Diobeth GC Deputies blog

Provincial Synod and the Issue of Structure

Having just returned from the Province III Synod I feel like I have a "leg up" on issues that will face this General Convention. Clearly THE hot topics will be the budget and restructuring. A plan has been put forth by The Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls who is the former Bishop of the Diocese of Lexington (KY) who serves as Chief Operating Officer for The Episcopal Church appointed by Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori and the Interim Committee on Structure. While structure may seem like a soley "internal" issue it has impact on all we do as a Church because it says where the money goes and how much can be left at the local level. This means that the National Church will ask far less from Dioceses and, hopefully in turn, parishes will be ask to send less to the Diocese. This logically leaves more money in the local parish for mission and ministry. This also means that National Programs will need to be pared down and that the asking of the National Church will be less than in past years. The question now is who's Ox gets gored and who's Lion gets bearded. This, of course, is a simple way to frame this issue, but its not totally disconnected from the reality. We have to ask ourselves "What do we need a National Church structure to be and do?" Its clear, to me anyway, that we can't just pull open the file drawer and use an old organizational plan, but need to ask what will make the mission of the Church at all levels vital and effective in today's economy and in today's culture? Your Deputies would love you to play with this question and share with us what you think!

Scott Allen

 

via diobeth.typepad.com

Communication

This will be my third time serving on the Communications Legislative Committee at General Convention and the second time as its secretary.  As I learned from my mentor, Bill Lewellis, communication undergirds all of our various ministries, or, as he says, "communicate ... your ministry."

We've come a long way since the 1990's when Bethlehem first forayed into online communication via Ecunet.  It was  a brave and successful risk for us to take and it was a huge success.  At the same time I worked with dioceses and Episcopal organizations across the church trying desperately to convince them that being on line, having an online presence and even allowing the internet into Church Center in New York (yes!) was absoutely crucial to expanding ministry. 

As funds shrink, the ability to meet online, especially with the enhancements now available that mean it's very nearly face to face, keeps us all connected without the great expense of travel.  Yes, we still need to meet in person, but not nearly as often.

Yes, we've come a long way, but there is still much to do.  I look forward to this upcoming General Convention and plan to post here to let you know what's going on in the ministry of communication.

Barbara Cameron Caum

I'm here!

Greetings to you all ... it appears I've managed to successfully join the Diobeth GC Deputies blog!  Never having done anything like this before, I will rely heavily on advice and suggestions from those of you who HAVE done this.

All best wishes ...

Mark Laubach

How Resolutions Move Through General Convention

(This graphic was greated by Karin Hamilton in 2009)

[No Title]

So, What Exactly is a Deputy?

Written by Cathy Bailey, Deputy to 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church

Throughout history representatives to church councils were deputized to act fully and freely on behalf of what they thought to be the best interests of the church while they deliberated in the confines of council.   This concept of a deputy as a fully independent representative has prevailed through the history of the Episcopal Church.  These deputies, lay and clergy members of the House of Deputies, and Bishops, members of the House of Bishops, have equal voice in determining policy for the Episcopal Church.

Deputies are elected to General Convention by their respective dioceses.  They know their diocese, and the people in the diocese know them.  They are elected, not just to represent the diocese, but they are expected to reflect the will of the whole church.  Deputies are often asked how they will vote on a specific issue and they won’t be able to answer that question.  The expectation is that a deputy will hear resolutions, they will attend hearings and listen to others comments, they will see reports by legislative committees, they will participate in floor debate, they will converse with other deputies, and they will pray for discernment.  These are the ways that deputies will determine how to vote. 

Before General Convention starts, deputies will meet and spend time getting to know each other.  They will share information about General Convention and about themselves with their diocese.  About 4 months prior to convention the deputies will receive the “Blue Book” and the draft budget.  This allows for lots of time to review resolutions being presented and it gives legislative committees time to meet so that they can begin to prepare for their job ahead.   The Legislative committees do not begin to discuss legislation until they can meet face to face at Convention. This allows for all meetings of the committees to be open session (anyone can attend and observe the deliberations).

During convention, over 800 deputies will be seated to listen, engage in debate and speak about legislation on the floor and then vote.  Alternate deputies are welcome to attend the sessions of the House of Deputies, but they will be able to watch only and do not have a voice or a vote.  Deputations will often meet together during the breaks between the legislative sessions to discuss what is being considered or to report on legislative committee hearings that they have attended.

Upon returning from General Convention, deputies will report to the diocese the work that was done at convention and convey, as best as they can, how they voted in light of what they experienced and what they learned.  The term of a General Convention deputy does not expire until a new election is held in their diocese for deputies to the next General Convention. 

Diocese of Bethlehem 77th General Convention Deputies are:
Clergy Deputies                                               Lay  Deputies
T. Scott Allen, The Rev.                                   Cathy Bailey, Ms.
Jane Arrington Bender, The Rev.                  Barbara Caum, Ms.
Anthony Pompa, The Very Rev.                    Elizabeth House, Ms.
Anne Kitch, The Rev. Canon (Chair)            Mark Laubach, Mr.

Demographics of the House of Deputies

Who are the deputies going to General Convention? Check out the demographics on this site from the House of Deputies. The slide presentation was created in Prezi by Sean McConnell.

Here's the link: http://houseofdeputies.org/house-of-deputies-demographics.html

General Convention 101: an overview of the authoritative governing body of the Episcopal Church

By T. Scott Allen

This coming July, eight Deputies and two Bishops will travel from the Diocese of Bethlehem to Indianapolis to be part of the triennial decision-making body of the Episcopal Church called the General Convention.  This is the first in a series by your elected Deputies to set a context for that journey so that you may better be part of this important decision making body of the Church.

The General Convention is the governing body of the Episcopal Church. The Convention is a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies, which has more than 800 members, and the House of Bishops, which is comprised of nearly 300 active and retired bishops. The Convention meets every three years to do things such as: adopt legislation; amend the Book of Common Prayer, the Constitution, and canons; adopt a three-year budget for the Episcopal Church; and elect candidates to offices and committees for the next three years. (from the website of the Episcopal Church, episcopalchurch.org)

When sitting, the Episcopal Church General Convention is one of the largest democratic bodies in the world. The Episcopal Church is composed all dioceses in the United States as well as diocese in sixteen foreign countries.

Historical Context
After the Revolutionary War, the Anglican Church in the former British colonies was in a quandary as to how to organize its common life to be faithful to the mission and ministry of the Gospel.  Cut off from the Church of England with no resident bishops, the Anglican parishes eventually formed what became the Episcopal Church, sharing with the Church of England a heritage of common prayer, historic episcopate and adherence to the ancient creeds of the Church.

As the American church became organized, The Rev. William White of Christ Church Philadelphia proposed a system which would be thoroughly democratic and where each state (dioceses were whole states back then) would elect deputies to three regional convocations which would elect members to a larger General Convention to govern Church policy and mission.  This was later amended so that each state elected deputies directly to the General Convention which is the form we have today except each diocese elects four clergy (priests or deacons) and four laity to represent them to the General Convention. 

The House of Deputies was formed in 1785 with William White as its first President until his election as Bishop of Pennsylvania. The first General Convention met in 1785 with only the House of Deputies sitting (since there were no Bishops) and with primarily the Mid Atlantic states in attendance. General Convention is now a bicameral system with the House of Bishops and House of Deputies having to agree on all legislation. (A concise history of the Episcopal Church can be found at episcopalchurch.org under the tab “What We Believe.”)

Legislation—where does it come from?
Resolutions can be submitted for consideration by the General Convention from four different sources: “A” submitted by standing committees, commissions, agencies and boards of the Episcopal Church (known as CCABs),”B” submitted by bishops,  “C” submitted by dioceses or provinces, and  “D” submitted by deputies. Each resolution is referred to a convention committee, which makes its recommendation to the appropriate house. Each resolution is designated by a number which is proceeded by a letter to show its origin---B103 for example came from Bishops and A233 came from a CCAB. All “A” resolutions are published in what is known as the “Blue Book,” and sent to deputies a few months before Convention meets. B,C, and D Resolutions are presented at the Convention.

All resolutions are first referred to Committees of the Convention for consideration and amendment. Committees of the Convention hold open hearings where anyone may speak for or against any legislation. The Committee then sends the proposed resolution to The Dispatch of Business Committee to be placed on a “daily calendar” for consideration by the whole body. All resolutions must past both houses.

The Diocese of Bethlehem has submitted a resolution to the General Convention office on “Relief for the Homeless and Poor” which was passed at our Diocesan Convention in October of 2011. This will be assigned to the appropriate Committee, and we will have to see where it goes from there.

The Daily Schedule
Each day includes corporate Morning and Evening Prayer as well as a Eucharist to keep Deputies and Bishops centered and focused on mission. The daily legislative work is handled in daylong plenary sessions of each house. Committee work occurs outside of the plenary sessions, so a deputy’s day may begin as early as 6:00am and not end until late in the evening.

Social and educational events are offered at mealtimes and in the evenings as well as hearings. The Display Hall is home to special interest groups, Religious Communities, various prayer societies, seminaries, communion bread makers, icon painters, just to name just a few. It is a popular place to get a sandwich, cold drink, and browse everything from books to church supplies to beautiful crafts from many countries.

Deputies return home tired but gratified that they contributed to the larger mission of the Episcopal Church and got a good feel for its breadth and diversity.

Welcome to the Diobeth GC Deputies Blog!

[ From Dean Tony Pompa]

Welcome to the Diobeth GC Deputies Blog. This blog is a vehicle for communication created by the deputation of the Diocese of Bethlehem to the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church to be held July 5-12th, 2012 in Indianapolis.
The purpose of the blog is to communicate to the diocese of Bethlehem and any who have interest the thoughts, activities, and experience of our deputation of this convention.
Please take a moment to read “about the General Convention” and “about us” of the Diocese of Bethlehem. Check back regularly for updates!
 
Please know we are available and would be happy to come and talk with your parish or regionally with a group of parishes. You will find our emails on the “about the deputation” page of the blog. Please feel free to contact us.
God be with you.

What we have done so far? Well, we'll tell you...

March 2011
Deputation represented at National Gathering for discussion regarding Resolution C056 Liturgies for Blessings

In March of 2011, Deputies Libby House and Anne Kitch attended a gathering of General Convention deputies from around the church to participate in a consultation led by the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) in response to General Convention 2009’s resolution C056.  (ENS article HERE)

C056 allows bishops, particularly in dioceses with legal domestic partnerships and same-gender marriage, to exercise a “generous pastoral response” to meet the needs of the Church. Bishop Paul shared his directive with the Diocese of Bethlehem in the fall of 2009.

Second, C056 asked the SCLM to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources to be presented to the General Convention in 2012.  To help with this work, the SCLM invited one lay and one clergy deputy from each diocese to gather in Atlanta on March 18-19, 2011.  Libby and Anne represented the Diocese of Bethlehem. The work in Atlanta alternated between large group presentations and small group discussions.  Materials presented included:

A review of the history of General Convention legislation, concerning sexuality beginning in 1976.

A set of theological principles to guide reflection on blessing relationships.

A set of liturgical principles (scroll down to the 2nd page) the SCLM is considering for preparing liturgies.

The consultation provided a valuable opportunity for close to 1/4 of the House of Deputies to convene and discuss an important issue in the church. 

Resources:
Text of Resolution C056, "Liturgies for Blessings."
SCLM responds to C056: Sept. 2010 document
Resources collected in response to charge from Resolution C056.

Standing Committee on Liturgy & Music (SCLM) blog

April 2011
We gathered to discuss and respond to Study Guide and Questionnaire regarding a Proposed Anglican Covenant

Proposed Anglican Covenant

 There is likely to be a resolution regarding a proposed Anglican Covenant for the members of the Anglican Communion. The language of the resolution is not known at this time  More information regarding the Anglican Covenant may be found by following links below.

· Text of Anglican Covenant (link to the Anglican Communion website). Linked page includes PDF of the document for print.
· ENS article urging congregations to study the proposed covenant
· Study guide, PDF  English   Spanish

Deputation’s Response to Study Guide Questions (Need to get this from Anne Kitch and create a link or post it up there by link, etc.)

June 2011
Deputation met at St. Stephen’s Wilkes Barre for prayer and planning