The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington

Presiding Bishop, PHOD, others to field questions from audience, online

[April 12, 2012] General Convention 2012 of the Episcopal Church will be the topic of a live webcast on Wednesday, May 9 at 1 pm Eastern (noon Central, 11 am Mountain, 10 am Pacific, 9 am Alaska, 8 am Hawaii). The webcast, originating from Indianapolis, the site of this year’s General Convention, can be accessed live or on demand at www.episcopalchurch.org

Participants in the live webcast will be: Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori; President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson; Executive Officer and Secretary of the General Convention, the Rev. Gregory Straub; and Bishop Catherine Waynick of the Diocese of Indianapolis, the host diocese.

Questions will be accepted via email at publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org and from the invited guests in the audience.

To access the live webcast, go to the Episcopal Church website: www.episcopalchurch.org

General Convention 2012 (GC12) will be held July 5 – 12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

The Episcopal Church’s General Convention is held every three years, and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It is composed of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay representatives elected from the 110 dioceses of the Church, at more than 800 members.

General Convention: http://generalconvention.org/gc

Diocese of Indianapolis http://indydio.org/diocese2010/

The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org

The following background information was prepared for use at the series of Town Meetings held by the Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen and the General Convention deputation, which took place throughout the diocese during April. The Town Meetings enabled those responsible for representing the diocese at General Convention to hear from those who chose them.

1. The Anglican Covenant: This was a proposed solution to threats of schism over the last few years, stemming primarily from the consecration of Gene Robinson, a partnered gay man, as a bishop. A number of drafts and re-drafts of the Covenant have developed over recent years, and it now is offered to the members of the Anglican Communion (of which we are a part) for adoption, rejection or conditional adoption. The entire body of the Anglican Covenant is available online at http://anglicancommunion.org/commission/covenant/final/text.cfm. It’s worth noting that a majority of dioceses in the Church of England have rejected this covenant, as have many other members of the Anglican Communion (see http://noanglicancovenant.org/background.htm#status). Our Episcopal Church has engaged in lengthy and extensive “hearings” throughout the church. Nonetheless, General Convention will give the issue of the Anglican Covenant a fair and open consideration, factoring in all the feedback which has been provided over the last 3 years.

2. Report of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM): In response to a mandate from General Convention 2009, the SCLM has prepared a lengthy document (80+ pages!) about the Blessing of Same Sex Unions. Their report is available online at http://houseofdeputies.org/blessingexcerpts. A draft of legislation will come to General Convention. This draft includes a proposed Liturgy for the Blessing of Same Sex Unions, which is available on the site noted above, as well as theological and pastoral background. This proposed liturgy is a “trial use” liturgy and would only be used in dioceses where the diocesan bishop authorizes such usage. No one is required to implement this practice; it is entirely subject to local option and to the conscience of each clergyperson. Please note that the issue here is not marriage which is a question of the State.

3. Denominational Health Plan: The issue here, as it has emerged nationally, is compulsory participation. When all are required to participate, the “pool” of insured members includes all participants, clergy and lay employees working at least 1500 hours a year. That blends younger healthier employees with older, often more medically demanding, participants and spreads out the financial costs amongst people of varying circumstances. For us in the Diocese of Lexington, the passage of compulsory participation would in most cases prevent us from helping our employees find other local plans of comparable coverage at less cost. Many of our employees have signed up with other healthcare plans because of lower costs. All of this is reflective of the national conversation we are having about healthcare.

4. Additions to Title IV, the disciplinary canons: To date, Title IV has not included any provision for the reconciliation or dissolution of a relationship between a Bishop and the diocese he/she serves. There is a current provision (IV.19.7) for Dissolution between a Rector and a Congregation, but no provision has been made to date for the relationship between a bishop and a diocese. In the interest of fairness, an addition to Title IV is proposed, which outlines a process for reconciliation or dissolution between a bishop and a diocese. Those dioceses which have had troubled relationships with their bishops have urged us to implement a fair and orderly process which would allow for resolution of those troubled circumstances.

5. Issues regarding immigrants: Several initiatives cover the question of the status of immigrants. There are those who sympathize with a generous inclusion of immigrants who come to the US to work in jobs here and move towards full citizenship, and there are those who question the access of immigrants (documented or not) to formal status in our midst. This is an especially burning issue for those dioceses which share international borders, but will be an issue for our church going forward.

6. Structure and governance of the Episcopal Church: It’s no secret that we need to alter our structures of governance to be leaner and more efficient, and less “top heavy”. The old models of a national church structure are being examined in light of present fiscal and operational realities. We are asking: How do we imagine these governance models going forward? What do we really need to be the Church? Our recent diocesan convention considered a resolution about these questions and voted in favor of bold exploration. General Convention will undertake a consideration of these questions, with options ranging from dramatic to gradual.

Finally, there will be a number of proposed resolutions on other matters of concern. None of this is secret; do stay in touch on our national church website www.episcopalchurch.org and the General Convention website (generalconvention.org).

The Rev. Dr. Jan Cottrell, Chair of Deputation

The Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen, Interim Assisting Bishop

The deputies and alternates to General Convention for the Diocese of Lexington are:

C1 The Rev. Dr. Jan Cottrell
jmcottrell@insightbb.com

C2 The Rev. Elise Johnstone
elisebjohnstone@gmail.com

C3 The Rev. Bob L. Sessum
bsessum@iglou.com

C4 The Rev. Duane Smith
duane_smith@berea.edu

CA1 The Rev. Ms. Laurie Brock
lmbrock10@aol.com

CA2 The Rev. Timothy Fleck
tim@stmarthaslex.org

CA3 The Rev. Magaret Shanks
margaretshanks@insightbb.com

L1 Ms. Allison Duvall
allison.asay@gmail.com

L2 Ms. Ann Davis McClain
adsm01@bellsouth.net

L3 Ms. Mary T. Yeiser
mtyeiser@hotmail.com

L4 Mr. Dave Sevigny
dgsevigny@insightbb.com

LA1 Ms. Barbara Crain
wbcrain@bellsouth.net

LA2 Mr. Sidney J. Vignes
sjv2@insightbb.com

The Diocese of Indianapolis is still looking to fill about a gazillion volunteer slots for General Convention! (It takes a village to make it all happen, you know!) Their automated registration link is:

https://2012gcec.theregistrationsystem.com/en/949 They’ve got inexpensive suburban hotels with free parking, shuttle bus services, and other services planned to make volunteering as easy as possible. So, enlist yourself or a friend/spouse/partner today and help us spread the word!

Individuals from the Diocese of Lexington have volunteered at General Conventions throughout the years. Here is what one former volunteer says about the experience:

Twice I have had the honor of attending a General Convention; once as the ECW President, from the Diocese of Lexington and once as a volunteer with the National Altar Guild. Each time, I eagerly participated in as many events as possible and felt the Spirit from morning until late into the night. If the Presiding Bishop was speaking, I was there, if there were sessions where we could sit in the back and listen, I was there, hanging on every agreement, and disagreement there was. Late into the night I sat and listened to discussions regarding the agenda for the following day.

As a member of the NAG, we were in the Sacristy early before the Eucharist, to prepare the Elements for the morning. It seemed like a great responsibility to have everything ready for such a large number of people. Having sufficient wine, wafers and purificators ready seemed like a daunting task, but a very joyful one. Even the clean-up was fun as we rolled large carriers of pitchers, chalices, and patens down the hall to the general kitchen for clean-up every day. At the end, everything had to be inventoried and packed away for the next convention, and any breakage noted before our job was complete.

Attending a General Convention is an energizing and spiritual experience. I could go every three years, if possible.

–Ann Reeves Burton, Akron, Ohio