatical in 2004. She is among the many Alaskans who have become my friends, and I ran into her this afternoon at General Convention. Perhaps you’re aware that there were terrible floods in Eagle in early May. St. John’s Church (where I served for six weeks) was swept away by the floods. But Ginny tells me that they were able to locate the old church bell as well as the baptismal font. I had corresponded with Ginny by email in mid-May, and I then sent a collection of photos that I took of the church in 2004. I thought that perhaps the Dioc ese might want to have photos of the now-destroyed church in their archives. Ginny told me this afternoon that the photos of the interior of the Church were extremely helpful for their insurance claims, and made a significant difference in the amount that they were able to recover from the insurance company. I was glad that I made a difference for them.
The Archbishop of Canterbury was at Convention on Wednesday and Thursday. He spoke on Wednesday evening in regard to the environment and the economy. He also preached at the Eucharist on Thursday morning. He’s certainly a brilliant man, and a joy to meet and to hear. I’m not so certain that he’s as engaging with The Episcopal Church in general. Many of us (including myself) don’t think he’s been terribly interested in hearing the concerns of The Episcopal Church.
One of the major matters that General Convention will consider is the issue of gay bishops. In 2003, Gene Robinson (a gay priest) was elected and consecrated bishop of New Hampshire. This provoked something of a crisis among many Anglicans around the world. Under much pressure, the General Convention in 2006 passed a resolution promising that Bishops and Standing Committees would not grant consent to anyone elected bishops “whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion.” There is much debate on whether that resolution accomplished what it set out to do. For many Episcopalians, it seems as though the rest of the Anglican Communion has chosen to ignore this restraint. In particular, various Anglican groups outside the United States have continued to try to draw dioceses, congregations, and individuals away from The Episcopal Church and into foreign jurisdictions. A local example for us is the move of St. Bartholomew’s in Tonawanda to the care of the Diocese of Argentina.
As a result, there is a lot of support for taking some sort of action which would supercede the 2006 resolution. Personally, I’m inclined to agree with such a proposal, though no specific resolution has yet been formally presented. And until such a resolution appears, it’s hard to say how anyone might vote. Our House of Deputies spent an hour today listening to testimony from 30 members of the House on this issue. It will be a difficult time. Please keep me and the General Convention in your prayers. Thanks.
Blessings
Fr. Earle
