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GC officially launches today
Opening remarks set us on course
Wednesday started with opening remarks by the Presiding Bishop (PB), President of the House of Deputies (PHOD), and the ECW President. There was a lot of tweeting going on including by @EpiscopalCT
The PB used some wonderful Star Trek language early in her remarks. Later she said, "We are on a missionary expedition, scattering seeds of life and love to the winds and across the earth."...Go, for Jesus sends us on the only journey truly worth our lives."
Link here for full text or
link here to watch webcast)
The PHOD included a reference to the biblical story of Zechariah. "Just like Zechariah, we are standing on a boundary between the old and the new," she said. "Gathering here to wrestle with the future of our beloved Episcopal Church, we are standing on holy ground, straining to hear God speaking above all the noise..." (
Link here for full text; or
link here to watch webcast)
The opening remarks were followed by how-to-use-the-iPad and how-to-queue lessons, as well as a review (and practice) of new proposed Rules of Order.
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Must-see event of the day
Joint session heard from PB nominees
The House of Deputies had to clear out at noon after their morning session, and by 1 p.m. people were lining up to get back in the hall. Bishops and deputies sat together at tables; visitors in the gallery. It was a packed house. Link here to watch them streaming in (it's only 19 seconds!)
The PB nominees include Bishops Thomas Breidenthal, Michael Curry, Ian Douglas, and Dabney Smith. They were introduced separately by a two-minute video each had produced on an iPhone or with other video equipment. Then each gave a formal presentation. After that, they took questions first from the Joint Nominating Committee, and next from those submitted in advance from across the church. Questions fell into several categories. There were seven "rounds" of questions. For each round, the bishops each selected a category with a number, and were asked those questions. (Amazingly, Bishop Douglas had a question about seminary education and another about the Anglican Communion, and Bishop Michael Curry had a question about the Great Commission.) You can see Bishop Douglas in the photo above, projected on the screens. After the questions, the nominees had the opportunity to make another brief remark.
And you can watch this! As I prepare this Wed. night, the link is here - although it may be at the Media Hub ("Deputies") at some point. Do check this out.
Link to watch the presentation of the PB nominees
Link here to read the ENS article about the PB nominee presentation
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Opening worship today: Watch online
Opening worship will take place today, June 25, at 9:30 a.m. MT (11:30 a.m. EST). Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will preside and preach. Watch live, on the Media Hub. It will be available on-demand, later.
Link here to see a list of the upcoming preachers and presiders for daily worship at GC78.
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Clockwise from top left: The Rev. Steve Domienik (works for the secretariat), Kori Pacyniak (social media for TransEpiscopal and works on web for PHOD), the Rev. Hilary Greer (volunteer and attending young adult conference), & Ann Perrott (volunteer and observer), found chatting in the hallway; the Rev. Miguelina Howell (coordinator for 22 volunteers for the Hispanic/Latino Ministries Office; the Rev. Molly F. James & Bishop Jeffery Rowthorn, talking before the PB nominee presentation; Bishop Laura Ahrens, who stopped by the cordoned-off "press" area in the House of Deputies to say hello.
Individual pics on flickr.com
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Deputies & bishops meet in Juniper Room
Now that the legislative committees are well underway in their work, and legislative sessions are starting, the bishops and deputies will meet nightly - as they are able - to debrief the day. (see photo) They'll share what's been going on at hearings they attend, in committees on which they serve, or in debate in their Houses. They'll meet in the Juniper Room on the third floor of the Radisson, where they're staying. The room's a bit more formal than needed, but they'll make it work. At the far end of the table are Kristin Harris, Bishop Douglas' wife, and Johanna, their daughter. Both were at GC today.
We will have video interviews! The Rev. Paul Carling has agreed to be our video interviewer and we hope to record the first one Thursday night, the end of the first official day of GC78. These will be brief conversations with a deputy or bishop on some aspect of their work here. We'll come up with a clever title, such as, "From the Juniper Room."
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Women in Leadership in the Church
by the Rev. Molly James, Deputy
This morning we had the opportunity to listen to opening remarks from our Presiding Officers. It is not likely lost on those gathered that these two officers are both women. Remarkably that has been true for all nine years of our Presiding Bishop?s term. Yet just prior to this session, Twitter notified me that The Episcopal Church has released a
toolkit for promoting women clergy in leadership in the Church. The juxtaposition of these two realities is significant. On the one hand, we are tremendously blessed to have women serving in the most senior leadership positions in The Episcopal Church. On the other hand, we still need a ?toolkit? because women are not adequately represented in leadership across our Church.
Continue reading
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Legislative sessions start today
Events for June 25 include but are not limited to:
All day, children's program; SOUL conference; Sudanese Gathering; Young Adult Festival
8 a.m. - 9 a.m. Legislative session
9:30 a.m. Opening Eucharist
11:15 a.m. - 1 p.m. Legislative Committees
1 p.m. AA/Recovery Meeting
2 p.m. Bishop Spouse/Partner community presentation, "Ending Homelessness in Utah"
2:15 - 4 p.m. Legislative Committees
4:30-6:30 p.m. Legislative session
7: 30-9 p.m. Legislative Hearings
9 p.m. Black Caucus
9 p.m. Latino Caucus
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Immerse yourself in all things GC78
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Contact the editor:
Karin Hamilton
Canon for Mission Communication & Media
cell: 860-608-6969 voice/text | episcopalct.org
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