As I write, the report from the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion (61 pages) is newly released; the General Convention Blue Book has been mailed to bishops and deputies, and some of the reports of the various committees, commissions, agencies, and boards (CCABs, in the General Convention lingo) are available online for all to read. You can go to www.episcopalchurch.org and click on the General Convention page to access them. Some, like the proposed revisions of Title III (the ministry canons) and Title IV (the disciplinary canons), are lengthy and incorporate substantial changes. Other resolutions, including those that are filed at General Convention, are shorter and cover a single matter. Then there is the budget. This deputy is beginning to feel some eye strain!
One Baptism, One Hope in God's Call is the title of the Special Commission's report, and it is a cautious piece of work. The members of the commission have taken very seriously their charge to maintain the highest degree of communion possible. They intend the report to be a starting point for serious discussion over a period of time, not just in June 2006. For a personal statement by a member of that Commission, go to the website of our sister publication, www.TheWitness.org where Sarah Dylan Breuer reflects on her experience participating as a lesbian.
I wish I could be more optimistic both about the report and its probable reception by GC. Perhaps further study and discussion will increase optimism! But the report ducks a number of questions, talks about not responding to most of the Windsor Report until the 2009 General Convention, recommends "repentance for having breached the bonds of affection in the Anglican Communion," and calls on TEC to "exercise very considerable caution in the nomination, election, consent to, and consecration of bishops whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." What exactly is that supposed to mean? Additionally it calls upon the GC to refrain from authorizing public Rites of Blessing for same-sex unions, and tosses a bone to the LGBT members of our Church by supporting "a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care." Again, what is that supposed to mean? As I read One Baptism, One Hope in God's Call, it is so deeply flawed that it will not be able to move us toward oneness.
Then there is the proposed revision of Title IV of the Canons, the disciplinary title. Revision is perhaps not the right word; it is an almost total recasting of these canons. While the goals of the Task Force are admirable a fairer process, which would include accountability for lay leaders as well as clergy--a number of us question whether this proposal achieves its goals. This is one proposal sure to receive a great deal of testimony at General Convention, and may well be sent back for further work.
A must-read for all Episcopalians--and all Methodists and Presbyterians as well--is Jim Naughton's investigative report Following the Money which is available at www.edow.org/follow. Jim is a former New York Times and Washington Post reporter who is now the communicator for the Diocese of Washington. He has done a stellar job of pulling together the evidence of the money trail of those who would destabilize and destroy these three churches. I'll say no more--go and read it!
Our own Katie Sherrod will be reporting for the Caucus at General Convention, our legislative team is poring over the Blue Book, the now-traditional EWC Breakfast will again gather members and friends for food, fellowship, and a chance to hear The Rt. Rev. Bavi Rivera, the Bishop Suffragan of Olympia. Our booth will again be under The Consultation banner, with a new format. Come and see, come and hear some of the noontime speakers.
Above all, pray for this Convention, for the deputies and bishops, for the election of our next Presiding Bishop, that the Spirit of truth and love may guide every action.