June 14, 2012

Dear Friends:

Just over two weeks from now, Episcopalians will be arriving in Indianapolis for the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. To receive regular updates during convention, please like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, sign up for our Indianapolis on-site email list, or email us your cell phone number for text message alerts.

At General Convention 2012, the Chicago Consultation will:

• Share our experiences with our new partners in Africa, two of whom will join us

• Advocate for the approval of two resolutions, A049 and A050, submitted by the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music

• Join our partners at TransEpiscopal in asking the church to approve resolution D002 to ensure that our canons do not permit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression

• Work to ensure that the restructuring of The Episcopal Church's governance preserves the strong voices of clergy and laypeople that have historically led in the church in progress toward greater social justice.

As you prepare for convention, here are some Chicago Consultation materials that may be helpful:

• Anglicans, Sexuality and Scripture: An African Consultation

This new booklet includes a report and two presentations from our October 2011 consultation in South Africa, convened with the Ujamaa Centre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. You can also watch an 11-minute film about this gathering.

• The Genius of Anglicanism: Perspectives on the Proposed Anglican Covenant

This booklet, published in 2011, includes eight essays and study questions.

• "Transgender People and the Church's Transformative Mission," a new essay by the Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge, Episcopal Chaplain at Boston University and a lecturer at Harvard University

• "The Meaning of Marriage: The Story of Carl and Dave," a nine-minute film about a family at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas

We also hope that our book Christian Holiness and Human Sexuality will be helpful to the many congregations and dioceses that may consider new conversations about this issue once General Convention has concluded. The book, published by Church Publishing Inc. in 2011, contains essays and study questions designed for parish study. 

Thank you for your support of the Chicago Consultation and our work. If you have questions, email us or be in touch on Facebook or Twitter. 

Faithfully,

The Chicago Consultation