Dear brothers and sisters,
From July 3-13, thousands of Episcopalians from the 110 dioceses of The Episcopal Church will gather in Austin for the
79th General Convention of our Church. Hundreds of
resolutions will be considered, debated and passed or defeated by the two houses of the Convention: the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. The
Women’s Triennial Convention will also be taking place concurrently, and the official deputations of both events will be joined by hundreds of visitors. Daily worship is glorious and will include thousands, while the vast exhibit hall will offer a dizzying array of ministries, organizations, and merchandise.
Into this massive, complex, ever-moving event with its teeming masses will go the intrepid band of deputies and alternates from West Texas, joining with your bishops, and we will together be seeking the mind of Christ for the faithful mission and ministry of our Church. It is not easy work.
Some of the issues we will consider—like the trial rites for same-sex marriage,
Prayer Book revision and immigration—are difficult and contentious.
We need your prayers, that we will be encouraged and sustained by the Holy Spirit, that we will listen carefully and speak kindly, that we will not grow weary in following Jesus as the days go on, and that we will strive to be of one heart and mind as members of Christ’s Body.
Bishop Jennifer and I commend to your prayers those who will represent West Texas:
Clergy Deputies—Ripp Hardaway, Scott Brown, Lisa Mason and David Read
Lay Deputies—Emily Kittrell, Kelley Kimble, Rob Schneider and Jennifer Wickham
Clergy Alternates—David Chalk, Ben Nelson, Matt Wise and Chuck Woehler
Lay Alternates—Wheless Baker, Missy Denney, Liz Manning and Curt Mowen
Our deputation will gather daily to check in, to share information, and to support one another. We will try to keep track of resolutions that are of particular interest to our diocese (such as the one from our Diocesan Council calling for a hymn in honor of Artemesia Bowden). Be mindful that popular and social media will gravitate toward hot-button issues, but will rarely shed light that leads to a deeper understanding. Our deputation will report back to the diocese via daily audio recordings, which (along with lots more news) will be posted on the diocesan website:
www.dwtx.org/general-convention.
Pray for the Church (
Book of Common Prayer, pp. 515, 816-818 and for the Church’s mission (
BCP, pp. 100-101) My hope for this convention is that our Church will be renewed by the Spirit to follow Jesus faithfully, sharing the Gospel of salvation with all. My hope is that in midst of all the voices we will hear in Austin, our ears and hearts will be tuned to hear the voice of our Lord calling us to seek first his Kingdom.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
David Reed
Bishop
