Surprises of connection punctuate General Convention

Mountain Echo, September 2003

by Lee Alison Crawford
The challenging and hard work of General Convention is frequently punctuated by the delightful surprises of connection. What one realizes after even just one day is how much General Convention resembles a huge family reunion. Scenes of people encountering friends not seen in some time, stopping for hugs and brief conversations, are common in the early days.

Like a large household, there is bustle; conflicts burst out, but somehow, even with the threats of schism (which I do not take lightly), the blood (of Christ) and familial love unite us far more powerfully than what might divide us.

My first night in Minneapolis, as I was entering the famous Target store on the pedestrian mall, I spotted someone I knew I knew—from way back. To my surprise, the next day, on the floor of the House of Deputies, we found ourselves sitting side-by-side. We finally realized we had been in the same high school English class together some 28 years ago. Over the course of the next ten days, we got to know one another—far better than we had back in senior year at school.

Seated two tables in front of me was a friend from the Clergy Leadership Project of a few years back. He comes from a diocese on the other side of the country, a diocese whose stance on the “big” issues is diametrically opposite from ours. It mattered a lot to stand with him as he spoke out on the floor of the House of Deputies in favor of consenting to the election of the Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson, a move that may well affect his life in his diocese.

The greatest moment of connection for me happened during the daily Eucharist. From my table, which was way up front by the altar, I had a commanding view of the entire hall, all 300x350 feet of it. Since our table seemed to be one of the first to be communicated, I had ample time to watch everyone else receive. Imagine a pinwheel with lines going off in twelve directions. People moved away from the center of the room to the edges, their hands outstretched to be nourished at the Table of Life; upon receiving, they flowed back to their places. I loved watching this human ebb and flow, this moving pointillist painting, as Elizabeth Hall describes it, knowing that for a brief moment every day, we were one.

Daily Eucharist and midday prayers (complete with fabulous slide shows and different music, taped and live) held the great House of Deputies together and kept it grounded. Before and after key votes, the House prayed (850 people praying in silence!). A deputy from a southern diocese and I prayed and wept together as we both struggled to hear God’s voice in the hard decisions we were being asked to make. Christ was made manifest through all these remarkable people.

Prayer and faith, along with friendships, new and old, truly were the threads of connectivity that wove our lives together—for a moment—until Convention next gathers.

The Rev. Lee Alison Crawford is Rector of St. Mary's, Northfield.

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