Beginning the Weekend - Saturday, July 11th

by Lelanda Lee (L5)

Remember, you may contact the deputies and alternates at deputation@coloradodiocese.org. And you may contact Lelanda Lee at LelandaLee@gmail.com.

The views expressed by the blogger on this Web site are her own and do not represent the entire deputation. Indeed, the Colorado deputation encompasses a wide diversity of theological positions, and silence on the part of any deputy or alternate should not be construed as a signal of how much or how little each person cares. Our Anaheim days are full, and it takes a lot of mental and physical energy to keep up with the work of General Convention.

The deputation has received a few emails from folks back in Colorado, and we thank you for taking the time to write and for your prayers. One or more of us will answer your emails as time, which is in short supply during General Convention, permits.

Saturday's schedule looked like this:

7:30 AM Legislative Committees
9:30 AM Legislative Session
11:30 AM Community Eucharist
1:00 PM Deputation Lunchtime Caucus
2:00 PM Public Narrative Mission Conversation: The Story of Us
4:00 PM Legislative Session
6:00 PM Seminary Dinners (EPF Reception for me)

The photo above shows the alternates seating area in the House of Deputies, which is four long rows of tables and seating that are fenced off by the blue pipe and drape. Our deputation's alternates have been sitting further down the row where the red electric scooter is lined up.

Typically twice a day, the deputies on the floor of the House pick up a set of handouts for distribution to the eight deputies. The alternates have a separate handouts pick-up booth where each alternate must go, show his/her badge and receive a packet of handouts. Sometimes one alternate will go with all the badges in hand to pick up handouts for all of us.

The reredos that is projected at the Community Eucharist changes each day. During communion, a slide show of images related to one artist or set of related works is shown.

Saturday's Eucharist featured Episcopalian Ray Suarez of PBS News, who gave a sermon that kept me riveted. Suarez said, "We need to avoid internalizing the narrative of our decline," which caused me to perk right up for several reasons:

1) we are using the Public Narrative process to engage our mission conversations during General Convention,
2) internalized oppression is a concept I'm very familiar with as an anti-racism trainer, and
3) there is a lot of "doom and gloom" talk about the overall decline of The Episcopal Church, a subject which I believe to be more nuanced than merely looking at statistics.

Read the story here.

Coloradoan Sandy Boyd (left), sitting with Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, combined a trip to see family in Southern California with a trip to visit General Convention and attend a seminary dinner.

Bishop Rob O'Neill found the time to join the deputation at its lunchtime caucus on Saturday. We really valued the opportunity to discuss legislation with the bishop.

The House of Bishops meets concurrently as a separate house whenever the House of Deputies is in session. Additionally, Bishop O'Neill, in his capacity as Chair of the Board of Directors of Episcopal Relief and Development, has been attending numerous joint legislative committee hearings to testify on behalf of resolutions that focused on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

From the left: John Wengrovius, Larry Hitt and Bishop Rob O'Neill

At the afternoon legislative session, House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson invited several international guests to address the deputies. See the story here.

Dr. Jenny Te Paa of Auckland, New Zealand, is shown below, addressing the deputies. I had the opportunity to meet Te Paa when she was in Denver last September as a visiting professor at the Iliff School of Theology, when she gave a talk at Saint John's Cathedral and I had the facilitated a reflection exercise following her talk. I was struck by Te Paa's admonition to us to avoid internalization of the villification that The Episcopal Church has received from some of its international detractors who hold differing views on partnered gay bishops and same sex blessings.

Dr. Jenny Te Paa addressing deputies

One of the big pieces of legislation wending its way around the legislative process is expected to pass to the House of Deputies on Monday. An amended version of Resolution D025, regarding the election of bishops and the Anglican Communion, will likely move to the House of Deputies even though there was a July 11 split committee vote. Voting by orders, the deputies on the legislative committee overwhelmingly passed the resolution while the bishops split their vote.

Jacque Scott and I attended the evening reception honoring the Rt. Rev Edmond Lee Browning, who was presiding bishop when I joined The Episcopal Church in 1995. The reception was sponsored by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship and honored Browning's lifelong commitment to justice issues. "There will be no outcasts in this church," are the famous words spoken by Browning when he first became bishop. An icon by Robert Two Bulls was the gift presented to Browning.

That's it for this post!