The Letter to the ABC

The General Convention’s officers have sent a hand-delivered letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding resolution D025, which has been broadly interpreted by some persons. The text follows.

Dear friends,

Posted By: The Rev. Canon Peter Stube

I greet you from the 76th General Convention in Anaheim.  To be with so many diverse people from every part of the country and 17 other countries is an amazing experience.  There are several languages that are the heart language of deputations: English, Spanish, French, Dakota to name a few. Worship together is diverse, joyful, creative and delightful.  I find myself dreaming about what you all might find meaningful as well.

D025 – what it is and what it isn’t.

[View resolution D025 in its final form here]

D025 reaffirms resolution A159 of the 2006 General Convention – it affirms our commitment to the Anglican Communion, of which we are a constituent member, and which is a rich tapestry of ministries and networks as well as personal relationships. It isn’t a huge Church, like the Roman Catholic Church, but is an aggregation of independent national Churches.

Some early reflections from Bishop Daniel on Resolution D025

Yesterday afternoon (July 13) the House of Bishops took up Resolution D025, a multilayered resolution which I hope you will read in its entirety before you continue reading these reflections. [View the final version of the resolution here] The resolution reaffirms our Church’s continuing and deep commitment – spiritual, financial and missional – to life and relationships in the Anglican Communion. It goes on to reaffirm that we continue to be governed by the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church as our Anglican polity requires. The resolution also points to and gives thanks for the ministry of lay and ordained gay and lesbian people in this Church as well as this Church’s understanding that the call to ordained ministry comes from God and in the mystery of that reality, notes that the call to ordained ministry may come to any baptized person.

An Honest Orthodoxy

Posted By: The Rev. Canon Matthew Stockard

Members of the House of Deputies took a good bit of time this week for intentional discussion about the B033 resolution which was carried at General Convention 2006. That now historic resolution indicated that the 75th General Convention would receive and embrace The Windsor Report’s invitation to engage in a process of healing and reconciliation; and called 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.

The text of the Archbishop’s comments to Convention on July 9th

The Most Rev’d Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

The 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church

July 9, 2009

Meditation at the Eucharist

One thing you learn very quickly as Archbishop of Canterbury is that everything you say is scrutinised and interpreted and picked over for hidden meanings and agendas. Something tells me today will be no exception…

But because I don’t actually like coded messages or hidden agendas, and because I believe they’re an aspect of a whole rather unhealthy culture of suspicion – not to mention conspiracy theories – I’m going to begin by saying two things as simply and directly as I can, so that we can get on to the more important matter of reflecting together on the Scripture passages we have been given in this Eucharist.

How Broad is My Horizon?

Posted By: Bishop Daniel

I’m sitting on an airplane flying at 32000 feet hurtling towards Los Angeles and General Convention. Dinner has been served and the cabin is quiet. Anne is asleep next to me.

After all the rush and busyness of preparing to leave, doing the writing and planning I needed to do in preparation for my responsibilities at the Convention, taking the pets to the pet motel for their vacation enjoyment, the airport hassle, the long walk to change planes in the Charlotte airport and the stretches and strains of putting luggage in the overhead storage bin, it is nice for things to be quiet and to let my thoughts to find their own place to settle.