GC77 – Day 6 – July 10, 2012: Worship this morning nearly all in Spanish. Feast of Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566). He came to the New World as a conquistador, yet became a fiery advocate for the rights of the natives. The preacher was Fr Alberto Cutié, who rather famously left the Roman Catholic Church a few years ago. Excellent speaker. http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/10/albert-cutie-preaches-at-july-10-convention-eucharist/ Once again, the choices made on music were outstanding. Instead of a choir, we had a single voice accompanied by Spanish guitar. Striking and effective.
Another long day in legislative session. I was able to snag lunch with the Episcopal chaplain at UNC-Greenville. Kevin was quite helpful in helping me think through what starting such an endeavor at UNC-Asheville might look like. I met Kevin 7 years ago, when we were both in campus ministry. As Freed For Ministry becomes fully subscribed in WNC, creating a new outreach to the Asheville campus is slated for funding. There are some excellent models out there.
The Bishops joined the Deputies for a joint session after lunch, during which we received the proposed budget of ~$111M for the next 3 years. It has since passed in both Houses. Later, we (the deputies) adopted a resolution on restructuring the Church. After the usual parliamentary wrangling – which really does seem to elongate the fabric of time itself – we voted unanimously in favor. It was a stunned moment or two when we realized that there were no “Nays” voiced before all decorum was lost. Cheering (which is greatly frowned upon by the Chair) began, then hugs, then singing. The realization that we were actually of one mind, on the need to change the way we are the Church, was a pure moment.
One of the Characters of GenCon: The Secretary of the House, Canon Greg Straub. The dryness of the Secretary’s wit is only matched by his sartorial sensibilities. Always in a bow-tie, Greg also has an amazing collection of impossible-to-miss sport coats. His lime green paisley number on Sunday caused one Tweeter to ask, “Who let the leprechaun on the floor of the HOD?” Today, the Secretary shared a couple notes he had received in the past week in Indy, both from hotel staff members. The back-story to both is the wide-spread practice of leaving $5/day for the housekeeping staff, suggested as a matter of justice. The amount is less than a fancy coffee, but will have the effect, if widely practiced by the Episcopalians in town, of putting cash directly into the economy – in the pockets of those at the lowest end of the pay scale. The first note was left on the shelf where the gratuity had been found, reading “THANK YOU, all of you, and God bless you every second of your life!” The other said, “Thank you - you are the first Christian group that I haven’t gotten mad at.” In the service industry across the country, it’s a well-known fact that Christians are lousy tippers. Is that our best witness? When my son Nathan worked in food service a few years ago, he changed my perspective on tipping. I used to calculate pretty closely, seeing it as a game, I suppose, of how well I could calculate 15% in my head, and leaving precisely that. “Dad,” he said, frowning, after a restaurant meal, “a bigger tip is just a couple dollars for you, but a good tip can really make my day.” Yeah, that makes sense. Now I generously round up from 20%, more if warranted. Because it’s just a couple more dollars for me, but it might make someone else's day a great one. And that’s all the more important when I’m here because I’m a Christian.
The other big decision was rendered at the end of the day – nearing 7 pm. Debate on approving the liturgy for blessing the life-long commitment of same-sex couples went on for 90 minutes, under special rules. Usually, speakers have 3 minutes at a microphone, and procedural motions (to table, or call the question) are always in order. To assure full debate, we had by earlier agreement limited each speaker to 2 minutes (and the mike goes silent when the timer hits zero), and prohibited procedurals until 15 minutes had passed. We also agreed to no show of emotion upon receiving the results. The vote totals showed that we passed the resolution by a 3-to-1 margin in both orders (lay and clerical voting separately). Not a sound was made, and the chair called us into day-end prayers. What may sound a bit eerie came across to me as deeply respectful. While I realize there was great rejoicing by many, there was a realization on the floor that this was a painful result for some.
Last night was set aside for seminary gatherings, so I went to the reception for Seabury-Western. Or rather, for the new entity Bexley/Seabury. Yes, my alma mater has “federated” with another school. Anyway, I did see a lot of old buds. We wondered amongst ourselves where the missing titles of our new federation had gone. If Seabury-Western and Bexley Hall had merged, perhaps we were at the wrong gathering… where was the Western Hall meeting? More seriously, we were mildly impressed that our class (’85) was so well represented at this General Convention. At least 5 of us are deputies, and 1 a bishop. Out of a class of 35 total.
Our Diocesan deputation gathering is less strategic and more silly, I must admit. We’re all pretty beat. The next 2 days, I hear, are kind of a rush to the finish line. Still a lot of work to do!
Yours in Christ,
The Rev Robert Lundquist
Clergy Deputy (through today)
