“Pray that Ubuntu is really at the heart of our time together…”
by the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo, July/August 2009

The General Convention of the Episcopal Church meets in Anaheim California from July 8-17, 2009, with some preliminary orientation, committee meetings and events beginning on July 6. Ann and I travel to Anaheim on July 4, and return on July 18. Our dedicated and hard working deputation from Vermont will arrive at various times before the “official” start of Convention. This will be my fourth General Convention, my third as a bishop.

There is much to do in advance of General Convention, not the least of which is the preparation involved in reading through the reports of the standing commissions, boards and agencies of The Episcopal Church in the voluminous “Blue Book” (download it here). There is also a significant number of resolutions (view resolutions here) that have been submitted in advance, with more added each week, right up until the second legislative day.

The General Convention schedule is quite packed, with daily Eucharist, committee meetings, legislative sessions, hearings, and special events such as provincial dinners and church organization award ceremonies. In addition, there is a huge exhibit hall filled with displays from a full spectrum of organizations and ministries, along with quite a few vendors with products to sell. There are people to meet, friendships to renew, and conversations galore. And there are a few quiet places set aside for prayer and meditation.

One of my major responsibilities at General Convention is to serve as the bishop chair of the joint legislative committee on the Church in Small Communities. This is a natural connection to my membership between General Conventions on the Standing Commission on Small Churches. This committee does not generally have a large legislative agenda at General Convention, so we are able to spend much of our committee time engaging stories of congregational vitality and struggle from throughout The Episcopal Church. I find this a rich and rewarding opportunity to share stories from Vermont and to learn about ministry in other parts of our church. One particular focus this year will be on the ministry of the Native American congregations of The Episcopal Church.

In addition to approving the budget for the next triennium, the legislative agenda will run the full gamut, including domestic and global mission, stewardship and evangelism, education and formation, social justice concerns, ecumenism, liturgy and music, communications, canons, church structure, ministry, Anglican Communion relations, and human sexuality. While much media attention is likely to focus on certain items, the work of General Convention is extensive, complex and spirit-filled as The Episcopal Church gathers in this every three-year assembly to take stock of where we are and look to the future in terms of our participation in God’s Mission.

The gathering theme for General Convention 2009 is Ubuntu, a Zulu word that translates variously as “I in you and you in me,” or “I am because we are.” South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu interprets Ubuntu to mean, “a person is a person through other persons.” It will be interesting to see how well we live into this wonderful and sacred idea. Our Vermont deputation will be fully engaged in the life and work of General Convention, as each member takes up his or her legislative assignments, attends hearings and committee meetings, participates in worship and join in conversations designed to help us tell and listen to the many voices and stories that help shape us as The Episcopal Church.

I know that many Vermont Episcopalians will follow the deliberations of General Convention with much interest. Because I have already received a significant amount of communication on the subject, I know that many of you are attentive to the various resolutions submitted to General Convention on marriage equality and the blessing of same gender relationships and how all that relates to the new marriage equality law in Vermont (effective September 1, 2009). I will be attentive to that legislation throughout General Convention in a very active way.

In concert with several bishops who also serve in states with marriage equality I am co-sponsoring legislation that acknowledges the pastoral concerns facing those dioceses in states where the civil marriage of same gender couples is legal. It provides, under the direction of the bishop, generous discretion to clergy in the exercise of their pastoral ministry in order to permit the adaptation of the Pastoral Offices for The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage and The Blessing of a Civil Marriage for use with all couples who seek the church’s support and God’s blessing in their marriages. We will post the actual resolution on the diocesan Web site when it is submitted to the General Convention office. (It might already be there by the time you read this.) My commitment remains strong to the value of equality and to assuring that the full pastoral and sacramental ministry of the church is equally available to all its members.

Please keep the work of General Convention in your prayers, both leading up to our gathering in Anaheim and throughout the time we are there. Pray that Ubuntu is really at the heart of our time together and that we embrace the Holy Spirit’s invitation to deeper communion, mutual respect and living ever more fully into the commitments of the Baptismal Covenant.

Faithfully,
+Thomas

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