Off to a 7:30 am hearing.
There's so much more to share, I've just run out of time and zip the past few nights. Live blogging (i.e. blogging from a meeting hall) is not allowed, so I have to wait until I get back to my room. And when events go until 10 pm or longer... At any rate, keep checking.
People from around our diocese who share my passion for the Millennium Development Goals and the way they help frame the twin issues of Christ-centered transformation and mission, asked to be kept informed of all things MDG at Convention. The Big Debate, of course, centers on whether or not the national church will retain the Goals as a program and budget priority as it has since 2006. There have been meetings about the matter, and people have been very verbal in their disappointment that the church, still officially known as the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, would seriously consider making such cuts.
General Convention has only been open for a few days. I parse the words of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson in order to determine what they really think about the MDGs as central to the national budget. Here's what I've come up with thus far: Don't know.
Our leaders are careful with their words. In her opening on Tuesday, the PB spoke about the Episcopal Church being in (financial) crisis, how General Convention is "always a time of decision making", and how "we may revisit conversations of the last General Convention." Underlying all of those debates, she said, "will be the reality that we do not have the same kind of financial resources to address them that we had three years ago – that is another kind of crisis, both local and global."
She continued, "The temptation for us here will be to see one small part of God’s mission, the part each one of use holds most dear, as the overarching reason for this church’s existence. The reality is that God’s mission will continue, whatever we do here, but it may not advance as effectively or penetrate as widely in the next few years if we get selfish or miss the mark. There are aspects of mission that are more appropriate and effective at the congregational and diocesan level."
Yesterday, in her sermon at the convention's first community Eucharist, she couldn't have been clearer about the church's priority: "The heart of this church will slowly turn to stone if we think that our primary mission work is to those already in the pews inside our beautiful churches, or to those at other altars. We are in cardiac crisis if we think we can close the doors, and swing our incense and sing our hymns, and all will be right with the world. The heart of this body is mission – domestic and foreign mission, in partnership with anyone who shares that passion."
In her opening address, Bonnie Anderson spoke of the essentialness of the MDGs: "One of the toughest things about these tough times is that we can’t hide from them. Our technology enables us to see and to know not only how we are effected, but how the global economic crisis is disproportionately affecting the poorest people in the world.
"It is within our reach to do something about it and THAT is the toughest thing about our times. As economist Jeffrey Sachs said as he stood on the chancel steps of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis, ”For the first time in the history of the world, we have the resources, the technology, and the capacity to wipe extreme poverty off the face of the earth. The only thing we lack is the will.
"Some of us have the will. Over 50% of our approximately 7,000 congregations have embraced the Millennium Development Goals as a mission focus. 82 of the 110 dioceses have sacrificially pledged 0.7% of their diocesan budgets toward global poverty eradication and the MDGs. In 42 countries, Episcopal Relief & Development has touched the lives of 2.5 million people.
"The vision of building the “Beloved Community” in the Diocese of Louisiana, for example, has been embraced by over 100,000 volunteers and a $10 million dollar investment from contributions made to Episcopal Relief & Development for this purpose which has conservatively produced 20 times that amount in benefit to the community. Many of us are responding to God’s call to mission, but what if ALL of us did it? What if all of us did it as if our lives depended on it? Think of it!!"
Round and round we go. Their emphasis was clear. We must respond to crisis by continuing to "care for the most vulnerable." How that gets done is the question.
Stay tuned.
The numbers of the 76th General Convention tell interesting stories. One is that we are a church that's diversifying. According to the Church's record keepers, included in the deputations are 85 African Americans, 53 Latinos/Hispanics, 17 Native Americans, 14 Asian Americans and 4 native Hawaiians. That's 16.1 percent of all deputies, compared to 15.3 percent in 2006 and 14 percent in 2003. Four percent declare themselves openly gay, compared to 3.2 percent and 1.9 percent in 2006 and 2003 respectively. The youngest deputies come from the dioceses of Western Michigan, Chicago and Wyoming.
Another is that attending General Convention takes dedication, not to mention time and money. The turnover rate for the House of Deputies, comprised of laity and clergy, remains high: 43 percent are attending their first convention, compared to 45 percent in 2006 and 42 percent in 2003. I know the Diocese of NC's deputies have attended meetings over the past few days that have lasted until midnight, or after.
Then there are the conversations that happen when you're making your way from one meeting to another. Martha Alexander knows all about it.
The best defense is dressing comfortably and owning a good pair of walking shoes. I call this "Bishops Ascending." A bit more poetic than "Headed to the third floor, where the House of Bishops is located", don't you think?
And whenever possible, laugh...
and enjoy a quick lunch in the sunshine. Margo Acomb and Sonja Bennett have the right idea.
Look who I ran into at the Orange County Airport -- Meg McCann, a General Convention deputy from Durham. After we elbowed our way in and successfully retrieved luggage...
we squeezed into a Super Shuttle van...
bound for the hotels nearest to Disneyland...
and surrounding the Anaheim Convention Center.
A steady flow of people are making their way here today. But the check-in lines are nothing compared to the line for those waiting for their Starbucks fix, morning, noon and night.
The theme of this year's ECW Triennial is "Grow in Grace". It was inspired by II Peter 3:18. I was feeling anything but graceful or grace-filled after arriving in Anaheim this afternoon about 2:30 pm PST. Getting up at 5 am for a 7:50 am flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Dallas-Ft. Worth to the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA left me ... tired. Got to the hotel, then into my room just long enough to deposit my bag before hustling next door to the Anaheim Convention Center to get the lay of the land and pick up my credentials.
Triennial and General Convention, which run concurrently, don't officially begin until Wednesday, July 8. This means everything is still in a state of organized chaos. Lots of people have already arrived from around the country. Staff and volunteers were running around tending to hundreds of details that come with mounting events of this size. (I'll have more about size later.) It's to be expected, but it's also stress inducing. But as I stood there waiting for information about a series of pre-GC/Triennial meetings that will take place tomorrow, a woman approached with a warm smile and an outstretched hand. "Hello," she said, "I'm so glad you're here. You look familiar. Do I know you?" It was Katerina Whitley, a church journalist, author, dramatist and teacher, who used to live in Eastern North Carolina but now makes her home in North Carolina's mountains. Why yes, we had met, though it was years ago when she led a program for the ECW of the Diocese of NC.
All grumpiness disappeared. Katerina, who grew up in Greece, has a lilting yet powerful voice. Literally and figuratively. I particularly like this quote from her: "I am not interested in violence. I long for what is good and whole in humanity, even though I am quite aware of the darkness. Jesus expects us to be the light of the world and I try to remember this always." She is part of the Triennial program. I can't wait to hear what she has to say.
A genuine spirit. An abiding faith freely shared. Grace, indeed.