THE 80TH GENERAL CONVENTION

REFLECTIONS FROM THE 80TH GENERAL CONVENTION

The Diocese of Southwest Florida’s Deputation, joined by Bishop Smith, Bishop Coadjutor Scharf, and Executive Assistant to the Bishop, Wendy Martucci, attended the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Baltimore, MD from July 8-11, 2022.

This year, General Convention considered 431 resolutions, addressing an array of topics including liturgy, Christian formation, Constitution and Canons, and many others. Some highlights from the General Convention include: • The House of Deputies elected its next president, Julia

Ayala Harris, and vice president, the Rev. Rachel Taber-

- Ayala Harris, and vice president, the Rev. Rachel Taber- Hamilton.

- House of Deputies affirmed Resolution A226, to recognize, honor, and lament the deaths of three members of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.

- The House of Bishops voted unanimously for resolution FA031, to clarify the definition of the Book of Common Prayer in the church’s constitution, while proposing steps to classify dozens of additional liturgical texts approved in recent decades.

- The 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church approved the reunification of the Episcopal Church in North Texas with the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.

In our diocese, the Rev. Canon Richard Norman, Canon to the Ordinary, was elected to the Board of Trustees of the General Theological Seminary in New York City. He will serve a 2-year term. Bishop Coadjutor Scharf saved the day as he stepped in to play the piano for the House of Bishops on July 8, 2022.

As a child, I spent all the summers of my formative years with my grandparents. My grandfather, a stalwart Episcopalian, and faithful leader in his parish and in the governance of The Episcopal Church, served as a deputy to General Convention when conventions were two weeks long. I will never forget my wise grandfather’s words upon returning from one of those General Conventions. Grandad said, “If you want to see The Episcopal Church move in all of her glory, go to General Convention.” Those words have lived with me into my adulthood. While I did not fully understand what kind of church work would take grandaddy away from us for such a long period of time, I instinctively knew that whatever work was being done, my grandad cared deeply about it and that it was important work. The Rev. Adrienne Hymes, Rector,St. Paul's, Wesley Chapel

The Rev. Adrienne Hymes, Rector, St. Paul 's Wesley Chapel

As the grandchild, into whom grandad generously poured his love of God and the Episcopal Church, the 80th General Convention was a deeply meaningful experience.

I was a first-time deputy and elected as Chair of our diocesan deputation. I further served as Vice Chair of the Legislative Committee on Evangelism and Church Planting.

I was not entirely sure what I would be doing, however, I knew that the work leading up to, and during General Convention was important, and like my grandad, I cared deeply about that work.

Having attended as a visitor to the 2009 General Convention in Los Angeles, CA, I witnessed the “awe” of the shared energy of The Episcopal Church in all of her glory. The pandemic considerably dampened that relational, celebratory spirit with only four days for legislative sessions.

However, there was no shortage of teaching moments (great for our deputation with many first-timers). This abridged General Convention provided grace for me to learn about deputy actions in real-time, to practice voting, and as the chair of the deputation, submit votes by orders (a responsibility reserved for the chair).

Missing was the sense of “surround-sound” voices from the legislative committees through hearings, which took place over several months, via Zoom, prior to arriving in Baltimore. As the Vice Chair for the Legislative Committee on Evangelism and Church Planting, I wanted to share the example of the Diocese of Southwest Florida’s inspiring, long-term commitment to planting and nurturing new faith communities (including St. Paul’s Wesley Chapel) with the House of Deputies. In our various forms of lament, however, there was an undeniable, and overwhelming, sense of gratitude for the gift of being able to physically gather at all in order to serve our beloved church.

I am deeply grateful to the delegates of the 2019 Diocesan Convention who elected and trusted me to serve in this leadership capacity as we embarked on the important work of The Episcopal Church’s governance.

I will never forget my wise grandfather’s words upon returning from one of those General Conventions. Grandad said, “If you want to see The Episcopal Church move in all of her glory, go to General Convention.”

One of the positives of the pandemic is the strong emergence of the virtual church, and the ability for congregations to have active and engaged members worldwide.

Anna Haeffner, General Convention Deputy

In 2019, I was deeply honored to be elected to represent the Diocese of Southwest Florida for a second time as a deputy to The Episcopal Church’s General Convention.

My two experiences as a deputy for both the 79th and the 80th General Convention shared many similarities. However, attending the 80th General Convention was a first of its kind. Due to precautions put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this year’s event was significantly shorter. As a result of the reduced timeframe and social distancing restrictions, many activities of the Convention were eliminated. Scheduled social events and the vendor hall were canceled resulting in our deputation missing out on many key opportunities to interact and connect with other deputations, bishops, and visitors. However, what I missed the most was worshiping and sharing Holy Eucharist with the entire convention. On a positive note, although it felt a bit rushed, we got through a lot of business quickly and smoothly (as long as the wifi was working)! It was exciting to be a part of the election of a new President and Vice President for the House of Deputies, a “young” Latina, and an indigenous woman! The report on the State of the Church was interesting, one of the positives of the pandemic is the strong emergence of the virtual church, and the ability for congregations to have active and engaged members worldwide. I also had the welcome experience to chat for a few minutes (at a social distance, outside) with the bishop and a priest from Western Kansas. It was eye-opening to hear their perspectives on what is “normal” in their small, rural congregations. It is always interesting for me to hear first-hand stories and experiences that differ from what is familiar and “normal” to me across the wide body of the Episcopal faith.

In summary, General Convention was a whirlwind, filled with exciting experiences. I left feeling truly honored to be a part of this diocese and a member of The Episcopal Church!

Andrew Yow, General Convention Deputy

The 80th General Convention held in July in Baltimore, MD, marked my first official role in governance for The Episcopal Church. My initial calling to this work stemmed from a desire to bear witness to the diversity of our church, particularly as a young person. The Episcopal Church exists in a variety of expressions and with a variety of opinions as to what God is calling us to be. I think it is important for those viewpoints to be present at General Convention. I was pleased to find a very healthy number of young people seated in the House of Deputies. Though I did not necessarily agree with each one of them on every issue, it was a sure sign that the work of the church is not limited to one generation, but rather the whole body of the faithful is called to participate.

During our time at General Convention, I had been particularly interested in the work of the committee on Congregational & Diocesan vitality. Though the church will continue to prosper as long as Christ bids it so, it is important to take the work of evangelism seriously and to minister to the world in an effective way. Wrapped up in that is the question of how young people are invited to take part in the ministry of the church. Traditionally, the General Convention includes an official youth presence where youth from across the denomination would take part in Convention, having a seat and voice (though no vote). This year, unfortunately, the group was not convened as a matter of COVID-19 precaution. Still, it was heartening to read some of the materials the group had prepared when they initially hoped to attend. It showed that God is at work in every generation of the church and the importance of making a place at the table for generations eager to take their seat.

The governance of The Episcopal Church, frustrating as it can be, is important work and functions at its best when a full picture of the needs of its members is communicated. I was glad to serve our diocese at the 80th General Convention and look forward to supporting the church’s work of governance in the future.

Though the church will continue to prosper as long as Christ bids it so, it is important to take the work of evangelism seriously and to minister to the world in an effective way.

The Rev. Roy Tuff, Jacqueline Smith, the Rev. Adrienne Hymes, Bishop Dabney Smith, Bishop Coadjutor Douglas Scharf, the Rev. Charles Cannon, Anna Haeffner, Dr. Navita Cummings James, the Rev. Christian Wood, and Andrew Yow.

Above: The House of Deputies elects Julia Ayala Harris as its next president.

Above: The House of Deputies elects Julia Ayala Harris as its next president.

Bishop Coadjutor Scharf plays piano for the House of Bishops.

The Rev. Roy Tuff, Jacqueline Smith, the Rev. Adrienne Hymes, Bishop Dabney Smith, Bishop Coadjutor Douglas Scharf, the Rev. Charles Cannon, Anna Haeffner, Dr. Navita Cummings James, the Rev. Christian Wood, and Andrew Yow.

The Rev. Charles Canon, Rector, St. Hilary's, Fort Myers

I was honored and consider it a privilege to have represented the Diocese of Southwest Florida at General Convention #80 (GC80) in Baltimore, MD, yet I was nervous. The nerves waned as I was welcomed by a cadre of volunteers and comforted by the daily worship opportunities and morning prayer. The 850 deputies assembled represented 110 dioceses of The Episcopal Church. We fervently and regularly asked God to “fill the Church with all truth, in all truth, with all peace.”

As a member of the Diocese of Southwest Florida Deputation, I had met and come to love the members of our group prior to Convention. The overarching theme of the Convention was to meet defiantly, yet safely, for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel the 2021 General Convention.

Masked, immunized, and engaged in daily self-testing, we gathered as a radical sign of trust in God, love of The Episcopal Church, and respect for each other. The role I played was to assist eight hundred other lay and clerical deputies who were seated in the House of Deputies as we debated resolutions about purifying our church. We were tasked to set a future course; reform its deficits; strengthen it and help reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior.

Baltimorean and poet Edgar Allen Poe wrote “there is no beauty without strangeness.” The great conversion in our life together was to recognize and believe that our differing backgrounds and the unexpected events we experienced were not just disturbing interruptions in our process, but the way in which God broke through and molded our hearts in preparation for this ministry in God’s name. When our good plans were changed, we embraced others. When we were interrupted, we found other business to attend to.

The memorable events of GC80 that stand out to me include the elections of new leaders, endless resolutions written to improve our church, and hundreds of two-minute speeches delivered to bolster our peace of mind and strengthen our dedication to serving humanity.

I was extremely proud that the House of Deputies elected both Oklahoma lay Deputy Julie Ayala Harris, the first Latina and youngest person elected as President of the House of Deputies and the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, as the first Indigenous (Shackan First Nation), and first ordained woman to serve as vice president. Ayala Harris and the Rev. Taber-Hamilton are the first people of color serving together as leaders of the House of Deputies.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF NOTE:

• Our host, Bishop of Maryland, Bishop Sutton, offered a moving sermon on the church’s legacy of racism. • Overall, we shared God’s unconditional love amid the House of Deputies.

. • We recognized, honored, and lamented the three members of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, who were murdered on June 16, 2022, by a man attending a potluck supper at the church.

• We affirmed reproductive rights, including access to abortion in emergencies.

• We approved a $100.5 million churchwide budget through 2024.

• We condemned the national gun violence epidemic (even as a young man was killed in the Baltimore streets near our Convention) prompting our bishops and deputies to march to the site of the murder and then pass resolutions on ghost guns, urging state legislators to pass measures against gun violence, and commending investment in community violence intervention.

• We confronted The Episcopal Church’s historic ties to English colonialism, racism, sexism, and the federal system of Indigenous boarding schools.

• We engaged in truth-telling, reckoning, and healing to help eliminate racial inequity and injustice.

• We provided a safer place in our Convention and Church for LGBTQI members.

• We redefined what constitutes the prayer book – meaning it might not be just a physical book anymore – so that it enables the Church to adopt future liturgies that will give greater emphasis to care for creation and honor people of color, women, and the emerging view of human sexuality and relationships.

Baltimorean and poet Edgar Allen Poe wrote “there is no beauty without strangeness.” ...When our good plans were changed, we embraced others. When we were interrupted, we found other business to attend.

The Rev. Charles Cannon and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.