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.

Three Stages of GC

a word from neighboring Bishop and friend to East Carolina, The Rt Rev’d Porter Taylor, Bishop of Western North Carolina

I have found that the General Convention has three stages: the greeting, the great bewilderment, and the convergence. These happen over the ten days, but they also happen within one day or even one meeting. First is about meeting. We see old friends; we meet new friends. It’s like going to college as a freshman. You find your dorm and your classes, and figure out who all these other people are and who you are in relation to them. This part has been wonderful. Being on a Legislative Committee means you work very hard with strangers and you become a community over the Convention.

The ABC and the MDG’s

Posted By: The Rev. John Pollock

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Rowan Williams has been with us for a part of convention.  On Wednesday evening he spoke as part of a panel on Christian Faithfulness and the global economic crisis.  The ABC is a remarkably deep thinker and clear speaker.  His basic message was that the current economic crisis has been a crisis in “truth telling.”   He said that there has been breakdown in trustworthiness, that we have not been truthful to ourselves as to our relationship to creation and our relationship with one another in the human family.

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.

Telling Stories

Posted By: The Rev. Canon Matthew Stockard

This Thursday morning offered all present for The General Convention a time of mission conversation prior to the celebration of The Holy Eucharist, at which The Most Rev’d The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury preached. The conversation was a moment of hearing one another. All deputies, visitors, exhibitors, and bishops are invited to participate in this work, which is one aspect of an extensive ‘Public Narrative’ experience in which ultimately all Episcopalians are invited to participate and to share.

So what is this grand thing? It’s a short time for the disciplined practice of what may be a long lost art. Telling personal stories which provide clear articulation of personal motivations, so that others are invited more deeply into an understanding and potential participation of God’s call to ‘love one another’ and the ways that call is lived out in mission and ministry. That’s a mighty big sentence. Let me try a smaller one. When we share stories that have inspired us to action, we invite others to join us in this work.

Just A Few Thoughts from Bishop

A Post from Bishop Daniel

I want to share some thoughts with you as I prepare to leave for Anaheim this coming Saturday. First, I’m excited to prepare to attend my seventh General Convention (my fifth as Bishop), and I am honored once again to take my place in Convention as Bishop of our blessed Diocese of East Carolina.

For me, this will be a busy General Convention (All of them are!). There is first, the daily round of legislative sessions, committee meetings, worship including small services as well as a daily Eucharist for the entire Convention, special events, etc. A brief look at the (filled) General Convention daily schedule will give a good idea of how a Deputy or Bishop’s day is spent in the main.